The Hill Country of Texas and the Waco Area

First trip was to a Wildflower field outside of Waco. Looked like a pollinator mix had been planted, and it was working! Spectacular!

Poppy with small Katydid .

Besides lovely, these Poppies were a pollinator paradise!

Pink Poppy with something , probably Katydid, peeking out from the lower petals.

Bluet, probably Familiar, looking familiar to me in the grass.

Beetle taking advantage of this blue flower.

Texas Dandelion

Katydid in a clump of poppies.

Katydid on a Poppy.

Very attractive fly. Not sure of the plant yet.

Mike took me to a wetland not far away, and here came my Dragons. Lots were familiar, but some sent me to the books. ( I had to get one for Texas.) This is a Variegated Meadowhawk.

An old friend I was glad to see. Monarch on Thistle.

Hackberry Emperor.

Wilson's Phalarope, thanks to Larry Rosche's ID.

Phone shot of fields adjacent to the wetland.

Another section of wildflowers by the wetland. You can see why I stood there with my jaw dropping.

The Variegated Meadowhawks were all over this wetland.

Lovely cow in the lovely Pink Evening Primroses.

Scissortails were all over the fences. Marvelous things! Couldn't get a shot splaying their tails.

Kingbird on the fence asking me to take his picture. Again, I love how spiders get into everything.

The next several are wildflowers by the side of the road and the fences. Thank you Ladybird Johnson!

Mealy Sage.

Skipper about to be displaced from his thistle perch by a bee .

Very exciting for me! A Sulphur-tipped Clubtail.

Another type of cactus flowering. This one reminded me of some sort of critter with the flower for a head and arms in the air.

Same kind of cactus, not blooming, and growing in the rocks.

Needless to say, we didn't get any closer.

Kiowa Dancer.

Aztec Dancer

Loved the construction of this fence along the side of the road.

Cattle chute. The construction on this is really rather intricate. I wonder if it's ever used anymore.?

Predation in what looks to me like a Familiar Bluet female.

The Bluebonnets had bloomed out way before I was there, but we did manage to find this one specimen blooming in a shaded area.

Musk Thistle.

American Rubyspot.

Sanddragon. Another exciting new one for me.

I think this is a female Checkered Setwing. Too bad I didn't see a male, they have bright red heads. Corrections would be appreciated on any of these.

Cows are kept in by cattle guards on the roads in many places, and wander right up to the cars. The expression on this Baldy's face is saying something, but I don't know what.

This Santa Gertrudis posed beautifully at the side of the road.

Stopping at the LBJ Ranch wasn't planned ahead of time, but was well worth it. This is at the Sauer-Beckmann Living History Farm, and in some ways reminded me of my Grandparents farm in a different part of Texas.

My Grandfather had an old wagon like this one.

Chickens wandered about the Farm. This rooster was irresistible.