This is an archive of articles written by Anita Westervelt between 2015 and 2021 for the Rio Grande Valley Chapter, Texas Master Naturalist. To focus on the most current information, these earlier articles were retired from the original site. We are pleased to provide a permanent home for them here. Please note that the articles are preserved mainly in their original form and may contain outdated information or links. For Anita’s current work, please visit the South Texas Border Chapter’s blog: stbctmn.org/blog.
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Nutria
But, they’re so cute . . . . By Anita Westervelt, Texas Master Naturalist Looking much like a koala bear at first glance, these cute and cuddly-looking critters might be seen along the banks of resacas or irrigation ditches in the Rio Grande Valley. They are nutria (Myocastor coypus). Native to South America, they are…
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Owl Pellets
A peculiarity of owl pellets By Anita Westervelt, Texas Master Naturalist You may have been following recent news about the City Nature Challenge where Valley folks uploaded nature photographs to iNaturalist.org’s website database in order to document the diversity of the Valley’s habitat. Photographs that were considered signs-of-life and were accepted included feathers, roadkill, scat,…
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Songs of Spring
The mockingbird sings, news it brings, of spring By Anita Westervelt, Texas Master Naturalist The mockingbirds are singing, the sweet, heady scent of citrus blossoms is in the air, it’s the time of year to get creative. The Japanese have a traditional poem called haiku (pronounced, hi coo). The mockingbird sings Flitting in and out…
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Yellow Butterflies
Big and little yellow butterflies fill the sky By Anita Westervelt, Texas Master Naturalist Sunshine, warm days, butterflies. What more could one ask of a perfect late fall Valley day? The ever faithful big yellow butterflies are out in numbers, commanding attention as they flash their bright yellow wings. These mid-sized beauties are year-round residents…
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Texas Thistle
Texas thistle is a valuable Valley native By Anita Westervelt, Texas Master Naturalist Spring is here. I know because I saw an American robin — harbinger of spring in the Mid-west — hopping around the yard. An uncommon sight in the Valley, for sure, but an encouragement after such a feisty Valley winter. In the…
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Glorious hibiscus
The glorious hibiscus By Anita Westervelt, Texas Master Naturalist Who doesn’t love the glorious hibiscus? Not many can pass by the giant blooms without a trickle of delight. More than 300 species of hibiscus grow throughout the world in warm, tropical, subtropical and warm-temperate countries. In a spectacular array of colors, shapes and sizes, pink,…
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Cool Weather Blooms
Blooms for cooler weather By Anita Westervelt, Texas Master Naturalist Texas lantana, Lantana urticoides, is loving the cooler January weather. It may look like it sports three colors of flowers, however, the corollas, the collective name for all the petals of a flower, open yellow and then turn orange or red. This plant loves poor,…
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Olive Trees
Two olive tree species grow in the Valley By Anita Westervelt, Rio Grande Valley Chapter, Texas Master Naturalist The Rio Grande Valley boasts two species of olive trees; one is native to Texas and the other has been adapted to our native footprint. Native wild olive, Cordia boissieri, is popular in home and public landscaping.…
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Old Man’s Beard
The many stages of Old Man’s Beard By Anita Westervelt, Texas Master Naturalist. An interesting late summer sight along city fences, fields and roadsides may seem like a fluffy mass of colorless fuzz. Something to ignore as uninteresting and messy. Don’t disregard it. If the opportunity arises, it’s a native plant worthy of closer inspection.…