Scarlet Leather Flower

Posted on April 4, 2017 by treshabarger

A favorite flower growing in McKinney Falls State Park.

Clematis texensis

Red Admiral Butterfly

Posted on March 29, 2017 by treshabarger

I’m pretty sure this is a Red Admiral butterfly.

At McKinney Falls State Park

More Signs of an Early Spring

Posted on February 19, 2017 by treshabarger

I found some green stuff peeking up on the trail of a recent hike. Bluebonnets, already? On my drive to the hike, I also saw some Mountain Laurels in bloom (no photos, however, as Austin has a “no using hand-held devices while driving” law).

Bluebonnets

Looks like cilantro to me, but I wasn’t about to taste it to verify

We passed two ponds. You can see how the clouds changed in just a few minutes.

I’m not sure how this prickly pear cactus pad got separated from the plant, or how it managed to get lodged on the barbed wire fence.

Pad of a prickly pear cactus

An Early Spring

Posted on February 15, 2017 by treshabarger

This winter was quite short, as our central Texas February temperatures are in the 70s and 80s. I even saw some Mountain Laurel trees starting to bloom. I look forward to hiking at McKinney Falls State Park soon.

a-mckinney-falls-005s a-mckinney-falls-053-s a-mckinney-falls-067-s

On The Boat

Posted on January 22, 2017 by treshabarger

My hiking group went on a field trip to the Vanishing Texas River Cruises in Burnet, Texas. It was a dark and stormy day. I drove through heavy rain and traffic most of my way there, wondering all the while if the bad weather would cancel the outing, but it didn’t. The rain stopped and there was a only slight breeze. Yes, it was cold out on the boat, if you stayed on the outer deck like I did, but inside it was heated and there was coffee.

Eagles winter in this area and often times can be seen on the tour. We saw lots of coots, some red-tailed hawks, ravens, herons, gulls, and cormorants, but no eagles. Better luck next time.
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Not much wind, fortunately.
Wind sock
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Ripples behind the boat.

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Cliff 1
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At the end of a pier.
End of the pier
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Cormorants

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Big Rock
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The lion’s head rock formation.
Lion head
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Looks like a river monster to me.