Linear view vs. Masonry View

I Disagree, Juliet.

I call bs on the phrase, “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” Setting aside my aversion to roses, anyone who believes that saying has never been called pulchritudinous. Instead of making me feel beautiful, the word gives me the creeps. Try saying it out loud, it sounds like someone hacking up a hairball. It should be a description for a nauseating odor. (Ed. Note: I’ve never been called pulchritudinous. This is just the kind of thing I think about while feverishly fighting a cold. So I thought I’d share it with you. You’re welcome.)

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Prickly Pear Flower, Palo Alto Battlefield National Historical Park, Brownsville, Texas March 2019

 
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Colorful

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Texas Spotted Whiptail, Estero Llano Grande State Park, Weslaco, Texas March 2019

When I glanced down to find the source of the rustling noise in the leaf litter I caught a blur of color. Intrigued, I followed my fast moving subject through the detritus. Finally, he paused and I snapped a couple photos before he zipped away.

A bit of online research helped me identify my speedy fellow as a Texas Spotted Whiptail (Aspidocelis gularis). The species sports an exceptionally long tail, roughly three times their body length, but I was too busy concentrating on the colorful stripes and spots on its body to catch the tail.

Gularis is Latin meaning throat which is an appropriate feature to focus on since the reddish throat is so prominent (females of the species sport a lighter pink throat). Here’s a better photo of the back:

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Teeter Tail

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Louisiana Waterthrush, Port Aransas, Texas March 2019

The Louisiana Waterthrush (Parkesia motacilla) is found along wooded wetlands with flowing water. While actually a warbler, this bird’s streaky plumage resembles a thrush (hence the common name). The bright pink legs and white eyebrow are helpful identifying features of this fast moving bird. The ornithological term for that long, white eyebrow is supercilium (which is an awfully fun word to say, come on, try it). By the way, motacilla is Latin for moving tail and is used for the genus of wagtails. Though technically, the LOWA teeters its body, it doesn’t wag.
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Sunset Collection

I collect sunsets. I suppose I take after my dad in that regard. He collects clouds. He’s especially fond of the towering thunderheads that are good omens of rain. That penchant is understandable, since he was born and raised in the arid Sonoran Desert.

Our collections differ in that I capture mine digitally and store them on a hard drive for potential later use, whereas his exist only as mental snapshots, stored in his mind palace. To each his own.

Copano Bay, TX April 2019
Copano Bay, TX March 2019
Laguna Madre, TX March 2019
Depoe Bay, OR January 2019
Ventura, CA August 2014
Portland, OR June 2014
Tucson, AZ November 2010
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Greenish

This Green Heron (Butorides virescens) was a talkative fellow, with lots of throaty kyowing going on as he attempted to entice a female. While I found him quite handsome, we weren’t exactly birds of a feather (if you know what I mean). By the way, virescens is Latin for greenish referring to the color of the crown and back (which in my photos looks more gray than green).

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A Fish Tale

While waiting for a beer at the Back Porch in Port Aransas the other evening I caught this conversation between the group of men standing next to me:

Guy 1: “Hey man, how ya doing? I haven’t seen you since our fishing trip!”

Guy 2: “Yeah, that was such a great trip!”

Guy 3: “Wait, wasn’t that the trip where you forgot the tackle?”

Guy 1: “Yep. We got all the way out there and set up the poles before we realized that we left the tackle and the bait in the truck.”

Guy 2: “We had the coolers though, so it all worked out.”

Chuckling ensued…

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Sunny Afternoon, South Padre Island, Texas April 2019

 

 
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Prickly, Bristly

I’m pretty sure these are Bull Thistles (Cirsium horridulum) but I did not take all the photos necessary for proper identification (sorry, Julie, I know you trained me better). I was too infatuated with the showy blossoms to worry about the rest of the plants. Horridulum, appropriately, is Latin for prickly or bristly. Bees and small flies seemed to share my enthusiasm for these pretty poofs. Besides, I like saying Bull Thistle (it might just be my new swear, in my long-overdue attempt to clean up my flowery language).

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Commensalism

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Cattle Egret and Cow, Lamar, Texas April 2019

For the past few weeks I’ve been trying to get a decent photo of a flock of Cattle Egrets (Bubulcus ibis) that frequent a nearby cow pasture. Luck was with me the other day, when this sweet mama grazed close to the fence bringing her companion with her. Appropriately, bubulcus is Latin for herdsman. As both names imply, Cattle Egrets follow herds of grazing animals.

In a mutually beneficial arrangement, the birds snap up delicious insects that the ungulates attract (and that their large hooves flush). As you can see from the rufous highlights, it is breeding season (otherwise, it would sport only white feathers).
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