Before The Front

There's a cold front coming in tonight, so I decided to hike while it's still a bit warm.

I noticed this beautiful bit of bark on a Texas Persimmon (Diospyros texana). I've posted about Texas Persimmon before, but didn't have a good picture of the bark. The bark peals away to reveal a smooth underlying layer. It usually crinkles at the joints, giving it a skin-like appearance.

Following up on last weeks post, I spotted another bit of fall color, this time in the bright red berries of a Yaupon Holly (Ilex vomitoria). There aren't as many berries as I've seen in past years. I don't know if that's a general case or just applies to this plant.

Finally, here's a view from our property and overlooking the valley below. I like the dramatic sky and the sun beams. You can see the grass is yellow and the green you see is mainly Live Oaks (Quercus virginiana) and Ashe Junipers (Juniperus ashei).