Wild Women on the Prairie [Butterflies, Bugs, and Botany]

To make a prairie it takes a clover and one bee,

One clover, and a bee,

And revery.

The revery alone will do,

If bees are few.

~ Emily Dickinson, The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson

How about a bee - one bee - and a Golden Eye.

Or a butterfly - one Queen butterfly - and Frost Weed

Attempting to supply the "revery," we wandered at the edges of the woods, through the meadows, along the banks of the river, through the pasture where horses once grazed, to the top of the earthen dam. There we observed the evidence of beavers, but my sister wouldn't let me put "beavers" in the title. "We didn't see the beavers," she said.* "But we saw the EVIDENCE of beavers," I replied. 

The beavers had stripped the bark from this side of the tree.

It was a lovely morning with dogs** exploring, pollinators buzzing and flitting, flowers and grasses moving in the gentle breeze -- all watched over by oaks, pecans, hackberry, chinaberry*** (sad to say), ash juniper, and more. 

Spotted Spraguela (maybe) on a Golden Eye.

Oblique Stripetail

Eastern Band-winged Hover Fly

Quite a large turtle met it's demise along the banks of the Leon River. I wonder if the coyotes**** were responsible.

Three different snail varieties. No one home.

Bee? Fly? 

Another hoverfly (family Syrphidae)

We spent a peaceful few hours enjoying the beauty of the day, remarking on the progress being made on these 50 acres, and debating the projects to come.

Thanks once again to CPW and JW who hosted us at this magical place.

Sun shining through the Frostweed

Looking out over the pond from the earthen dam

Some of the woods

DATA:

* I have seen the beavers swimming in the pond.

** Dogs present included Zelda, Jack, and Harold - wild domesticated creatures.

*** Chinaberry trees are an ecological threat in Texas, crowding out native species.

**** Property have seen coyotes in this area (and we found many pieces of this turtle shell).

Final Note:

The wild women may have overestimated their "staying power" over the last few days. Just saying...

Wild Woman at rest (and one awake just long enough to take the photo).