Let It Rain

September ended up being a very good month for rain.

We got 5.9 inches at our house and that puts it at the third highest this year. May had 6.6 inches and July, surprisingly, had 6.1 inches. The whole year has been good, actually. Especially when compared with last year. So far, three quarters of the way through, we've had 31.4 inches and last year we had 20.5 total.

We had a good storm pass over this weekend, so today I went out on a hike to see what it had brought. Our wet weather ponds have water in them again. I've seen leopard frogs hopping across our neighborhood streets and I've seen them in the ponds before. I didn't spot any today.

I spotted this small shrub, just bursting with yellow color. I don't know what it is. It's about a foot high and the flowers are about an inch in diameter.

This small mud patch had some animal tracks in it. Most of them are racoon, but I think there is a turkey print there too. The turkey is the three-toed, dark one near the center of the photo. The toes point  to the right. It's deeper than the others which is why it has darker shadows and indicates a heavier animal.

Croton

That's croton, not crouton!

I'm talking about a small plant, only about 1 foot tall. We've always seen it on our property, but this year - what I'm starting to call "The Year That Everything Came In Waves", it has taken over huge swaths of land.

I thought this was Texas Croton (Croton texensis), but close examination of the photos at the Wildflower Center say it's something else.

I poked around and think what we have is actually One-seed Croton (Croton monanthogynus). The leaves, color, and size of the plant are all a match.

Here's an overview shot, showing it covering the ground quite thickly.

Here's a close-up of a single plant so you get a better idea of the appearance. They look like miniature trees. They have woody trunks and a small canopy of leaves.

Finally, here's a photo of a small clump of crotons. As you can see the canopies merge together and actually form a dense cover. I heard our county agriculture agent say that young quail will hide from hawks under the crotons. I thought he was kidding, but I now see how effective a hiding spot it is.

8th Annual Naturescapes Awards Reception

We held the 8th Annual Naturescapes Awards Reception last night at the San Marcos Activity Center. The reception opens the Exhibition at the Walkers' Gallery and also gives an opportunity to recognize the award winners.

About 100 exhibitors, family, and friends attended. We were treated to snacks, drinks and music by the ensemble, Music Among Friends. Many thanks Linda Kelsey-Jones, the Walker's Gallery curator, for organizing the reception. She told me that Naturescapes is the only juried show at the Gallery and is the most popular one with the public.

Here's the complete list of Award Winners.

Awards of Merit

• River Tree – Noah Medina
• Butterfly I – Larry Alford
• Ghostly River – Erin Reid
• Blue - Larry Alford
• Bee on Cactus Flower - Winifred Simon
• A Touch of Red and Black – Raena Wharton
• Wildflowers – Joanne Salas

Awards of Excellence

• Untitled (deer herd) - Terry Serur
• Mexican Blankets – Michael Smith
• Lazy Day in the River – Carol Serur
• Scissor Tailed Flycatcher – Carol Serur

Best Youth

• Lost in Blue - Abby Linam

Best Natural Waterscape

• San Marcos River Splendor – Carolyn Whiteside

Best in Show

• Hangin' On – Herb Smith

There are 59 beautiful images on display. The Naturescapes Exhibition will be in the Walkers' Gallery until November 9th. Be sure to go see it!

8th Annual Naturescapes Awards Reception

Please join us at the San Marcos Activity Center on Saturday, September 15th from 5pm to 7pm, for the 8th Annual Naturescapes Photography Contest and Exhibition Awards Reception.

The contest is sponsored by the Hill Country Photography Club and the Hays County Chapter of Texas Master Naturalists.

A $100 prize will be awarded for Best in Show, $75 for the best Youth Category photo, and $75 for the best Natural Waterscape photo. Up to four $50 Awards of Excellence will be presented for the next most outstanding photographs. Additional Awards of Merit will be presented at the discretion of the contest juror.

The unique beauty of the natural areas within San Marcos inspired the first Naturescapes Photography Contest. The contest includes photographs taken in greenspaces and natural areas throughout Hays County.

Goals of the contest and exhibit include increasing public awareness of the importance of protecting our natural world and giving photographers at all levels of experience a chance to capture, share, and receive recognition for beautiful and inspiring images.

The Exhibition runs from September 15th through November 9th, so you'll have a chance to see the photographs even if you can't attend the reception.

Wildflowers Revisted

I found this wildflower photo in my archives. It was taken in May of 2009 and the wildflower were in full celebration of the spring rains.

The location is an empty field along Kohler's Crossing Road between Buda and Kyle. The entire area long IH-35 is being rapidly converted into homes and shopping malls, so it was a great pleasure for me to see this field as I drove by a couple of years ago. I got a couple of funny looks as I parked the car on the shoulder and tromped around the field looking for the best shot.

The red/yellow flowers in the foreground are Indian Blanket (Gaillardia pulchella). The blue ones are Mealy Blue Sage (Salvia farinacea).

I like the way the flowers are segregated into the two regions. With a bit of maneuvering and squatting, I was able to isolate them into the two bands. The photo reminds me of an impressionist landscape and I like the impression you get that the flowers just go on forever.