Wild Dogs and Butterflies (A Visit to the Prairie Restoration)

And in the end, this end, here is what I believe.

The heart is a wild and fugitive creature.

The heart is a dog who comes home.

~ Helen Humphreys, Wild Dogs

It has been some time since I have been out to see my friends' progress on restoring their riverside property to its natural state. CPW and JW are "retired" but have not stopped. They are family people. They are caring folks - concerned not only with those who share DNA with them, but also the country, the land, and anyone they think needs them...or needs a walk through the meadow.*

After synchronizing our calendars, we found a morning when we were free for a little hike - and it was amazing. While there will always be challenges with the damage done to the land in the name of progress and production - small quarrying, overgrazing, introduction of non-native (and sometimes destructive/invasive species) and the like progress is being made. 

There remains a long "to do" list, but the "done" list is amazing. I know I will leave many things out so I will just mention a couple of projects like the treatment for oak wilt, the clearing of Ash Juniper and Chinaberry trees and the immense work accomplished securing the small dam on the property. There are many decisions still to be made and differing opinions from the experts about whether to keep this tree or how to remove this grass. Do we poison? Do we cut this down? Heck, what IS this?

But no decisions had to be made today. Today was a day to take a breath and see what was happening all around as summer turns to fall on the prairie.  Today was a day we would walk the trails and see what was blooming. Today was a day to listen to the bird songs and let the wild dogs run. Today was a day to rest and heal.

It feels like the land is doing the same. It has taken a breath and sent out sage and sneeze weed, liatris and milkweed, wintergrass and tievine to decorate its edges. The woods, the gully, the ponds, and the meadows celebrate the changes in the weather. The birds and butterflies, bugs and beavers find their places.  And we find ours.

Here is a little bit of what we saw as we wandered. Please pardon my poor photography. There is much I missed. We will start and end with wild dogs. In the middle are visions of the wild. I hope it is enough for you to get a little feel for how, with the help of my friends, the land is changing - healing. 

Zelda took advantage of this opportunity to run in the wild and to run wild (more on that at the end).

Jack is stealthy - he is a good companion, but a hazard to rabbits and chickens and more. Just look at that face. 

Harold is a new friend. He loves to run and play. He is a rascal and often gets too close to the donkey and cattle.

Antelope Horns Milkweed was blooming. It's pretty late for this plant. I checked for eggs/caterpillars and bugs. While I saw nothing on the scene I spied the crab spider when reviewing the photos.

Liatris - a favorite fall wildflower (and pollinator** magnet). The liatris is growing in large swaths around the property.

Common Buckeye Butterfly - I fought for this terrible photo. 

NOT a Monarch people. This is a Queen.

When the butterflies are flitting around it can be hard to see exactly what you have. I took multiple shots of this one so I could confirm its identity.

Now - notice that there are white spots NOT surrounded by black! Yes, this is definitely a Queen.

I wasn't completely happy with any shot of this preying mantis. The mantis is well camouflaged by the liatris. What a brilliant spot for the manis to hunt!

There is our Monarch.

It is not hard to see why people love these vivid butterflies. Note: All white spots surrounded by black.

On the prairie one must look closely to see some critters....

Of course there are some creatures who let you know they are present -- through song (the Eastern Phoebe says its name, "phoebe, phoebe") --

or by display. This is what we call a lucky shot of the Northern Mockingbird. 

The day flowers smile.

There is something to see around every corner.

The property provides many types of hikes and terrain.

Even in October there is Snow-on-the-Prairie (such a lovely plant).

We almost missed the sphinx caterpillar.

AFTERWORD

We ended the hike with water and chat on patio. But somewhere between our farewells, Zelda decided she wasn't ready to leave. She headed back out into a nearby field and decided to bring some fertilizer home - the cow patty variety. 

After one rinse (so we could get her in the car) and two deep shampoos at home, Zelda was able to enter the house. As a creature who hates water, wet feet, showers, and baths she needs to learn the connection between rolling in stinky things and mandatory bathing.

NOTES: 

*I keep track at a distance via social media...lots of adventure with those folks and on their land.

**I was looking for pollinators today because the state has a survey of sorts and I'm participating even as the cooler weather had driven away the pollinators at my usual haunts. https://tpwd.texas.gov/education/bioblitz

Special thanks to CPW and JW (and Jack &Harold) for sharing!