Sunday, August 06, 2006
TODAY'S TURNS
I was to
o late to see our local deer herd when I walked up the nearby medium-grade hill this morning, but that doesn't mean it was a boring walk! There were many birds in the cedar thicket. I suspect they were feeding on the remants of the bread thrown out twice a day for the hungry deer by my dear neighbor, the deer man. What sounded like the cry of a wild cat disturbed them somewhat but not for long. In another post I wondered if the cat-like cry might be the red foxes I spotted earlier, though they looked more like dogs than cats.
BUTTERFLY CLOUD
On my way back down the hill I was suddenly surrounded by a large swarm of butterflies.
I've seen them around a lot and have read in the local paper that they are called American Snout Butterflies. They aren't so lovely as the monarchs that surrounded me last fall in Louise Hays Park on the Guadalupe in Kerrville, but it was still quite an experience to be walking in the midst of a fluttering cloud of gold and brown butterflies.
Our region has been inundated with these tiny winged visitors in recent weeks. This unusual phenomenon is attributed by local naturalists to the drought. While a lack of rainfall is unfavorable for most species, it has created favorable conditions for snouts this summer.
oe or two and accompanied by fawns. One of those families lives behind our community and shares a creek with us. Several times I have seen the four family members either at the creek or in a small nearby meadow. They seem to live apart from the herd that gathers on the hilltop twice daily to be fed by my neighbor. I was blessed to see them as I finished my walk today. Just as I approached the dam to our small lake, I noticed them at the creek's edge, on alert, made skitish by my presence. I tried to stand still but soon tired of that as the sun was out and I was both hot and tired, so I went on, regretting that they turned and left without finishing their drink.
1st photo by JackRussellTerror@fCC
3rd photo by ektelonn@fCC
I was to
o late to see our local deer herd when I walked up the nearby medium-grade hill this morning, but that doesn't mean it was a boring walk! There were many birds in the cedar thicket. I suspect they were feeding on the remants of the bread thrown out twice a day for the hungry deer by my dear neighbor, the deer man. What sounded like the cry of a wild cat disturbed them somewhat but not for long. In another post I wondered if the cat-like cry might be the red foxes I spotted earlier, though they looked more like dogs than cats.BUTTERFLY CLOUD
On my way back down the hill I was suddenly surrounded by a large swarm of butterflies.
I've seen them around a lot and have read in the local paper that they are called American Snout Butterflies. They aren't so lovely as the monarchs that surrounded me last fall in Louise Hays Park on the Guadalupe in Kerrville, but it was still quite an experience to be walking in the midst of a fluttering cloud of gold and brown butterflies.Our region has been inundated with these tiny winged visitors in recent weeks. This unusual phenomenon is attributed by local naturalists to the drought. While a lack of rainfall is unfavorable for most species, it has created favorable conditions for snouts this summer.
The snouts are named for their flattened noses that makes them resemble a dead leaf. The mottled white underside of their wings resembles those of a moth (or a dead leaf), while the orangish gold, brown and white wing top looks more like a butterfly.
RESIDENT DEER FAMILY
oe or two and accompanied by fawns. One of those families lives behind our community and shares a creek with us. Several times I have seen the four family members either at the creek or in a small nearby meadow. They seem to live apart from the herd that gathers on the hilltop twice daily to be fed by my neighbor. I was blessed to see them as I finished my walk today. Just as I approached the dam to our small lake, I noticed them at the creek's edge, on alert, made skitish by my presence. I tried to stand still but soon tired of that as the sun was out and I was both hot and tired, so I went on, regretting that they turned and left without finishing their drink.1st photo by JackRussellTerror@fCC
3rd photo by ektelonn@fCC
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