Sections

Camo is my happy color

Details: Published: Tuesday, 12 May 2020 00:00

By Colleen Hook, Executive Director at Quinta Mazatlan

One of the most near-perfect camouflaged birds is the Common Pauraque. The Pauraque has an understated beauty marked in brown-black and grey patterns and can just “disappear” on the Thornforest floor. While Pauraques are an adaptable species, they need forests to live and will leave areas that are heavily built up. Forests are important for many reasons from providing homes, to providing food, medicines and helping us breathe and keep cool.

Pauraques are unlike most other birds, as they really don’t construct nests. They make a scrape in the ground and lay eggs on the Thornforest floor on fallen leaves. A clutch consists of 1-3 eggs which are pink colored with buff spots. Incubation takes about 20 days and is carried out by both parents.

In celebration of momma birds

Details: Published: Monday, 11 May 2020 14:36

Colleen Curran Hook, Executive Director of Quinta Mazatlan

Springtime means new baby birds and celebrates rebirth and motherhood. Mother birds take parenting very seriously from building the nest to incubating the eggs and to finding food for her young. To quote Proverbs 31:10-31, “A mother’s work is never done”.

Bird nests are fascinating and as a general rule, the mother is the skilled builder designing the nest for support, shelter and camouflage. Some nests are intricately designed and others are scrapes in the ground. Let us look at the seven styles of Avian Architecture!

Stinging caterpillar season has arrived in Texas

Details: Published: Monday, 11 May 2020 14:15

Written by Susan Himes, Susan.Himes@ag.tamu.edu

AgriLife experts warn stinging caterpillars can cause contact rashes, painful reactions

As the weather warms up and people begin spending more time in their yards, parks and forests, more people will be coming home with a rash or bug bite.

However, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service experts say before you blame a flying insect or a poisonous plant for a skin ailment, you may need to consider another culprit – stinging caterpillars.

Could You Be Missing Out On Senior Discounts?

Details: Published: Tuesday, 28 April 2020 19:22

Here Are A Few Things To Know

By Chris Orestis

People who reach or near their retirement years often need to watch every penny.

Sure, some of them are financially fit and don’t lose sleep worrying that their bank accounts and investments will run dry.out of money. For many, though, frugality is the watchword as they struggle to make it through each month.

Fortunately, aging does come with at least one financial perk – senior discounts that restaurants, grocery stores, retail stores, airlines, car rental companies, hotels and other businesses offer to their older clientele. These discounts give older Americans a break on prices for everything from a gym membership to a fast-food meal to a movie ticket.

You would think all seniors and their families would be all over these opportunities. But, surprisingly, many people don’t take advantage. In some cases, that could be because it doesn’t occur to ask whether a discount is available. In other cases, people just have a hard time thinking of themselves as seniors.

Use iNaturalist to explore urban wildlife during Earth Week & every week

Details: Published: Monday, 20 April 2020 20:13

By Quinta Mazatlan / Center for Urban Ecology / John Brush

Urban wildlife is far more diverse than one might think as we bustle about our daily lives. Yet if we slow down to look at a flower, peer in a tree, or listen to the sounds in our neighborhoods, that perspective shifts. And with iNaturalist, learning what life is around us is easier than ever.

The main feature of iNaturalist, available for free on iOS, Android, and online, is sharing nature observations and getting help identifying what plant or animal we have found. It might be a moth beneath a porch light, or a lizard skittering across a fence, or a tiny flower poking up through a lawn. With iNaturalist, all it takes is quick photo to get started.