Re: the post title — pardon my French. Except in this case, “frass” is actually German. As long as we’re on the subject of disgusting worm-related phenomenon, lately we’ve been dealing with an infestation of walnut caterpillars on our pecan trees. It’s bad enough that they’re not abiding by their names — no one in… Continue reading Frickin’ Frass
Month: May 2020
Central Texas Flatworms
I was on our front walkway this morning and noticed what I thought was a really skinny earthworm inching its way across the pavers. Upon closer inspection, I decided it wasn’t an earthworm but I had no clue as to what it was. Its distinguishing feature was a flat, paddle-like head with what appeared to… Continue reading Central Texas Flatworms
Goose and Gander Grievance
Just playing around with some new software. Well, it’s not actually new new; it’s an upgrade from a version I bought in 2005, back when they were coding applications (the word “apps” had not yet been invented, even as it applied to chips and salsa at Chili’s) with hammer and chisel. I had a powerful… Continue reading Goose and Gander Grievance
Better Believe It’s A Beaver
Alert Gazette readers will recall that two years ago, I documented my observation of what I was convinced was a beaver swimming in the creek behind our house. I was, unfortunately, unable to provide photographic evidence of the encounter, owing to a combination of my ineptitude and the vagaries of an older phone (but mostly… Continue reading Better Believe It’s A Beaver
Neighborhood Nature (Pt. 3)
This is the third in an ongoing series of posts about the fascinating details of nature in our figurative Texas Hill Country back yard. Part 1 is here and Part 2 here. Sure, birds and [some] reptiles are cute and cuddly, and [most] insects are not, but that doesn’t mean that they’re not attractive, even… Continue reading Neighborhood Nature (Pt. 3)
Neighborhood Nature (Pt. 2)
This is the second in a possibly endless series of posts about the fascinating details of nature in our figurative Texas Hill Country back yard. Part 1 is here. I hope your weather has been as nice as ours over the past few days. Cool mornings and warm afternoons mean that we get to spend… Continue reading Neighborhood Nature (Pt. 2)
Random Thursday: The Friday [Semi-Lockdown] Edition
Hello, fellow Gazetteers. I trust that your household pets are thus far avoiding becoming science projects. I was going to do a long post about how I’m pretty sure I had COVID-19 in the first week of February, as I suffered many of the symptoms that the CDC are now putting forth, but tested negative… Continue reading Random Thursday: The Friday [Semi-Lockdown] Edition
Just Anole Fashioned Death Match
I was on our deck before breakfast yesterday and noticed an anole on the railing. This is not an unusual occurrence; we’re practically overrun with them. But there was something different about this one. I got closer and immediately recognized what was going on: the lizard was in the process of molting, and had pieces… Continue reading Just Anole Fashioned Death Match