Eagle Mountain Lake

The weather forecast and my schedule both called for a hike on Saturday morning.  The internet pointed me to Eagle Mountain Lake, which had the added bonus of being someplace I'd never visited.  So off I went!

This Question Mark was well camouflaged in some leaf litter along the loop trail.

There were plenty of wildflowers, but only one (Arkansas) Yucca in bloom that I noticed.

Some Cobaea Beardtongue was nicely lit against a shady background.

I appreciated seeing new leaves budding on this cactus.

I was too lazy to switch the lenses on my camera, so I shot this landscape shot of the wildflowers blooming along the trail with my zoom lens rather than my wide-angle lens with its wonderful circular polarizer.  So this shot isn't as saturated as I'd like as a result, especially the sky.

When I hit the South Overlook Trail, it became apparent that the stars of the day were going to be the butterflies.  There were a ton of them in a wide variety of species, including...

(deep breath)

... Black Swallowtail ...

... Common Buckeye ...

... did I mention Black Swallowtail?

Back to the unique sightings!  Sleepy Orange ...

... Dainty Sulphur ...

... Short-Tailed Swallowtail ...

EDIT: The iNaturalist community disagrees, and says this is another Black Swallowtail.

... Variegated Fritillary ...

... and Funereal Duskywing.  Eight different species!

EDIT: Seven, since I did not actually see a Short-Tailed Swallowtail.

A blooming Western Prickly Pear briefly interrupted the butterfly parade!

The parade resumed along the more wooded Shoreline Trail with this Red Admiral.

A hiker carrying his infant daughter spotted this Common Spotted Whiptail soaking up some sun along the trail.  Good thing, because I would have missed him.

Butterfly species #10 -- an Orange Sulphur!  I don't think I've ever seen that many on one outing, which helped make this a most memorable hike!

EDIT: Nine species.  See earlier references to the elusive Short-Tailed Swallowtail.

Ennis Bluebonnets 2023

The universe seemed to be conspiring to keep me away from shooting pictures of the bluebonnets around Ennis this year.  Overcast skies and even a bout with COVID had forced me to postpone three planned trips.  This past Saturday I was bound and determined, so much so that after seven previous sunrise visits I instead went in the afternoon with aspirations to stay for my first bluebonnet sunset.

The first shot is always the toughest, and this pond along FM 660 was my icebreaker.

A short walk from the pond was a more expansive bluebonnet vista.  The grasses had begun to overtake them, but the flowers themselves were still in beautiful bloom.

I loved the flags flanking this structure near Sugar Ridge Winery, but couldn't get very close and had to shoot from quite a distance away.

A spot near Sugar Ridge Ranch was where I had intended to make my initial stop, and it was quite a challenge to get a view that didn't also include the literally hundreds of other people who were also there enjoying the day.  But I did file the location away as a potential sunset spot.

I wandered around to the east side of the road and became really intrigued with the flowers at the base of this pair of trees.  Bonus -- the spot was set down below the ridge a bit and therefore out of the persistent breeze, so the flowers were fairly motionless

Nobody else seemed to care about this spot, so I stayed and kept recomposing.

2024 calendar cover, perhaps?

I envisioned this composition as a great option for an opening spread of a magazine article, with the headline and lead printing in the expanse of blue sky.  I have no idea exactly what magazine, or what the article would be about, but I am now prepared should such an opportunity arise.

Eventually I exhausted what seemed like all the interesting options for shooting essentially the same scene.  But I definitely feel like I got the most out of my time there.

There's a fairly small field along Andrew's Road that typically has a dense bloom.  This year was no exception, with Indian Paintbrush dominating.

I switched lenses and took my only close-up shot here, taking advantage of the backlighting from the late afternoon sun.

I had to see Sylvester Holy's field in Telico, but the clock was ticking with only a little more than an hour left until sunset.  Still I had to stop to shoot this tattered American flag along Union Hill Road.

And of course an adorable pair of donkeys demanded another stop.

Sylvester's field, unfortunately, was pretty sparse this year.  I didn't bother to take a single picture there.  Having to choose between the unknown quantity of the Meadow View Nature Area and the earlier scouted spot along Sugar Ridge Road for sunset, I went with the known.

My instincts were solid.  Even without any clouds to speak of, there was a pleasant amount of color in the evening sky.

Once the sun dipped below the horizon I packed up and started to my car, only to reconsider and set my tripod up one more time to just get the hint of a glow off in the distance.  Then it was a satisfied drive home in defiance of the universe's best efforts to deny me my bluebonnets!

Bob Jones Nature Center, January 2023

I've been cooped up inside since Monday waiting out a good old North Texas winter ice storm. Today the sun came out, temperatures were projected to skyrocket into the fifties, and I needed to get out and shoot.

It had been slightly more than eight years since I last (and first) visited the Bob Jones Nature Center & Preserve in Southlake.  Short drive, short trails, and I was hoping to catch as many different birds on their feeders as I had back at Denver Audubon in December.  So when I arrived I headed straight for the feeders, took a seat on the ground, and waited.

It didn't take long for the birds to consider me part of the landscape and get back to eating.  A male Downy Woodpecker ...

... and Orange-crowned Warbler were two species I don't see frequently.

A Bewick's Wren was kind enough to give me a view in more natural surroundings.

The Carolina Chickadees tend to be the quickest to overcome their fear of my presence whenever I shoot around feeders.  Today was no exception.

Somewhat surprisingly, two more woodpeckers also showed up.  First a female Downy ...

... then a Northern Flicker.

Some Northern Cardinals were characteristically skittish.  Eventually a female decided to brave the feeder, and had a grand time of it.

Tufted Titmice were nearly as abundant and brazen as the chickadees, much more concerned with eating than the possibility that I might want to eat them.

When the Benwick's Wren did join in the feeding frenzy, it had the good sense to eat off the ground and avoid the competition at the feeders.

The feeders had all been dutifully squirrel-proofed, which is why this chap seems to look a little sad.

I'd noticed some different birds visiting another nearby feeder.  So I changed spots, waited patiently, and was rewarded with a stop from a male Northern Cardinal.

The chickadees, of course, were plentiful here as well.

Taking a note from the Bewick's Wren, the cardinal boy also struck a pose in a setting free from the hand of man.

As warm as the day was growing, shaded areas still had plenty of ice.  But it was clearly not going to stick around much longer.

I did get in a walk around the Bluebird Trail before I left, which ended with me seeing a small herd of White-tailed Deer.  I'd seen the same herd when I first arrived, but they weren't interested in letting me get a clear view of them at first, but a few hours of fresh air and sunshine can lighten anyone's mood.  So it was that they graced me with a fine farewell shot, and my visit came to a rewarding end!

Lost Maples State Natural Area

I'd had a great start to my South Texas Foliage Hunt.  The afternoon called for a sterner stretch of the legs, and Lost Maples State Natural Area was ready to help me answer that call.

The East Trail loop reportedly offered nice scenery, including some steep stretches leading to overloooks.  Skies were overcast but the threat of imminent rain seemed to have passed.  Temperatures were mild.  In short, terrific hiking weather.

Intimate shots of fallen leaves covered in rain droplets.  This was absolutely the autumn I had sought.

Orange maple leaves?  Yes, please.

Everything about this walk in the woods was exactly as I'd hoped it would be.

Well, almost everything.  It would have been really cool if there had been, like, sprites or faeries or something.  Alas, no such luck.

I haven't seen many physical landscape features as aptly named as Monkey Rock.

The Grotto is interesting. This is a spot I'd like to see again in the summer when everything is blooming.

The trail goes steeply uphill to some overlooks with views that are probably more compelling when there are fewer clouds.

Switching to portrait orientation didn't dispel the clouds either, unfortunately.

I reached that point where the surroundings were all so beautiful that I wanted to shoot them all at once.  Sometimes I couldn't even find a subject, I was just overwhelmed by the vegetation.

Five miles almost exactly the nose with some side meandering, in a tidy two hours and 44 minutes.  Satisfied with what I'd seen and done, I was both relaxed and energized (if that's even possible) for the six-hour drive back home!