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Dude, where's the food?

As part of my son's birthday yesterday, he decided that we should go on safari. We visited the Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch near San Antonio, a trip that's always guaranteed to delight and sometimes alarm visitors.

Considered a sanctuary for many endangered animals, the wildlife ranch allows native and exotic herbivores to roam freely around the park, and visitors get to drive through and feed the animals, which include Aoudad (shown above), Wildebeest, Cape Buffalo, Zebra, Barasingha, American Bison, Gemsbok, Ostrich and other flightless birds, Blackbuck, Giraffe, and many more species.

There were numerous babies around, as well -- here's a baby Aoudad.

Gemsbok:

Watusi:

Below is a highly endangered Blackbuck -- according to the program, there are more Blackbuck in Texas than in their native homeland, India and Pakistan.

The animals are quite at home in the native Texas hill country, which provides a scenic habitat not too unlike the homelands of most of the deer and goat species.

For the most part, they get to roam freely, making it a habitat instead of a traditional zoo. There are some areas where animals are kept under closer supervision, including the rhinos and giraffes, most likely for safety and breeding purposes, and there's also a walk-a-bout with caged lemurs and parrots, but the majority of the park is open hill country.

 What they say is to drop the food on the ground and let the animals pick it up. And that works for the most part. But realistically what happens is that some animals get in your face and car to get as much food as they can before the next group does.

The zebras were the most aggressive of the trip. They fight with each other to be the possessor of the car, and they'll shove a sideview mirror aside for easier access, no problem.

And then they actively try to get the whole bag of food, not content to be fed a bit at a time, and forget about their willingness to pick up the food from the ground. Keep a close hand on the window controls, that's all I'm saying!

Well, I'll say this too, I got nipped twice by zebras in their zealous drive to obtain food -- mostly my arm was in the way of their reaching the bag of food -- my failed tug of war with one zebra meant that he got to eat the whole amount of food, bag included. We learned fast to keep our bags of food out of sight and not in our laps!

You have to watch out for these guys, too -- the ostriches -- if you value your bags of food and your eyeballs.

  And with their long necks, they can reach all the way across the car to the person sitting opposite you.

Now isn't this a cutie -- a tiny Sicilian donkey.

He couldn't reach the window, so apparently he and his buddies have trained visitors to just toss food into their mouths. How about a kiss?

 Back at the walk-a-bout, we were delighted to watch a mama lemur and her nursing twins, and the fun antics of the neighboring lemurs. All lemur species are considered endangered or vulnerable, so the wildlife ranch is very proud of their successful breeding program.

This past weekend, we were joined by friends from Florida and California, with everyone gathering in the (approximate) continental middle right here in the heart of Texas. Last year we introduced our friends to Mount Bonnell and Pedernales Falls, and this year we decided to venture down near San Antonio for a tour of Natural Bridge Caverns and back up to the Austin area for a dip at Hamilton Pool.

Natural Bridge Caverns are named for the 60-foot natural limestone bridge just above the main entrance to the cave. It really is picturesque.

Below the bridge lies a gem of a natural landmark-- more than a 1/2-mile of large dark and humid chambers filled with fantastic stalactites and stalagmites and other formations.

The caverns were formed after the warm sea covering Texas in the Cretaceous period began to recede. About 20 million years ago, movement along the Balcones Fault created joints in the limestone, and water along the joints began to shape the caverns, causing (and then in turn helped by) the occasional collapse of limestone that ultimately created the caverns of Natural Bridge. 

Due to unfortunate ill planning on my part, my large camera's battery was in need of a recharge, so all I had to document the cave was my little but ever-reliable pocket camera. Reliable yes, but its light was too weak to show the magnificense of the largest chambers and their truly majestic columns. But I offer these few glimpses of the cavern's beauty.

It had been many years since I'd last visited the cavern, but the gardener in me this time appreciated the rugged scene of Texas terrain and native flowers highlighted along the outside grounds on the property. Here's a lone Firewheel among a bed of Pink Evening Primrose.

On the way back to Austin, we did stop for lunch at one of my favorite restaurants, the Gristmill, in the historic and truly Texas town of Gruene. The Gristmill overlooks some of the rapids of the Guadalupe River, but as hungry as I was, I forgot to take pictures until later when, well-fed, I paused to admire containers of flowers near the ever-famous dance hall.

I know some people don't care for the barrel-style planters, but the mass of flowers they offer for planting just might sway some gardeners back to new appreciation.

On Sunday we headed out for a late-morning visit to Hamilton Pool. I'd last visited with the boys just a few months ago in the winter. What a difference a season can make! Gorgeous no matter the time of year, it's still interesting to note the differences in the foliage from winter to spring.

The peaceful sounds of the waterfall, the antics of the cliff swallows zipping about their mud nests on the limestone walls, the lovely greenery of the natural fern beds, the coolness of the cavern, and the unusual bird calls of several unidentified species all brought a tranquil, content feeling to our group. What a lovely place to take a pause from our busy lives.

       This natural Texas landmark is a collapsed grotto with a 50-foot waterfall that plunges into the swimming hole it forms below. The boys were more prepared for their swim this time than last -- we had towels!

And on the walk back, a treat of wild columbines.

Just as we were leaving, a few large groups of people showed up. I highly recommend a morning visit, both for the best light and to enjoy the serenity of the pool before the picnickers arrive.

Our friends are back on their respective coasts now. We miss them already!

Yesterday my family, aunt, and cousin enjoyed visiting several homes on Austin's second annual Funky Chicken Coop Tour. I'd been looking forward to it since I found out about the tour a week after it took place last year. It was certainly fun but not as funky as I'd envisioned -- after visiting the Cathedral of Junk last weekend I was really jived for some more Keep Austin Weirdness!

But chickens are weird all in themselves, so I was content. And they're cute. Some are downright beautiful, actually -- gorgeous patterns and whatnot.

Some of the first chicken coops we visited were quite well designed.

My husband was a big fan of the sliding doors on this next chicken coop.

The inside of another chicken coop looked fun for the chickens, but by mid-afternoon it was quite hot in there, and most of the chickens were outside.

This castle coop definitely qualified as funky. I can't say it was designed for practicality -- quite difficult to clean, but we spent more time at this house than any other. That says something!

The chickens loved the boys, who fetched them grass from around the yard.

Flowers decorated the castle...

And a peek inside revealed a framed picture to spark the chickens' imagination.

Other nifty things about this castle coop were a large mailbox converted to a nesting box, and a doghouse as another one, and this bicycle-turned-waterwheel-and-fountain. There were even fish in the pond below.

Some of the chicken coops were large, like the one at Eastside Cafe. Of course, the gorgeous vegetable gardens distracted me. (This garden is worthy of a full blog tour sometime, too -- another visit, though.)

But their sister farm, also in East Austin, had 200 chickens, the largest number on the tour.

This stop sign added an element of the funky and functional. Would that make it funk-tional?

And I liked this artwork from a recycled tire.

We finished the tour armed with ideas for our coop we plan to build this spring or summer. My primary requirement on our design -- it must be easy to clean (that automatically means it will be tall). But we want it to be fun and funky and funk-tional, too.

Happy Easter, everyone! Hope it was eggs-cellent!

I have more bad jokes to share with you, but I'm too chicken.

Exhausted from our school's habitat Dig Day, we nevertheless got up the next morning to begin another busy day. Birthday brunch at the in-laws, followed by taking our dogs to hunt for doggy-treat-filled Easter eggs at the Austin Begg Hunt, followed by a visit to the Zilker Garden Festival, followed by a tour of an Austin landmark, followed by seeing a movie. Did we do anything after that? If we did, I seriously blocked it out. I'm not even sure I ate dinner that night.

While I have pictures from throughout the day, what I really want to show you is the Austin landmark we visited. Known as the Cathedral of Junk, this pile of objects from former days of glory forms a 3-story arrangement of rooms and look-out points. The South Austin residence and artistic structure is owned by Vince Hanneman, who began building a creation of junk in 1988, and visitors have helped it grow substantially ever since.

Upon arrival, visitors get a taste of the weird from the very front of the residence. There are interesting objects in the front yard, including a collection of cycling trophies above the front door, but the real fun begins when one enters the backyard. I was amused by the Praying Mantis (I think that's what it is) eating the Wildlife Habitat sign.

The chickens in their coop kept a close eye on our dogs. I wonder if at night they are released as guard birds.

Earlier in the day, I greatly admired an arbor covered in thousands of gorgeous yellow flowers at the Zilker Botanical Garden. I couldn't believe it when I saw an arbor covered in the same yellow flowers right there at the Cathedral of Junk of all places. I wonder if this is the same flower that Rock Rose has, Lady Banks.

Beside the flowers, a surfboard stands adorned with the signatures of countless visitors to the Cathedral of Junk. Had I had any sort of pen, I'd have signed it, too.

And from there one begins to explore the cathedral itself. It's quite an impressive contraption, wired and welded and cemented strategically. To some it might look potentially dangerous, but I felt quite confident that its builders had built the structure quite soundly.

There are a variety of rooms and passageways, with hanging discs and other objects to bring colorful light inside.

A few ladders and steps allow visitors to reach various vantage points and different levels.

I think one could visit the Cathedral of Junk 100 times and always see something different, and it's one of the qualities I find particularly appealing.

Objects range from the odd...

(I really don't want to know what the squirrel in this next image is doing...)

to the strangely endearing...

to the downright creepy.

My husband pointed out that this receiver was once a really nice one back in the day.

My son enjoyed being the King of Junk for a moment.

We climbed a ladder to a second-story room...

 and found a bedroom of sorts.

From the back of the cathedral, one really gets an idea of the true scale of the structure.

There's also an altar of sorts in the back created as a memorial to those only there in spirit. Nearby is about the only good use for ligustrum I've seen... as a table.

One of the things I liked was that my son got to see some objects I remembered from my youth. He got to type on an old typewriter (ok, the typewriter was actually way older than me), and he even got to ride a little horse (I warned him I'd take a picture for the blog if he dared to get on it!).

On the way out, this giant bird looming over us through bamboo seemed to be watching us a little too closely.

As we exited, we left a small donation for the owner. It absolutely is an awesome place to visit. 

While I was incredibly impressed by careful and artistic arrangement of objects at the Cathedral of Junk, apparently one visitor from awhile back did not think so, for a complaint to the city officials has led to some urgent adjustments to get the Cathedral up to code to avoid dismantling. It's this reason we visited this particular weekend -- knowing the possibility that the Cathedral might be shut down for good, we knew we wanted to see it right away.

But Cathedral of Junk fans are working every day to make the necessary changes to get the Cathedral up to code, and other groups are showing their support in a variety of ways. They know that there's substantial value (not necessarily of the monetary kind) to this pile of junk, and if ever there is a place that Keeps Austin Weird, this is it.

Down in southeast Austin along Onion Creek lies a somewhat tucked away state park called McKinney Falls State Park. The wealthy Thomas F. McKinney was one of the "Old 300" original settlers who received land grants in Stephen F. Austin's colony back in the 1820s (McKinney actually moved there around 1850), so this park definitely has its history. Now, some of that history sadly includes McKinney's use of slaves, the clearing of acres and acres of precious woodland, the racing of horses, and aid to the Confederacy -- but this post isn't about all that! What it is today is a state park filled with walking and biking trails, with waterfalls, creeks, and historical buildings mixed in. And that's what this post is about.

The main areas of McKinney Falls State Park are divided into the Upper Falls and the Lower Falls. We visited the Upper Falls first. When rain is plentiful, the falls are much more substantial, but at least water was flowing. What I was particularly drawn to, and you'll see this in many of my pictures, is the erosion power of the water, shaping beautiful curves and channels into the rock.

Below the falls is a larger pool in which people sometimes enjoy swimming. However, often the pool is closed to swimming because of high fecal counts due to runoff from upstream areas and flooding. During our visit, the pool was open for swimming, but given that it was December, it wasn't so surprising that no one cared to swim in the cold water. Bald cypress trees, complete with twisted roots, line the pool's edges. 

Dogs are not permitted to swim at the state park, but the headquarters said it was ok to let them take drinks. Of course, leashes are also required at all times. 

The Upper Falls trail is actually paved and seems a great place if you have young kids who like to ride their bikes while parents walk along. For adults on bikes, the distance is probably on the short side.

We visited in winter, and there were few leaves left on the trees, except for the annoying occasional invasive ligustrum which just thrived; its dark-green foliage really stood out when we ran across it.

The path travels along Onion Creek, which Austinites know is the area most prone to serious and dangerous flooding during heavy rains. You can see evidence of flooding in the images below, though the results seemed to be to the basking turtles' favor.

To get to the Lower Falls, you have to drive to a separate parking area, then walk for awhile across exposed rock. I imagine during floods that this whole area gets quickly covered in water. Again you can see the result of water erosion -- broken limestone slabs and large pools carved out in the open rock, as seen below.

The Lower Falls look different from what I remember from years ago -- presumably this is a combination of water erosion at work and current flow of the creek. To cross to the other side, where the old homestead is, one has to jump across a channel just large enough to be risky for an adult and way too dangerous for children to safely cross.

So we, the ever-adventuring gang, decided to take advantage of the fact that this was an ON swimming time for MFSP, and we crossed the creek higher up. Yep, in our tennis shoes. Well, except for me, who was clever enough to wear my Keens. Though the water was plenty shallow, the carved channels in the creek bed (the always-occurring water erosion still at work) were hidden by long strings of algae, so we still had to be careful in our endeavour.

But we wanted to see the homestead and grist mill, and crossing the falls was simply too hazardous for my youngster. It would be nice to have a bridge built someday, one safe from the effects of flooding, if that's even possible.

Yeah, I think the boys will be getting new shoes for when they go back to school.

On the other side of the park, we could really envision the McKinney ranch of old. The McKinney homestead was built around 1850 and stayed relatively intact until a fire in 1943.

It's easy to picture horses pulling a wagon under the trees along this wide road.

  The trails were lined with yellow flowers and a variety of shrubs and grasses.

Little remains of the grist mill, once used to grind flour. It was destroyed by a flood in 1869.

There are other remnants to be found along the Lower Falls trails, but we had to get home. So we followed the trail back to the creek for another adventure in crossing. We enjoyed a different view of the falls from the other side, but the muck we found in the creek was pretty much the same!

While waiting for the kids to cross, I snapped a close-up of our husky. He's a handsome brute, isn't he?

Imagine it's just before Christmas Eve again, for that is when my boys and I took our dogs to McKinney Falls State Park for a little nature excursion before the holidays. Having recently enjoyed autumn colors at Lost Maples, Westcave Preserve, and Hamilton Pool, we found that McKinney Fall seemed appropriately devoid of leaves and color -- we had found winter in Texas at last.

But it didn't really bother us, and it certainly didn't upset the dogs one bit. Instead of delighting in vibrant colors and active wildlife, as there wasn't much around, we enjoyed themes in nature and the unusual that caught our eye, noticing things that might have escaped observation at another time of year.

For one, we discovered that nature provided hints of Christmas all around us. From ornaments...

to red and green colors.

Sometimes we found unexpected shapes that brought our thoughts to ordinary objects or otherwise sparked our imagination, such as hearts...

  Bigfoot tracks...

and even a longhorn. Hook 'em Horns!

We enjoyed "Wildlife Words of the Day" including "snag," "hollow," and even "scat" (I declined to post of picture of scat, however).

And we enjoyed a variety of textures, from the soft to the rough to the bristly.

  The cactus kept our attention, through color, shape, and spines. Sometimes it was pests, like cochineals...

but sometimes it was beauty in age and decline. Have you ever wondered about the interior structure of a cactus, its vascular system that supports its water conservation? When dry, it leaves behind a beautifully intricate skeleton.

We found animal tracks...

a lone butterfly...

a flower staring back at us (you can really have a conversation with this flower if you choose to)...

nifty things plants and fungus do...

and vicious man-eating fire ants.

The winter season can keep some people indoors, but there is still so much to see, even when the leaves are on the ground instead of in the trees. Sometimes it's noticing the little things that really open up the wonders of nature. And when you do it with your kids, you feel like you're helping the whole world open up in their eyes.

 
I'll give an actual tour of McKinney Falls State Park in the next post, to complete our nature walks. I'm almost caught up!

After our trip to Westcave Preserve, the boys and I enjoyed a picnic lunch with our friends, then headed to nearby Hamilton Pool for an afternoon trek. The park is about 232 acres located near Pedernales River, and it's famous for its natural swimming hole formed from a collapsed grotto. We followed the main trail down to the creek below, enjoying a slow pace along the water's edge until we reached the large pool and steadily flowing waterfalls.

Along the way, we enjoyed turtles, fish, and the occasional butterfly.

The walk seemed short, and before we knew it, we had reached Hamilton Pool itself, where 50-foot waterfalls pour over limestone cliffs into the chilly pool below. The large cavern allows visitors to walk and relax along the cool rocks and boulders behind the falls.

  And from the back, the autumn colors seem all the more vibrant.

The sound of the waterfall is loud but not deafening, though my children sure couldn't hear me when I tried to call to them from a few feet away. Or could they...?

    Though the waters were chilly (luckily this was still in November), the boys were tempted to take advantage of the open swimming hole and swam across to the waterfalls. Ok, maybe mom challenged them. And maybe they turned a little blue. But they had fun, even if it meant they were soaking wet on the ride home.

The holidays really played a toll on my keeping my posts up-to-date. We took some lovely hiking trips in November-December that I never had a chance to share photos of, so with it being New Year's Day today, I want to get caught up to start 2010 out right, even if it means backtracking. I'll start with our trip to Westcave Preserve back in mid-November. This Hill Country wonder is situated near Pedernales River, not too far from Hamilton Pool (which we visited later the same afternoon).

Westcave Preserve is lesser known than the popular Hamilton Pool, though they are only about 5 minutes apart from one another. Perhaps it is because tours are required to hike through Westcave. However, the tour guides are quite knowledgeable and dedicated.

The Environmental Learning Center is impressive, with its solar-tracking exhibit built into its ceiling and floor, its sustainable energy, its exhibits relating the Fibonnacci Series numbers to nature, and more.

Along the upper trails, visitors delight in native woods and beautiful views overlooking the river below. Though it wasn't the right season to see one, endangered golden-cheeked warblers sometimes nest in the preserve, using strips of ashe juniper trees and spider webs to build their nests.

Descending down the steep trails along the cable-only handrail, we began to see large slabs of limestone rock, evidence of the geologic changes in the area over many, many thousands of years.

Down in the ravine, a variety of ferns, wildflowers, shrubs, grasses, and trees such as oaks and bald cypress set the peaceful scene along the creek.

Before arriving at the trail's end, we could already hear the tranquil sounds of the 40-foot waterfall, but the beauty of the waterfall backed by caves and fern-covered travertine walls drew our breath away. The water wasn't a massive flow, as it was still affected by the area's drought, but happily it still dropped into the pool below.

  Sunlight streamed into the cave, providing backlighting for glistening water drops and shining upon the moistened moss and ferns. The almost fantastical scene seemed perfect for little gnomes, fairies, or elves.

Just outside, a water moccasin basked in the sun at the base of a giant bald cypress. Can you spot it below?

Near the larger cave was a smaller one, and inside we could see geological formations in the making. Though human visitors had wreaked havoc on the caves stalactites and stalagmites in the past, we could see new ones that had formed slowly over more recent decades.

It amazes me that I've lived in the Austin area since 1987, and this year is the first year I'd ever even heard of Westcave Preserve. But I'll definitely be taking friends and family to visit it for years to come. 

Lost Maples State Natural Area, near Kerrville and Vanderpool, Texas, is beautiful year-round, but it is the fall colors of its bigtooth maples and other deciduous trees that draw in the crowds. The park is named for its pocket of bigtooth maples that were brought to its canyons by Ice Age glaciers. The maples do well because of the park's microclimate, though in any given year the fall colors are dependent on that year's rainfall and temperatures.

During our visit, the woods were a colorful palette of greens, golds, oranges, reds, and browns. The colors come from the Bigtooth Maples, Red Oaks, Lacey Oaks, Flameleaf Sumacs, and other trees, and even vines such as Virginia Creeper and Poison Ivy.

    Sometimes the colors were all present on the same tree.

But when the trees were ready, they really did the colors right.

  Aside from the pleasing flora, the park offers miles of trails, springs, rivers, overlooks, grasslands, fern-covered canyon walls, and more. During the fall, visitors will wait in car lines for two hours just to get into the park. We cheated by going on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, and we had no problem getting in. After the 3.5-hour drive from Austin, we were ready for some exercise!

The dogs were very excited to be there, too. Most of the pictures in this blog were taken after their energy wore out a little. Guess why?

Lost Maples' most popular trail is a short, relatively easy walk, but we opted for the almost-5-mile East Trail. Shortly into the hike, we were met by a sign that read something along the lines of "Steep Trail for the Next 1.5 Miles." It was not just steep -- it was very, very rocky, too. And you know, what goes up, must come down.

But it was worth it to see the beauty of the area for miles around.

The mountaintop was covered in Ashe Junipers and various grasses. The boys imagined a scene from an African savannah, with lions lurking about.

As we made our way down the other side of the mountain, the stunning fall foliage came forth again.

            Though the dogs were worn out by the end, they didn't mind a final jog.

On our way home, we stopped at Stonehenge II, a smaller version of its more famous archaeological wonder of a cousin. It also has an Easter Island-like statue. It was getting dark, so we snapped a picture and headed on. A nifty spot to visit -- we'll go back in daylight.

 What do you get when a bunch of Austin Garden Bloggers get together?

• Beautiful plants to ogle
• Introductions to species you'd never seen or heard of
• Visits to nurseries and gardens you'd never been to
• Lots of chatting with new friends you have so much in common with
• Cameras. Need I say more?
• Celebrations of colors, textures, garden design, hardscape, art, and all things nature
• Stories of plants (identified by scientific name), trips, tours, kids, spouses, gardens, chicken coops, plant-swapping, buggy pests, and decaying dead urban wildlife at lunchtime (oops)
• Cars filled to the brim with newly-purchased plants
• Good times and good food and sometimes a little confusion

Yesterday many Austin Garden Bloggers gathered for a day trip to Madrone Nursery in San Marcos, San Antonio Botanical Garden, and Antique Rose Emporium.

Blogs represented were Digging, Sharing Nature's Garden, Go Away, I'm Gardening!, In Bloom, Great Stems, Shovel-Ready Garden, Garden of E, Rock Rose, Gardener of Good and Evil, Round Rock Morning Glories, Some Like it Hot, and Zanthan Gardens. We were quite the eager plant-loving caravan!

Our first stop was Madrone Nursery, owned by Dan Hosage, Jr. A native plant specialist, he was both enthusiastic and energetic in sharing his love of plants. Many of us bought plants, and I know I'll need to go back again soon with list in hand for others I'm interested in. 

At the San Antonio Botanical Garden, we were greeted by towering century plant blooms.

The lime-colored leaves of Duranta "Gold Mound" provided a colorful contrast to the surrounding plants.

Note regarding many of these plant photos from SABot: I wrote down the names of as many plants as I could, and now I can't seem to find the sheet of paper I had. Perhaps I left it in Pam's car? If I can locate the paper, I'll update this blog with more plant IDs.

  Bird of Paradise

Bee in Datura

Black Beautyberry

  Barbados Cherry, loaded with fruit

Pacific Chrysanthemums (the lovely white trim on these leaves inspired a few people to take this plant home from Antique Rose Emporium later in the day)

Papyrus On display throughout the gardens were Dave Rogers' Big Bugs statues. Apparently these were at the Wildflower in Austin a year or two ago, but as I had never seen them before, I decided to run around to get pictures of all of them. They included a praying mantis, a dragonfly, a line of ants, an assassin bug, a ladybug, a grasshopper, a damselfly, and a giant spider on a web. Hmmm, it's hard to pick a favorite. It's hard to resist the spider, though. Guess that makes me a fly.

Of course, there was other beautiful art all over, as well. This statue represented different things to different people: a star, a child, a seastar, a Thumbkin, a dancer, and more.

There were hundreds of Monarchs, especially around the pentas. I found it interesting that all the ones I studied were females. Where were the males?

Oddly, the Monarch species dominated most of the gardens. Occasionally I'd see another species, like this Ceraunus Blue (Hemiargus ceraunus).

This Bordered Patch butterfly (Chlosyne lacinia), along with a companion, enjoyed a treat of Gregg's Mistflower nectar by the Auld House.

  I fell in love with the Children's Vegetable Garden. These organic plots are maintained by children, and as you can see, they are quite productive. I couldn't help but admire the very creative scarecrows and other decorations throughout the mini-farm.

The Japanese Garden seemed a little sad because of its missing tranquil waters. The drought-caused water restrictions in San Antonio forced the shutting off of water features throughout the park.

I was wowed by the simple design but elaborate effect of the fence surrounding the Japanese garden.

In addition to special exotic areas of SABot, the gardens also had areas focused on different Texas regions, such as South Texas, Hill Country, and this scenic lake setting representative of the East Texas Pineywoods. The reflections on the water were occasionally disturbed by a falling maple leaf or a duck creating a "V" while swimming across the still water.

I am always fascinated by the protective spines found on cactus and various succulents.

Ocotillo

This Dr. Suess-like agave bloom is from a Butterfly Agave.

A close-up, and the plant is still delightful.

The Sensory Garden was an abundance of textures and scents. Here silver ponyfoot drapes off the sides of a raised garden.

In the same garden, it might be tempting to touch this bumpy plant, but a closer look shows that each bump ends in a tiny and very painful spine. I wondered whether it really should be in a Sensory Garden, then realized that it was just barely kept out of eager hands' reach. I guess an attempt was made to correct the mistake, if it was one.  

Off in the glass and cement pavilions of the conservancy, we were introduced to a vast collection of unusual plants from different growing regions across the world.

Karoo Cycad (Encephalartos lehmannii)

  A photographer stops at nothing to get that perfect plant shot!

This Christmas plant looks similar to a Poinsettia, but it's actually a bloom on a large tree.

A big black bee visits a Lucky Nut, or Yellow Oleander.

Life-Saver Plant (Huernia confusa) -- it's pretty obvious where this plant got its name!

Many of the windows of the glass pavilions had been replaced with boards. It turns out that some of these had been damaged by deliberate gunshots from nearby Sam Houston. I'm quite appalled and upset about this. American soldiers and officers should be role models, not thugs.

I had great interest in the Watersaver Lane, a series of houses showing a variety of approaches to yards. Tell me, would you choose the sparse, wildlife-unfriendly, and rather unimaginative traditional American yard? (The hint here is, "Please say no!")How about a Cottage-Garden style, with reduced lawn and colorful flower beds?

Or a Wildscape Landscape, complete with curvy paths, reduced lawn, and plants selected for their value to birds, butterflies, and other wildlife?

Or do you prefer the style of a Spanish courtyard?

Two other styles were represented, a Manicured Xeriscape Lawn and a yard straight out of the Texas Hill Country. Certainly this look at yard styles and water-saving options gives one a lot to think about in terms of plant selection and design.

On the way back from San Antonio, we stopped at the Antique Rose Emporium near Selma. At first, I expected to be very much out of my element, as I don't know a thing about roses. However, it's hard not to take delight in the beauty and fragrance and variety of roses, and there were many native and Texas-adapted species as well, along with fun garden gifts.

This single white flower surrounded by pink buds was a bouquet all by itself.

A white climbing rose in the "Mannerly Climbers" section drapes out of its pot.

I was sorely tempted to go against my grain and choose a water-loving non-native Curly Willow to enjoy at home near my air-conditioner drain. But at the last moment, I resisted. I left with a native Passiflora and two kinds of wonderfully scented Pineapple Sage instead. If I ever have an appropriate bog, however, that Curly Willow might be mine for sheer fun!

  A good time had by all. Can you tell that this was the last picture taken of people restless from standing too long for photos? There were a lot of cameras "in line."

Time to go home. The cars that had room for plants were filled up completely, of course.

What a fulfilling, pleasant, happy day. Thanks, everyone!