Nature Prevails During These Hard Times…

With Spring nearing its end here in central Texas I thought I’d share some of the beauty we have witnessed in this park while we have been hunkering down to avoid the nasty virus. The beauty above is the Sensitive Briar, so called because when touched the leaves fold up.

The Anemone above is usually one of the earlier spring bloomers but we saw this one late in the spring. It shares the same name with the aquatic anemone which if you use your imagination they look a bit alike.

I am still trying to identify this beautiful little blue flower but have only seen this one specimen here in the park. Whatever it is the dark bluish purple color is unlike most flowering plants in this area.

Later in the spring the prickly pear cactus (Opuntia) begins to bloom as other spring beauties start to wane. I love looking into the blooms of these cacti as they often have insects wallowing and feeding in the pollen laden centers. Above is a Hairstreak butterfly and below is what I believe is a nymph of immature katydid.

Of course we don’t always stay in the park as we often venture out for a scenic drive in the hill country. This area is known for it limestone bluffs and poor soils which support a moderately dense stand of Ashe Junipers and a mixture of various small oaks. It is very scenic in the heart of Texas…

We look forward every year upon our return to Texas to eat their well known smoked BBQ. However, with the Covid virus closing most of the places we love we have had to resort to buying take out at a few of the ones nearby. Cooper’s below is certainly one of the good ones!

Northeast of us is the little town of Wimberley Texas where long time friends of ours have retired. We often visit them as we drive through this part of Texas but not this time as once again the pandemic has curtailed so many of the things we like to do. Instead we did chat on the phone with them to catch up on what we missed since our last visit.

Another pastime we love as many of you know is visiting breweries. While many are currently closed (and we certainly wouldn’t be going inside if they were open) we found one nearby offering curb service for growler fills at Aquabrew in San Marcos Texas Let’s just say the guy who fetches our growlers curbside to fill and place back into our car now knows who we are…

As the days go by more and more is learned about Covid. We are seeing many states beginning to reopen for business in a phased manner. I see this as a grand experiment as I feel as if we certainly don’t know enough about Covid to be opening in many of these areas. Time will surely tell… Cheers and stay safe!

NOTE: We are currently sheltering in place at Canyon Lake, Texas…