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Photos shot for the April issue
Science and Nature
We need more scientists, sure, but we also need more naturalists — people who love and closely observe the natural world, who watch the ebb and flow of the seasons like a great drama, who take delight in seeing a bird or dragonfly, who follow their natural curiosity to forests and fjords, who go out in the field to document and learn about wild things, and who share that knowledge with others.
Is dragonfly watching the Next Big Thing? Who knows, but it's at least a Thing, and you can read about it here.
An Eye for the Dragonfly
Move over, birds. Another flying creature is capturing the attention of Texas wildlife watchers.
A male blue dasher, a dragonfly common to many Texas ponds, has found a female to mate with, and he grabs her behind the head to begin mating as they fly along. This is what the male dragonfly has been waiting for his while life.
But wait! What's this? Another male dragonfly appears on the scene. After a brief and intense battle, the new dragonfly prevails and begins to mate with the female.
Changing with the Seasons
Mother-son campout at Colorado Bend inspires reflections on life.
In Native American cultures, the idea of life is often represented in four stages on the Medicine Wheel. One book that I read about Caddo culture described being "hooked" in life at four places — childhood, adolescence, middle age and old age. As each hook comes loose we are ushered into the next inevitable season of our lives.
Heck of a Speck
Spotted seatrout, or specks, are plentiful, great sport and delicious.
We heard they were catching seatrout at the Red Dot Bait Stand, on the Intracoastal Waterway by the big bridge leading from Corpus Christi to North Padre Island. I was a younger man then and it sounded like great adventure, so we immediately made plans to go.
Keep Texas Wild
It's not just for kids. If you like nature-related topics in an easy-to-read format, you can find three years of our popular Keep Texas Wild issues and the teacher resources to go along with them.
