Sometimes you had better leave ’em be!

While volunteering (spreading and raking in native grass seeds) at one of Austin’s land management areas designed to protect water quality for the Edwards aquifer on Saturday, we ran across this sleepy fella. A Western Diamondback Rattlesnake. We all kept our distance, and thankfully he was in a lethargic mood because they are known to not back down when challenged like other snakes tend to do. We took the shot and hastily moved on.

Able to reach seven foot in length, Western Diamondbacks range from Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas to Arizona and southern California. They pretty much live anywhere: Deserts, rocky hillsides, forested areas and grassy plains as well as river bottoms. I probably have one in the grassy field behind my house. Yikes! The turkeys I saw wondering through the other day had better watch out!

But it’s not all sunshine and roses for these snakes either, as they often come under attack themselves. Seen as a great threat, they are often trampled by deer, horses, cows and even sheep. Eagles, hawks, roadrunners, foxes, wild turkeys and coyotes and badgers regard them as a great meal. Especially the juveniles.

Oh and by the way, they don’t always rattle to warn their intended victims. How lovely. Beautiful but very, very dangerous……….

For butterflies that is! I love Texas, because we have two butterfly and bee seasons: One in spring and one in fall. This last week in particular has been very intense. I don’t mean the usual sighting of the odd butterfly fluttering by… No no no. I mean the kind of sightings that will leave you breathless as you pass a nectar plant and clouds of butterflies drift up out of Mistlfowers, Salvia Greggiis and Indigo Spires Salvias. Just driving down the road can cover my windshield with butterflies, like snowflakes in a large snowfall. It’s quite amazing and colorful.

Here is one of many queen butterflies visiting the Greggs Mistflower.Butterflies in every nook and cranny of the garden and even though everyone else in Texas is probably aware of it, I couldn’t help report on it.

Here’s a Buckeye butterfly – one of my favorites. One afternoon they were covering the flowering heads of all the grasses in the field behind my house.

A tattered Vesta Crescent visiting the Wooly Butterfly bush blooms.

And in the early evenings you can see the  hummingbird moths thirstily drinking from Salvia Greggii’s blooms. These guys move fast, and catching him in the form of bits and bites on my camera was tricky.

The Gromphena flowers are welcomed by Painted Ladies. What a very cool annual plant that is. Blooms all year long, through drought and heat and does not flinch even one bit. Plus it’s a nectar plant. What more could you want.

And the beautiful Gulf Fritillary is slurping up some Salvia Greggii juice.

Sharing was the norm in this frantic search for nectar as a Sleepy Orange and a Fiery Skipper share a meal at the same table.

I believe that this is a Great Purple Hairstreak. Such pretty iridescent colors.

Truly accessorizing this striking Bordered Patch matched his outfit with the Copper Canyon Daisy. Oh the colors of flying rainbows.

On Sunday morning, after a particularly windy night (30 mile/hour wind gusts) I I took a step outside my door and there, newly pupated and blown into a grassy patch, was a young Gulf Fritillary. I gently picked up the grass stalk with butterfly attached and it quickly made its way onto my finger. Being very careful to not touch it’s newly expanded wings to avoid certain damage to them, I got my camera (with butterfly attached) from inside the house, and then quickly went outside to take some photos.

It flexed it’s wings and showed off it’s splendor. I couldn’t help marvel at it’s magnificence.

Please excuse my dirty fingernails (I am a gardener after all), but it is the best shot of the wings.

I then set it down on a butterfly bush I got from my good friend Rosemarie in New Hampshire, but the wind was just too strong and it had a hard time hanging on. I had no idea the beautiful glowing red shades would shine through the back sides of the top wings as it flexed, but oh my… what colors! After taking several (OK many!) shots, I gently moved the little fella (he had no problem climbing back onto my hand) to a Greggs Mistlfower, which was low to the ground and more sheltered down there.

Oh and it seems to be caterpillar season too. I just hope that everyone buckles down for some warmth for the next couple of days as we will see some freezing temps for the next 4 days. Tonight I will be out there covering all my nectar plants with blankets and sheets to make sure that some of them survive just in case more butterflies come by. This little guy is already wearing his fur coat.