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  • This is truly the bush with many names, including Texas Ranger, Texas rain sage, cenizo, Texas silverleaf, Texas barometerbush, ash-bush, wild lilac, purple sage, senisa, cenicilla, palo cenizo, and hierba del cenizo. I'm choosing to just call it "Texas sage" as it is commonly called around where I found it in Mission, Texas in the Rio Grande Valley. This plant has a cool feature: when it rains or the soil becomes wet, it will suddenly go into blossom. You can tell if an area has had recent rain just by the presence of these beautiful pink flowers, which look beautiful next to its silver leaves.
    Texas Sage 1
  • This is truly the bush with many names, including Texas Ranger, Texas rain sage, cenizo, Texas silverleaf, Texas barometerbush, ash-bush, wild lilac, purple sage, senisa, cenicilla, palo cenizo, and hierba del cenizo. I'm choosing to just call it "Texas sage" as it is commonly called around where I found it in Mission, Texas in the Rio Grande Valley. This plant has a cool feature: when it rains or the soil becomes wet, it will suddenly go into blossom. You can tell if an area has had recent rain just by the presence of these beautiful pink flowers, which look beautiful next to its silver leaves.
    Texas Sage 2
  • As with so many of our local and native wildflowers, different people have different names for the same plants and Texas bluebells are no different. Also known as bluebell gentian, Lisianthus, prairie gentian, Texas bluebell and showy prairie gentian, this pretty member of the gentian family is found mostly in Texas, with small pockets of them growing wild in Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado and Nebraska and are usually found growing in open grassland. This one in Southern Hidalgo, Texas near Weslaco was damaged by some insect in such an unusual way that I just had to take a photo.
    Texas Bluebell
  • As with so many of our local and native wildflowers, different people have different names for the same plants and Texas bluebells are no different. Also known as bluebell gentian, Lisianthus, prairie gentian, Texas bluebell and showy prairie gentian, this pretty member of the gentian family is found mostly in Texas, with small pockets of them growing wild in Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado and Nebraska and are usually found growing in open grassland. This one in Southern Hidalgo, Texas near Weslaco was damaged by some insect in such an unusual way that I just had to take a photo.
    Texas Bluebell
  • Unusual and secretive, the South Texas satyr is a member of the often brightly-colored brushfoot butterfly family (monarchs, fritillaries, crescents, etc.) but are often small, a muted brown are more likely to be confused with moths as they flitter throughout the shady forests, often on the ground, blending in with fallen leaves. This small species is known only from the Rio Grande region of Southern Texas and Northern Mexico, and was found in a grove of wild oaks next to a pond in Southern Hidalgo County, Texas.
    South Texas Satyr (Hermeuptychia her..ius)
  • Native to South and Southwest Texas, and Center Mexico, this absolutely beautiful tree is a member of the pea family. The Texas mountain laurel goes by many other local names such as frigolito, frijollito, frijolillo, coral bean, big-drunk bean and more. These beautiful flowers blossom in the spring, and will produce what are known as mescal beans with bright red pea-like seeds which are highly toxic to people. This one was found blooming in Harlingen, Texas on a beautiful sunny spring afternoon in the Lower Rio Grande Valley.
    Texas Mountain Laurel (Dermatophyllu..ora)
  • Native to South and Southwest Texas, and Center Mexico, this absolutely beautiful tree is a member of the pea family. The Texas mountain laurel goes by many other local names such as frigolito, frijollito, frijolillo, coral bean, big-drunk bean and more. These beautiful flowers blossom in the spring, and will produce what are known as mescal beans with bright red pea-like seeds which are highly toxic to people. This one was found blooming in Harlingen, Texas on a beautiful sunny spring afternoon in the Lower Rio Grande Valley.
    Texas Mountain Laurel (Dermatophyllu..ora)
  • A very active Texas tortoise mows through the vegetation on a hot late-summer afternoon near the Rio Grande in Mission, Texas. These close relatives to the Florida gopher tortoise are found across South Texas and eastern Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, Tamaulipas, and northeastern San Luis Potosi in Mexico.
    Texas Tortoise 6
  • A very active Texas tortoise mows through the vegetation on a hot late-summer afternoon near the Rio Grande in Mission, Texas. These close relatives to the Florida gopher tortoise are found across South Texas and eastern Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, Tamaulipas, and northeastern San Luis Potosi in Mexico.
    Texas Tortoise 4
  • A very active Texas tortoise mows through the vegetation on a hot late-summer afternoon near the Rio Grande in Mission, Texas. These close relatives to the Florida gopher tortoise are found across South Texas and eastern Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, Tamaulipas, and northeastern San Luis Potosi in Mexico.
    Texas Tortoise 3
  • A very active Texas tortoise mows through the vegetation on a hot late-summer afternoon near the Rio Grande in Mission, Texas. These close relatives to the Florida gopher tortoise are found across South Texas and eastern Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, Tamaulipas, and northeastern San Luis Potosi in Mexico.
    Texas Tortoise 1
  • A very active Texas tortoise mows through the vegetation on a hot late-summer afternoon near the Rio Grande in Mission, Texas. These close relatives to the Florida gopher tortoise are found across South Texas and eastern Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, Tamaulipas, and northeastern San Luis Potosi in Mexico.
    Texas Tortoise 5
  • A very active Texas tortoise mows through the vegetation on a hot late-summer afternoon near the Rio Grande in Mission, Texas. These close relatives to the Florida gopher tortoise are found across South Texas and eastern Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, Tamaulipas, and northeastern San Luis Potosi in Mexico.
    Texas Tortoise 2
  • The Texas indigo snake is currently considered a subspecies of the Eastern or Florida indigo snake and is found in Texas and down deep into Mexico. This beautiful specimen was found resting in a Christmas cactus where it had plenty of shade from the Texas summer sun in the very southern tip of the Lone Star State.
    Texas Indigo Snake
  • This particular patch of Texas prickly pear cacti in Edinburg, Texas have a really pretty reddish-orange colorations to them. Most of the time, the flowers are a bright yellow.
    Texas Prickly Pear Flowers (Opuntia ..eri)
  • This particular patch of Texas prickly pear cacti in Edinburg, Texas have a really pretty reddish-orange colorations to them. Most of the time, the flowers are a bright yellow.
    Texas Prickly Pear Flowers (Opuntia ..eri)
  • A Texas patch-nosed snake (Salvadora grahamiae lineata), a subspecies of the more common and widespread eastern patch-nosed snake warms up in the sunshine on a surprisingly chilly winter late afternoon in Southern Hidalgo County in Mission, Texas - about 5 miles form the Mexican border. This snake gets its name from the unusually large scale on the tip of its snout and is completely harmless to people and reach about 2 to 3 feet in length. This snake primarily eats anything they can catch which is typically lizards, eggs, small rodents and other snakes.
    Texas Patch-nosed Snake (Salvadora g..ata)
  • This particular patch of Texas prickly pear cacti in Edinburg, Texas have a really pretty reddish-orange colorations to them. Most of the time, the flowers are a bright yellow.
    Texas Prickly Pear Flowers (Opuntia ..eri)
  • This particular patch of Texas prickly pear cacti in Edinburg, Texas have a really pretty reddish-orange colorations to them. Most of the time, the flowers are a bright yellow.
    Texas Prickly Pear Flowers (Opuntia ..eri)
  • This particular patch of Texas prickly pear cacti in Edinburg, Texas have a really pretty reddish-orange colorations to them. Most of the time, the flowers are a bright yellow.
    Texas Prickly Pear Flowers (Opuntia ..eri)
  • A Texas patch-nosed snake (Salvadora grahamiae lineata), a subspecies of the more common and widespread eastern patch-nosed snake warms up in the sunshine on a surprisingly chilly winter late afternoon in Southern Hidalgo County in Mission, Texas - about 5 miles form the Mexican border. This snake gets its name from the unusually large scale on the tip of its snout and is completely harmless to people and reach about 2 to 3 feet in length. This snake primarily eats anything they can catch which is typically lizards, eggs, small rodents and other snakes.
    Texas Patch-nosed Snake (Salvadora g..ata)
  • A great find! A subadult Texas tan tarantula is seen out in the open in broad daylight in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of South Texas on a hot autumn afternoon. These long-lived, gentle spiders are harmless to humans and can be found throughout most of Southeast Texas.
    Texas Tan Tarantula 1
  • A great find! A subadult Texas tan tarantula is seen out in the open in broad daylight in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of South Texas on a hot autumn afternoon. These long-lived, gentle spiders are harmless to humans and can be found throughout most of Southeast Texas.
    Texas Tan Tarantula 2
  • A great find! A subadult Texas tan tarantula is seen out in the open in broad daylight in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of South Texas on a hot autumn afternoon. These long-lived, gentle spiders are harmless to humans and can be found throughout most of Southeast Texas.
    Texas Tan Tarantula 3
  • Extremely common in the southern half of Texas, this large prickly pear blooms from March through June, producing large edible red to purple delicious fruits. These ripening "tunas" were found growing outside of Mission, Texas.
    Texas Prickly Pear Fruit
  • Extremely common in the southern half of Texas, this large prickly pear blooms from March through June, producing large edible red to purple delicious fruits. This enormous patch was found growing outside of Mission, Texas.
    Texas Prickly Pear (Opuntia lindheimeri)
  • This medium-sized, common and true toad is found in southeastern Arizona, western Oklahoma, most of Texas and nearly all of the Mexican states of Chihuahua and Coahuila. It is most often found in desert and grassland habitats, where it feeds on ants, beetles and other arthropods it can overpower, and makes use of many different types of structures for its protection from predation, such as under logs, animal burrows or simply burying itself in mud. This one was found and photographed after a flash flood near the Rio Grande, near the Mexican border in West Texas' Big Bend National Park.
    Texas Toad (Anaxyrus speciosus)
  • This medium-sized, common and true toad is found in southeastern Arizona, western Oklahoma, most of Texas and nearly all of the Mexican states of Chihuahua and Coahuila. It is most often found in desert and grassland habitats, where it feeds on ants, beetles and other arthropods it can overpower, and makes use of many different types of structures for its protection from predation, such as under logs, animal burrows or simply burying itself in mud. This one was found and photographed after a flash flood near the Rio Grande, near the Mexican border in West Texas' Big Bend National Park.
    Texas Toad (Anaxyrus speciosus)
  • The Texas rainbow cactus usually has a single stem, but may branch when older. Large yellow flowers bloom in the spring from the upper portions of the stem. The stem may have bands of tan, reddish or brown spines, giving it a rainbow appearance. This one was found and photographed in West Texas in the Chihuahuan Desert lowlands just north of the Chisos Mountains.
    Texas Rainbow Cactus
  • This medium-sized, common and true toad is found in southeastern Arizona, western Oklahoma, most of Texas and nearly all of the Mexican states of Chihuahua and Coahuila. It is most often found in desert and grassland habitats, where it feeds on ants, beetles and other arthropods it can overpower, and makes use of many different types of structures for its protection from predation, such as under logs, animal burrows or simply burying itself in mud. This one was found and photographed after a flash flood near the Rio Grande, near the Mexican border in West Texas' Big Bend National Park.
    Texas Toad (Anaxyrus speciosus)
  • This medium-sized, common and true toad is found in southeastern Arizona, western Oklahoma, most of Texas and nearly all of the Mexican states of Chihuahua and Coahuila. It is most often found in desert and grassland habitats, where it feeds on ants, beetles and other arthropods it can overpower, and makes use of many different types of structures for its protection from predation, such as under logs, animal burrows or simply burying itself in mud. This one was found and photographed after a flash flood near the Rio Grande, near the Mexican border in West Texas' Big Bend National Park.
    Texas Toad (Anaxyrus speciosus)
  • This medium-sized, common and true toad is found in southeastern Arizona, western Oklahoma, most of Texas and nearly all of the Mexican states of Chihuahua and Coahuila. It is most often found in desert and grassland habitats, where it feeds on ants, beetles and other arthropods it can overpower, and makes use of many different types of structures for its protection from predation, such as under logs, animal burrows or simply burying itself in mud. This one was found and photographed after a flash flood near the Rio Grande, near the Mexican border in West Texas' Big Bend National Park.
    Texas Toad (Anaxyrus speciosus)
  • Uncooperative  Texas gold millipede I found near Burro Spring, in Western Texas' Big Bend National Park. This large, fat millipede was crawling along just fine until I lifted my camera to my face.
    Texas Gold Millipede (Orthoporus orn..tus)
  • The Texas rainbow cactus usually has a single stem, but may branch when older. Large yellow flowers bloom in the spring from the upper portions of the stem. The stem may have bands of tan, reddish or brown spines, giving it a rainbow appearance. This one was found and photographed in West Texas in the Chihuahuan Desert lowlands just north of the Chisos Mountains.
    Texas Rainbow Cactus
  • El Capitan in West Texas' Guadalupe Mountains (100 miles east of El Paso) is the world's premier example of an exposed fossil reef from the Permian Era, dated at about 260 million years old - much older than the golden age of dinosaurs. This whole part of Texas back in this time was once covered in a shallow sea that geologists call the Delaware Sea, in a time when all of Earth's continents were still joined into one supercontinent that we call Pangaea. The entire top of El Capitan is made of limestone formed from the fossilized remains of aquatic plant and animal remains such as corals, algae, shellfish and plankton, and now stands at just above 8000 feet above sea level. The base is formed by layer upon layer of sand laid down over millions of years, in the manner you would expect from the ocean floor resulting in a very typical sedimentary rock formation,  further eroded by millions of years of desert heat, rain, abrasion and wind.
    El Capitan, West Texas
  • The Chisos Mountains of West Texas is the southernmost mountain range in the United States, and is surrounded by the Chihuahuan Desert on the US-Mexico border. Located wholly within the borders of Big Bend National Park, this incredible view of this ancient volcanic mountain range was photographed on a late spring afternoon as the sun began to set in the "golden hour".
    Chisos Mountains of West Texas
  • A perfect trio of flowers of the anacahuita, also known as the wild Texas olive, growing in a field in Harlingen, Texas. This member of the borage family is native to northeast Mexico and only is found in the United States in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Southern Texas. This tree provides fruit and pollen for many types of wildlife - especially hummingbirds! A jelly can be made from the olive-like fruit.
    Anacahuita (Cordia boissieri)
  • Also known as the Texas spotted whiptail, the common spotted whiptail is an attractive heat-loving member of the Teiidae family and is often spotted on the sides of roads, trails and open area with nearby cover across most of Texas and nearly all of Mexico except for in the western states. This one was one of many seen on a hot summer day near Weslaco, Texas in the Rio Grande Valley.
    Common Spotted Whiptail
  • Close-up of the flower of Bailey's ballmoss. This airplant is an interesting medium-sized bromeliad native to the Lower Rio Grande Valley area in Texas and Northern Mexico that is usually found on the southern live oak or Texas ebony where it anchors itself into the tree's bark and gains nutrients from rainwater and whatever nutrients happen to land on them and their root anchor systems via wind and the weather. Like all bromeliads, these epiphytes do not harm the host tree, and are quite resistant to wind and storms. This one was one of many hundreds found in a growing in a Texas ebony (Ebenopsis ebano) in Harlingen, Texas on a warm springtime afternoon.
    Bailey's Ballmoss (Tillandsia baileyi)
  • Bailey's ballmoss is an interesting medium-sized bromeliad native to the Lower Rio Grande Valley area in Texas and Northern Mexico that is usually found on the southern live oak or Texas ebony where it anchors itself into the tree's bark and gains nutrients from rainwater and whatever nutrients happen to land on them and their root anchor systems via wind and the weather. Like all bromeliads, these epiphytes do not harm the host tree, and are quite resistant to wind and storms. This one was one of many hundreds found in a growing in a Texas ebony (Ebenopsis ebano) in Harlingen, Texas on a warm springtime afternoon.
    Bailey's Ballmoss (Tillandsia baileyi)
  • Bailey's ballmoss is an interesting medium-sized bromeliad native to the Lower Rio Grande Valley area in Texas and Northern Mexico that is usually found on the southern live oak or Texas ebony where it anchors itself into the tree's bark and gains nutrients from rainwater and whatever nutrients happen to land on them and their root anchor systems via wind and the weather. Like all bromeliads, these epiphytes do not harm the host tree, and are quite resistant to wind and storms. This one was one of many hundreds found in a growing in a Texas ebony (Ebenopsis ebano) in Harlingen, Texas on a warm springtime afternoon.
    Bailey's Ballmoss (Tillandsia baileyi)
  • Bailey's ballmoss is an interesting medium-sized bromeliad native to the Lower Rio Grande Valley area in Texas and Northern Mexico that is usually found on the southern live oak or Texas ebony where it anchors itself into the tree's bark and gains nutrients from rainwater and whatever nutrients happen to land on them and their root anchor systems via wind and the weather. Like all bromeliads, these epiphytes do not harm the host tree, and are quite resistant to wind and storms. This one was one of many hundreds found in a growing in a Texas ebony (Ebenopsis ebano) in Harlingen, Texas on a warm springtime afternoon.
    Bailey's Ballmoss (Tillandsia baileyi)
  • Close-up of the flower of Bailey's ballmoss. This airplant is an interesting medium-sized bromeliad native to the Lower Rio Grande Valley area in Texas and Northern Mexico that is usually found on the southern live oak or Texas ebony where it anchors itself into the tree's bark and gains nutrients from rainwater and whatever nutrients happen to land on them and their root anchor systems via wind and the weather. Like all bromeliads, these epiphytes do not harm the host tree, and are quite resistant to wind and storms. This one was one of many hundreds found in a growing in a Texas ebony (Ebenopsis ebano) in Harlingen, Texas on a warm springtime afternoon.
    Bailey's Ballmoss (Tillandsia baileyi)
  • The lyside sulphur butterfly is one of those highly active tropical pale yellow-to-white butterflies often seen flittering about patches of wildflowers and bushes, often joined by others butterfly species and bees, such as this one in South Texas in the Rio Grande Valley. This species is widespread in Texas and Mexico, and can be found in Arizona, Nicaragua, Guatemala, the Caribbean Islands and South Florida.
    Lyside Sulphur
  • The lyside sulphur butterfly is one of those highly active tropical pale yellow-to-white butterflies often seen flittering about patches of wildflowers and bushes, often joined by others butterfly species and bees, such as this one in South Texas in the Rio Grande Valley. This species is widespread in Texas and Mexico, and can be found in Arizona, Nicaragua, Guatemala, the Caribbean Islands and South Florida.
    Lyside Sulphur
  • Primarily found in Central America and Mexico, the band-celled sister (also known as the Mexican sister) is a beautiful brushfoot butterfly related to admiral butterflies. It has a range that extends from the very southern tip of Texas to Columbia and Venezuela where it feeds on nectar from Cordia, Croton, and Baccharis flowers, and sometimes rotting fruit. This one was photographed on a hot summer day near Weslaco, Texas in the Rio Grande Valley.
    Band-celled Sister
  • Primarily found in Central America and Mexico, the band-celled sister (also known as the Mexican sister) is a beautiful brushfoot butterfly related to admiral butterflies. It has a range that extends from the very southern tip of Texas to Columbia and Venezuela where it feeds on nectar from Cordia, Croton, and Baccharis flowers, and sometimes rotting fruit. This one was photographed on a hot summer day near Weslaco, Texas in the Rio Grande Valley.
    Band-celled Sister
  • Although this isn't widely known, the big, black & white "ugly" ducks seen in parks and cities around the United States, Canada, Europe and parts of Australia and New Zealand called Muscovy ducks are actually a native of the New World, despite their "Russian-sounding" name. They are found natively from the Rio Grande Valley of Texas south all the way to Uruguay and Northern Argentina. A very large duck, it was already domesticated in pre-Columbian times by the Aztecs before Europeans arrived in North America, who spread them around the world as a food source. This impressive drake (male duck) was found and photographed in its native range near some nesting trees in McAllen, Texas in the Rio Grande Valley.
    Muscovy Duck
  • The Rio Grande ground squirrel is a somewhat newly named species that was once thought to be a subspecies of the Mexican ground squirrel, until DNA sequencing showed that it belonged to a completely different genus. Native to South and West Texas, Southeastern New Mexico and much of Northeastern Mexico south of the Rio Grande, this handsome little squirrel is often found standing tall on its back legs as it surveys its surroundings, keeping an eye out for predators. At the first sign of trouble, it is ready to dive down into one of its many burrows at the first sign of trouble. This one was found on the side of an irrigation canal in McAllen, Texas.
    Rio Grande Ground Squirrel
  • The Rio Grande ground squirrel is a somewhat newly named species that was once thought to be a subspecies of the Mexican ground squirrel, until DNA sequencing showed that it belonged to a completely different genus. Native to South and West Texas, Southeastern New Mexico and much of Northeastern Mexico south of the Rio Grande, this handsome little squirrel is often found standing tall on its back legs as it surveys its surroundings, keeping an eye out for predators. At the first sign of trouble, it is ready to dive down into one of its many burrows at the first sign of trouble. This one was found on the side of an irrigation canal in McAllen, Texas.
    Rio Grande Ground Squirrel
  • A pair of spiny softshell turtles - probably the Texas subspecies (Apalone spinifera emoryi)  which is only found near the Rio Grande - keeping a wary eye out for alligators in a pond in next to Estero Llano Lake in Weslaco, Texas. Large with a somewhat flexible, leathery shell, the spiny softshell turtle and all of it's subspecies can be found in most freshwater lakes, rivers and ponds where the water is clean and has a range from Southern Canada to Mexico in mostly the Eastern and Central part of the continent.
    Spiny Softshell Turtle (Apalone spin..era)
  • Primarily found in Central America and Mexico, the band-celled sister (also known as the Mexican sister) is a beautiful brushfoot butterfly related to admiral butterflies. It has a range that extends from the very southern tip of Texas to Columbia and Venezuela where it feeds on nectar from Cordia, Croton, and Baccharis flowers, and sometimes rotting fruit. This one was photographed on a hot summer day near Weslaco, Texas in the Rio Grande Valley.
    Band-celled Sister
  • There is no mistaking the presence of a great kiskadee. It has a sound like the cross between a monkey and a parrot, and it is LOUD! The great kiskadee is a member of the tyrant flycatcher family and is related to other flycatchers and kingbirds, and just reaches the United States in the southern tip of Texas in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, and is common as far South as Argentina. It can be found in nearly all of South America except along the Pacific Coast. This one was found screaming its head off in some trees next to an urban path in McAllen, Texas on a very hot summer afternoon.
    Great Kiskadee
  • There is no mistaking the presence of a great kiskadee. It has a sound like the cross between a monkey and a parrot, and it is LOUD! The great kiskadee is a member of the tyrant flycatcher family and is related to other flycatchers and kingbirds, and just reaches the United States in the southern tip of Texas in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, and is common as far South as Argentina. It can be found in nearly all of South America except along the Pacific Coast. This one was found screaming its head off in some trees next to an urban path in McAllen, Texas on a very hot summer afternoon.
    Great Kiskadee
  • The Rio Grande ground squirrel is a somewhat newly named species that was once thought to be a subspecies of the Mexican ground squirrel, until DNA sequencing showed that it belonged to a completely different genus. Native to South and West Texas, Southeastern New Mexico and much of Northeastern Mexico south of the Rio Grande, this handsome little squirrel is often found standing tall on its back legs as it surveys its surroundings, keeping an eye out for predators. At the first sign of trouble, it is ready to dive down into one of its many burrows at the first sign of trouble. This one was found on the side of an irrigation canal in McAllen, Texas.
    Rio Grande Ground Squirrel
  • A fantastic close-up of one of the many variable (and often hard to correctly identify) wolf spiders of North America, as it hunts during the daytime on a hot springtime afternoon in the Rio Grande Valley in the Southern tip of Texas. I'm pretty sure this is the species known as Hogna antelucana, but it also might be Tigrosa annexa. Both live in the area and have so much variation between individuals that it is hard to tell the two apart. Anyway, I took a few macro shots of this one and let it go on its merry way.
    Wolf Spider
  • Relatively common across the United States, Southern Canada and Northeastern Mexico, the bold jumping spider is easy to recognize. It is large for a jumping spider, is usually black and white (some of them have orange or red spots), but the most striking characteristic is the metallic green chelicerae (part above the fangs). This one was found actively hunting on a prickly pear cactus near Weslaco, Texas on a very hot summer afternoon.
    Bold Jumping Spider
  • A wolf spider - one of one of the many variable (and often hard to correctly identify) wolf spiders of North America. I'm pretty sure this is the species known as Tigrosa annexa. This one was scrambling across some dead leaves and fallen Spanish moss in the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge on a hot springtime afternoon near the US-Mexico border in Southern Texas, and paused for a brief second, just long enough for me to get this shot.
    Wolf Spider
  • This tiny native to Southern Texas and Mexico, the Julia's skipper butterfly can be found year-round and is very easily overlooked due to its small size, and muted coloration. This one was feeding on rose vervain nectar just next to the Rio Grande under some mesquite trees in Hidalgo County, Texas in the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge.
    Julia's Skipper (Nastra julia)
  • With a wingspan of 3/4" to 1", the tiny and delicate fatal metalmark is a common metalmark butterfly of the southern United States from Texas to California and can be found throughout Mexico and Guatemala. This one was found sunning itself in a prickly pear cactus patch on a warm November day in Rio Grande City, Texas in Starr County.
    Fatal Metalmark (Calephelis nemesis)
  • Easily one of the prettiest of all of our native North American woodpeckers, this stunning male landed on this branch as I was trying to photograph some migratory warblers and completely stole the show. This species can be found in most of Central America and north to Southern and Central Texas and just barely into Oklahoma. This one was photographed in a park in Harlingen, Texas  in the Rio Grande Valley.
    Golden-fronted Woodpecker (Melanerpe..ons)
  • Although this pricklypoppy is not colored red, the flowers of this South Texas native ranges from dark purple to red, bright pink, fuchsia, light pink to pure white. This one was found in a massive disturbed field with several hundred others in Harlingen, Texas in the Rio Grande Valley.
    Red Pricklypoppy (Argemone sanguinea)
  • This tiny native to Southern Texas and Mexico, the Julia's skipper butterfly can be found year-round and is very easily overlooked due to its small size, and muted coloration. This one was feeding on rose vervain nectar just next to the Rio Grande under some mesquite trees in Hidalgo County, Texas in the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge.
    Julia's Skipper (Nastra julia)
  • The energetic and tiny clouded slipper butterfly is a common southeastern butterfly that is mostly found year-round in Florida and Texas and can be found as far south as Columbia. This one was feeding on rose vervain just next to the Rio Grande under some mesquite trees in Hidalgo County, Texas on the US-Mexico border.
    Clouded Skipper (Lerema accius)
  • The energetic and tiny clouded slipper butterfly is a common southeastern butterfly that is mostly found year-round in Florida and Texas and can be found as far south as Columbia. This one was feeding on rose vervain just next to the Rio Grande under some mesquite trees in Hidalgo County, Texas on the US-Mexico border.
    Clouded Skipper (Lerema accius)
  • The energetic and tiny clouded slipper butterfly is a common southeastern butterfly that is mostly found year-round in Florida and Texas and can be found as far south as Columbia. This one was feeding on a bright red heart leaf hibiscus flower on the side of a road in the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge near Alamo, Texas.
    Clouded Skipper (Lerema accius)
  • The rose-bellied lizard (also known as the rosebelly lizard) is a handsome little member of the spiny lizard family and is native to Central and North America with a range from Costa Rica to Southern Texas. This one was found near the edge of a pond in just south of Alamo, Texas.
    Rose-bellied Lizard (Sceloporus vari..lis)
  • The rose-bellied lizard (also known as the rosebelly lizard) is a handsome little member of the spiny lizard family and is native to Central and North America with a range from Costa Rica to Southern Texas. This one was found near the bank of the Rio Grande in Southern Hidalgo County, Texas.
    Rose-bellied Lizard (Sceloporus vari..lis)
  • As red as red can get! These intensely-bright small native hibiscus flowers are native to the Rio Grande Valley area along Southern Texas where they will continue to bloom all year long, even in the hottest part of summer just as long as the is no chance of frost. Heart leaf hibiscus flowers are favored by both butterflies and hummingbirds, and withstand long periods of high heat and lack of water. This one was photographed between various brief butterfly visits  just south of Alamo, Texas near the Rio Grande on a warm winter afternoon.
    Heart Leaf Hibiscus (Hibiscus martianus)
  • As red as red can get! These intensely-bright small native hibiscus flowers are native to the Rio Grande Valley area along Southern Texas where they will continue to bloom all year long, even in the hottest part of summer just as long as the is no chance of frost. Heart leaf hibiscus flowers are favored by both butterflies and hummingbirds, and withstand long periods of high heat and lack of water. This one was photographed between various brief butterfly visits  just south of Alamo, Texas near the Rio Grande on a warm winter afternoon.
    Heart Leaf Hibiscus (Hibiscus martianus)
  • Contrary to the name, Spanish moss in neither a moss, nor is it Spanish. It's a native bromeliad that is closely related to pineapples and air plants found in the tropics and subtropics. This interesting epiphytic plant is most often found hanging from live oaks in the American Southeast, Texas, Mexico and Caribbean Islands where it clings to the bark of these trees by tiny scales on their long thread-like stems. Spanish moss is completely harmless to their host trees, except in some cases where there can be so much of it that it actually blocks the sunlight needed for photosynthesis. This one was found in an area along the Rio Grande right next to the US-Mexico border near Alamo, Texas.
    Spanish Moss (Tillandsia usneoides) - 1
  • Contrary to the name, Spanish moss in neither a moss, nor is it Spanish. It's a native bromeliad that is closely related to pineapples and air plants found in the tropics and subtropics. This interesting epiphytic plant is most often found hanging from live oaks in the American Southeast, Texas, Mexico and Caribbean Islands where it clings to the bark of these trees by tiny scales on their long thread-like stems. Spanish moss is completely harmless to their host trees, except in some cases where there can be so much of it that it actually blocks the sunlight needed for photosynthesis. This was part of an enormous patch found in an area along the Rio Grande right next to the US-Mexico border near Alamo, Texas.
    Spanish Moss (Tillandsia usneoides) - 3
  • Close-up of the wiry stems of Spanish moss. Contrary to the name, Spanish moss in neither a moss, nor is it Spanish. It's a native bromeliad that is closely related to pineapples and air plants found in the tropics and subtropics. This interesting epiphytic plant is most often found hanging from live oaks in the American Southeast, Texas, Mexico and Caribbean Islands where it clings to the bark of these trees by tiny scales on their long thread-like stems. Spanish moss is completely harmless to their host trees, except in some cases where there can be so much of it that it actually blocks the sunlight needed for photosynthesis. This was found in an area along the Rio Grande right next to the US-Mexico border near Alamo, Texas.
    Spanish Moss (Tillandsia usneoides) - 2
  • The rose-bellied lizard (also known as the rosebelly lizard) is a handsome little member of the spiny lizard family and is native to Central and North America with a range from Costa Rica to Southern Texas. This one was found near the bank of the Rio Grande in Southern Hidalgo County, Texas.
    Rose-bellied Lizard (Sceloporus vari..lis)
  • A fantastic close-up of one of the many variable (and often hard to correctly identify) wolf spiders of North America, as it hunts during the daytime on a hot springtime afternoon in the Rio Grande Valley in the Southern tip of Texas. I'm pretty sure this is the species known as Hogna antelucana, but it also might be Tigrosa annexa. Both live in the area and have so much variation between individuals that it is hard to tell the two apart. Anyway, I took a few macro shots of this one and let it go on its merry way.
    Wolf Spider
  • A Spanish dagger in full flower! While there seems to be a bit of botanical classification confusion at the time of writing this whether the genus "Yucca" belongs to the Asparagaceae or Agavaceae family of plants, one thing is for sure - this very beautiful and very spiky plant can reach to over 30 feet tall, and the spiky leaves are so sharp, that when the Spanish conquered many parts of the New World and build forts, the Conquistadors planted walls walls of these to help fortify their defenses against attack. Native to Texas, New Mexico and Northern Mexico, the Spanish dagger is also locally common in Southwest Florida. This one was photographed in South Texas near Weslaco in Hidalgo County.
    Spanish Dagger (Yucca treculeana)
  • Jive turkey pose! This noisy and unsuspecting chachalaca was found and photographed just as it noticed me with this great surprised pose and look in the Lower Rio Grande Valley in near Weslaco, Texas. At the northern tip of its range, this large upland game bird can be found from the southern tip of Texas, throughout Mexico and south to Central America. Noisy as other members of the galliform family (turkeys, chickens, pheasants, grouse, etc.), the name chachalaca means "chatterbox" - a fitting name!
    Plain Chachalaca (Ortalis vetula)
  • Of all of the neotropical songbirds of North America, the black-crested titmouse has to be the cutest of them all! A member of the Paridae family of birds (which includes chickadees and other titmice), these little passerines are found in forests and riparian environments where they hunt for seeds, nuts, berries, insects and insect eggs from Central Mexico north through Central and Western Texas and just barely into Oklahoma. This adorable little one was found flitting among the trees in South Texas' Rio Grande Valley near Weslaco in Hidalgo County.
    Black-crested Titmouse (Baeolophus a..tus)
  • Of all of the neotropical songbirds of North America, the black-crested titmouse has to be the cutest of them all! A member of the Paridae family of birds (which includes chickadees and other titmice), these little passerines are found in forests and riparian environments where they hunt for seeds, nuts, berries, insects and insect eggs from Central Mexico north through Central and Western Texas and just barely into Oklahoma. This adorable little one was found flitting among the trees in South Texas' Rio Grande Valley near Weslaco in Hidalgo County.
    Black-crested Titmouse (Baeolophus a..tus)
  • The black-bellied whistling duck is one of the coolest and most beautiful southern dabbling ducks that visit the southern United States, with their tricolor black, tan and brown plumage and bright orange bills and feet.  Widespread from the southern tips of Texas and Arizona to nearly all of Central and South America, their range is creeping northward and they have been seen more and more frequently in more southern states including Florida and the Caribbean. This raft of ducks was just part of a huge number of them found and photographed in a pond near Weslaco, Texas on a late winter morning.
    Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks (Dendr..lis)
  • This pretty little bright red member of the tropical family of wildflowers, Acanthaceae, is native to Florida, South Texas and parts of Mexico, the Yucatán Peninsula in particular. This one was one of many hundreds found blooming in profusion in the Lower Rio Grande Valley near Weslaco, Texas on a warm, late winter morning.
    Sixangle Foldwing (Dicliptera sexang..ris)
  • Like many skipper butterflies which are often brown or have dull or muted coloration, the brown longtail skipper is not usually recognized for what it is and often mistaken for a moth. This neotropical skipper is found all over Central America, Columbia and Peru, and in scattered populations across South America, particularly along the coast in Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina. In North America, its range extends into North America just into the south tip of Texas in the Rio Grande Valley, where this one was found and photographed near Weslaco, Texas.
    Brown Longtail Skipper (Spicauda procne)
  • Rather drab compared to some of the other tropical and subtropical doves, the white-tipped dove has a beautiful reddish-pink eye ring and live primarily in South and Central America, but can be found as far north as the very southern tip of Texas in the Rio Grande Valley. This one was seen and photographed foraging for seeds near Weslaco, Texas in Hidalgo County near the Mexican border.
    White-tipped Dove (Leptotila verreauxi)
  • The Inca dove is one of the prettiest doves found in the New World. Not because it has brightly colored plumage or is large and showy, but because this small dove has feathers that very much resemble fish scales and make for a very intricate and high-contract pattern, which in turn makes for excellent camouflage in the their native habitat. Native to Central America to the Southern United States from Texas to California, this pair was seen foraging for seeds in near the Mexican border near Weslaco, Texas.
    Inca Doves (Columbina inca)
  • There is no mistaking the presence of a great kiskadee. It has a sound like the cross between a monkey and a parrot, and it is LOUD! The great kiskadee is a member of the tyrant flycatcher family and is related to other flycatchers and kingbirds, and just reaches the United States in the southern tip of Texas in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, and is common as far South as Argentina. It can be found in nearly all of South America except along the Pacific Coast. This one was found flying through the foliage near Weslaco, Texas and just happened to land long enough for this shot.
    Great Kiskadee (Pitangus sulphuratus)
  • There is no mistaking the presence of a great kiskadee. It has a sound like the cross between a monkey and a parrot, and it is LOUD! The great kiskadee is a member of the tyrant flycatcher family and is related to other flycatchers and kingbirds, and just reaches the United States in the southern tip of Texas in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, and is common as far South as Argentina. It can be found in nearly all of South America except along the Pacific Coast. This one was found flying through the foliage near Weslaco, Texas and just happened to land long enough for this shot.
    Great Kiskadee (Pitangus sulphuratus)
  • There is no mistaking the presence of a great kiskadee. It has a sound like the cross between a monkey and a parrot, and it is LOUD! The great kiskadee is a member of the tyrant flycatcher family and is related to other flycatchers and kingbirds, and just reaches the United States in the southern tip of Texas in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, and is common as far South as Argentina. It can be found in nearly all of South America except along the Pacific Coast. This one was found flying through the foliage near Weslaco, Texas and just happened to land long enough for this shot.
    Great Kiskadee (Pitangus sulphuratus)
  • Black-bellied whistling duck is one of the coolest and most beautiful southern dabbling ducks that visit the southern United States, with their tricolor black, tan and brown plumage and bright orange bills and feet.  Widespread from the southern tips of Texas and Arizona to nearly all of Central and South America, their range is creeping northward and they have been seen more and more frequently in more southern states including Florida and the Caribbean. This pair was just two of hundreds found and photographed in a pond near Weslaco, Texas on a late winter morning.
    Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks (Dendr..lis)
  • A Spanish dagger in full flower! While there seems to be a bit of botanical classification confusion at the time of writing this whether the genus "Yucca" belongs to the Asparagaceae or Agavaceae family of plants, one thing is for sure - this very beautiful and very spiky plant can reach to over 30 feet tall, and the spiky leaves are so sharp, that when the Spanish conquered many parts of the New World and build forts, the Conquistadors planted walls walls of these to help fortify their defenses against attack. Native to Texas, New Mexico and Northern Mexico, the Spanish dagger is also locally common in Southwest Florida. This one was photographed in South Texas near Weslaco in Hidalgo County.
    Spanish Dagger (Yucca treculeana)
  • A Spanish dagger getting ready to flower! While there seems to be a bit of botanical classification confusion at the time of writing this whether the genus "Yucca" belongs to the Asparagaceae or Agavaceae family of plants, one thing is for sure - this very beautiful and very spiky plant can reach to over 30 feet tall, and the spiky leaves are so sharp, that when the Spanish conquered many parts of the New World and build forts, the Conquistadors planted walls walls of these to help fortify their defenses against attack. Native to Texas, New Mexico and Northern Mexico, the Spanish dagger is also locally common in Southwest Florida. This one was photographed in South Texas near Weslaco in Hidalgo County.
    Spanish Dagger (Yucca treculeana)
  • The long-billed thrasher is a boldly patterned member of the mimid family (mockingbirds, catbirds, etc.) and is found roughly in a triangular territory that includes all of South Texas and runs south to Monterey and Veracruz in Eastern Mexico. Like other thrashers, it gets its name from its habit of "thrashing" the ground and kicking up leaves and branches in search of food. Interestingly, the long-billed thrasher has a bill that is somewhat ordinary in length compared to some of our other longer-billed native thrashers. This one was found sneaking along the undergrowth in the Lower Rio Grande Valley in Hidalgo County, Texas near the US-Mexico border.
    Long-billed Thrasher (Toxostoma long..tre)
  • Of all of the neotropical songbirds of North America, the black-crested titmouse has to be the cutest of them all! A member of the Paridae family of birds (which includes chickadees and other titmice), these little passerines are found in forests and riparian environments where they hunt for seeds, nuts, berries, insects and insect eggs from Central Mexico north through Central and Western Texas and just barely into Oklahoma. This adorable little one was found flitting among the trees in South Texas' Rio Grande Valley near Weslaco in Hidalgo County.
    Black-crested Titmouse (Baeolophus a..tus)
  • Primarily found in Central America and Mexico, the band-celled sister (also known as the Mexican sister) is a beautiful brushfoot butterfly related to admiral butterflies. It has a range that extends from the very southern tip of Texas to Columbia and Venezuela where it feeds on nectar from Cordia, Croton, and Baccharis flowers, and sometimes rotting fruit. This one was found flying around a hackberry tree in South Texas in the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge on a hot early spring day.
    Band-celled Sister (Adelpha fessonia)
  • Also known as the miniature barrel cactus, this interesting little low-elevation cactus barely reaches 7 inches at its tallest and is usually found in the shady mesquite tree thickets of Central to South Texas. It is easy to identify by its 13 twisted ribs, 10-19 radial spines on each areole with one hooked central spine sticking outward. This particular one was among the tallest of the many hundreds found in a wilderness area just outside of Mission, Texas.
    Twisted Rib Cactus (Thelocactus seti..nus)
  • Also known as the miniature barrel cactus, this interesting little low-elevation cactus barely reaches 7 inches at its tallest and is usually found in the shady mesquite tree thickets of Central to South Texas. It is easy to identify by its 13 twisted ribs, 10-19 radial spines on each areole with one hooked central spine sticking outward. This golf ball-sized specimen was one of many hundreds found in a wilderness area just outside of Mission, Texas on a cool mid-October evening.
    Twisted Rib Cactus (Thelocactus seti..nus)
  • There are a surprising number of ferns that grow in some of the hottest deserts in the American Southwest, and the wavy scaly cloak fern is one of them. This extremely hardy fern is  from the Chihuahuan Desert grows in rocky substrates in Northern Mexico, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma and surprisingly in parts of Georgia as well. This one was growing in the Chisos Mountains of Big Bend National Park in Western Texas.
    Wavy Scaly Cloak Fern
  • There are a surprising number of ferns that grow in some of the hottest deserts in the American Southwest, and the wavy scaly cloak fern is one of them. This extremely hardy fern is  from the Chihuahuan Desert grows in rocky substrates in Northern Mexico, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma and surprisingly in parts of Georgia as well. This one was growing in the Chisos Mountains of Big Bend National Park in Western Texas.
    Wavy Scaly Cloak Fern
  • Easily one of the coolest plants to be found in the Chihuahuan desert, and goes by a long list of common names, such as the Rose of Jericho, resurrection plant,  dinosaur plant, siempre viva, stone flower, doradilla, resurrection flower and many more. This attractive member of the spikemoss family looks almost like a lush, green fern during the rainy season in its native habitat of Northern Mexico, Texas and New Mexico, but during dry spells, it desiccates into a brown dormant ball that looks like a tumbleweed, only to rehydrate back to bright, vibrant green after it rains again. These were found in abundance after the springtime rains in West Texas' Big Bend National Park.
    Resurrection Moss
  • Easily one of the coolest plants to be found in the Chihuahuan desert, and goes by a long list of common names, such as the Rose of Jericho, resurrection plant,  dinosaur plant, siempre viva, stone flower, doradilla, resurrection flower and many more. This attractive member of the spikemoss family looks almost like a lush, green fern during the rainy season in its native habitat of Northern Mexico, Texas and New Mexico, but during dry spells, it desiccates into a brown dormant ball that looks like a tumbleweed, only to rehydrate back to bright, vibrant green after it rains again. These were found in abundance after the springtime rains in West Texas' Big Bend National Park.
    Resurrection Moss
  • Easily one of the coolest plants to be found in the Chihuahuan desert, and goes by a long list of common names, such as the Rose of Jericho, resurrection plant,  dinosaur plant, siempre viva, stone flower, doradilla, resurrection flower and many more. This attractive member of the spikemoss family looks almost like a lush, green fern during the rainy season in its native habitat of Northern Mexico, Texas and New Mexico, but during dry spells, it desiccates into a brown dormant ball that looks like a tumbleweed, only to rehydrate back to bright, vibrant green after it rains again. These were found in abundance after the springtime rains in West Texas' Big Bend National Park.
    Resurrection Moss
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