Oh, do I hear the pitter patter of little feet...LOTS OF LITTLE FEET! YIKES!

This is my first time to see one of these on our property. Very cool. What you DON'T see is me picking it up with a stick and relocating it to a brush pile. I would hate to be bitten, stung or both by this critter. 

This is what I found on an Orkin website about the Texas redheaded centipede: "Texas redheaded centipedes are primarily predators that consume insects and other Arthropods. Their prey is seized using the first pair of legs and stunned or killed as venom is injected through the poison claws at the end of the legs. Obviously, one should never handle a Texas redheaded centipede since they can not only bite with the poison fangs under their head, but also can inject venom from their 'walking legs' located on its other body segments. Although uncommon, when people are 'bitten,' there is a sharp, localized pain that progressively subsides, producing localized swelling. However, if someone that is bitten has insect allergies, their symptoms may be more severe. Therefore, if a Texas redheaded centipede bites someone, they should seek the care and advice of a medical professional."

Where art thou...

This is a Cope's gray treefrog. It's my first time to spot one. This little critter is lucky that it moved just enough to let me know it was there. Otherwise.....SQUASH! Amazing camouflage. Got to love nature!

Goodbye junipers, hello natives!

This area of our 11 acres in Blanco County, Texas, at one time was badly covered with juniper. I cut down the majority of shrubby pioneer junipers and left some old growth. Over time, the grasses came back. I saved cedar tree trunks for trail borders. With the leftover limbs, I created brush piles for native habitat. I also created a berm on the steep side of the hill to help with land erosion and rain water retention. Every year, I walk the area and collect grass seeds, primarily Indiangrass seeds, and sow them in open areas that need seeding around the property.

A walk in the woods after a rain is so peaceful

There is nothing better than walking in the woods after a nice rain. The trails are part of my trail system that I created on our 11 acres in Blanco County, Texas. Years ago, this part of the land was not passable because of so many cedars and fallen trees. For those who own small parcels of land in our Texas Hill Country, consider this: Before you bulldoze your land bare, walk it. Take the time and be selective about what trees you want to remove. You will be surprised how much beauty is hidden right before your eyes...

What's all the buzz about...

This is the loudest cicada I've ever heard! Sorry about the focusing. Crank up the volume for the full effect...

Peace in the valley

After losing some shady areas on the bottomland (due to loss of trees from this past winter storm), I found an area that would be the perfect replacement. I've walked by this area for years and always admired how shady it was. I also loved the different species of trees and vines, like Escarpment black cherry, Spanish oak, hackberry, redbud, mustang grape and–my favorite–Virginia creeper. So I decided to create a space that would be the perfect sitting area for spring, summer and fall. Especially fall. Imagine being surrounded with all these different colors of leaves from the trees mixed with the Virginia creeper's vibrant red leaves, cascading down from the upper tree limbs. 

Saving water for the neighbors' wells

Since managing junipers, I've noticed that, after some good soakers, a lot of rainwater was running for weeks throughout the bottom of the land, which I call the bottom woodlands. At the beginning, I thought it was just the most awesome sight ever. Then the wheels in my head began to turn....hmm. 

The rainwater was leaving the land and traveling across the road to my neighbor's pond. Then the overflow from his pond was making its way to the Blanco River, and so on. As I pondered what to do, what to do, suddenly the thought hit me! THE TRAILS NEED TO BE RECONFIGURED! Since more and more people are moving to the area and needing water for their wells, I felt the need to try my best to keep the water on the land and let it soak in and enter the aquifer to help them out. After spending countless hours on trail modifications, it worked!

The land today

This is what it looks like today. I'll post later about what I did with all the fallen trees and cleared junipers.

This area pictured above was a bonus. The junipers were so thick that I could be 10 feet away from this view and not even know it was there. When I finally opened it up, I was in awe. And the breeze could now be felt rushing in. 

Looking back

When I first started to clean up our property, I knew it would be a challenge. Here are some pictures of what it looked like at the beginning. Just one look, and I could see it was a diamond in the rough.