Spring – a curious nature

White Milkwort – Page 11 .. The 100 Day Project (2026)

June 1, 2026

White Milkwort (Senega alba (Nutt.) J.F.B. Pastore & J.R. Abbott)

(synonymous with Polygala alba Nutt.)

A Light Touch

It was a beautiful morning for a walk along one of the neighborhood’s 2-track dirt roads. I was searching for late blooming Spring wildflowers when something lightly brushed against my leg, bringing me to a full stop. There, at my feet, gently swaying in the quiet breeze were a dozen+ foot tall, nearly naked, skinny green stems topped with lavender and white cones. Not wishing to crush these delicate stalks, I noticed there were five other groupings nearby, all growing in the road’s old tire depressions. Upon closer inspection, I recalled having seen this plant before in the yard of our previous home, but they had fewer and shorter stems, and larger (?) flower cones. Still, this was the white milkwort species (back then known as Polygala alba; today called Senega alba) I identified four years ago. It was the larger size and delicate nature of these plants at my feet – that puzzled me.

Here’s what I learned:

The stems, which are ridged, can grow to 18” tall. They branch from a basal caudex (a root-like thickened stem, often found underground, from which branching/stems grow …… and the more extensive the caudex, the more above ground stems form.
You can roughly age this perennial milkwort by counting the number of vertical stems. Typically there’s one stem on seedlings and one-year old plants; as many as 30 stems have been counted on much older (many, many years old) plants.
Even though the official flowering period ends late summer, if mid-summer/early fall rains (our monsoon season) are plentiful, another bloom period peaks and can continue into November. It’s been reported that when old flowers are removed from these milkworts (deadheaded), the plants will bloom continuously for up to four years! Obviously, those plants are not impacted by winter frosts.
The 90% of the pollinators visiting white milkwort are small to medium solitary or semi-solitary bees. Where we live (desert southwest), many of these ground-nesting bees are floral specialists, and based on research dating back to the early 70s, green metallic bees highly favor this native plant’s flowers for nectar and pollen. And with extended bloom times prompted by monsoons, this helps benefit these and other bee species. Unfortunately, the timing and intensity of our monsoons is no longer predictable and is likely causing unfavorable conditions for extended flower bloom and the bees.
Always be prepared to encounter a plant that tickles!

Classification and an Etymological Quandary

To learn the story about the old and new scientific names for white milkwort, and why being a botanist way back when and today is so challenging, read the next section on Etymology. It really is quite fascinating!

Etymology

Way back in the day (say, the early 1800s), when Thomas Nuttall, a English botanist, ornithologist, geologist and explorer, needed an unforgettably descriptive binomial name for a new species he’d discovered, “Polygala alba Nutt.” was his choice. The genus “Polygala,” which was originally assigned by Linnaeus to a group of plants with similar-looking flowers, is Greek for milkwort — meaning “much milk; ” the species name “alba” is Latin for “white, bright or clear.”

Thomas, logically picked “alba” as the species name for his new discovery, because the plant had white flowers. However, he apparently chose the “Polygala” genus based on an ancient belief that nursing mothers (and cows) that ate the milkwort plant experienced increased lactation. However, Polygala alba doesn’t have either milky sap or any plant parts with milk! After diving deeper into the Polygala genus as a whole, I couldn’t find any that ooze a milky substance.

The changing nature of botanical classification: It wasn’t until recently (2023 to be exact) that the official report announcing the transfer of 18 Polygala species to Senega, including Polygala alba to Senega alba, was published by botanists J.F.B. Pastore & J.R. Abbott. This change was based on a number of scientifically-researched plant characteristics, which addressed deviations in seed, fruit, and floral anatomy between Senega and true Polygala species. Now I know I need a bigger microscope!

In case you’re curious (I certainly was) there are no Senega milkworts (today referred to as American milkworts, formerly classified under Polygala) with a milky sap. So, despite their family (Polygalaceae) and originally assigned genus name (Polygala), these plants exude a clear, watery sap when their stems are broken.

Why “Senega” was selected as the genus name for all American milkworts: The genus name “Senega” comes from the Seneca Native American tribe. The first use of the name in the English language was in the 1730s; the Seneca snakeroot plant was given the scientific name Polygala senega, to honor the tribe’s traditional use of the root as a remedy for snakebites and respiratory issues.

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Hope you found this interesting!

As always, thanks for stopping by!

References

swcoloradowildflowers.com

wildflower.org

Narrowleaf Puccoon – Page 10 .. The 100 Day Project (2026)

May 25, 2026

Narrowleaf Puccoon (Lithospermum incisum)

Etymology

Lithospermum, the genus named by Linnaeus in 1753, is Greek for stone (“Lithos”) and seed (“sperma”), referring to the hard nutlets. And “incisum,” the Latin species name referring to the incised, fringed edges of the trumpet flowers, was named by Lehman (a German botanist) in 1818 from a specimen collected “near the rapids of the Ohio” by Andre Michaux (a French botanist and explorer) in 1802.

Puccoon evolved from “poughkone,” a word the Virginia Algonquian language used for plants whose roots yield a red or yellow pigment. The roots of Narrowleaf Puccoon were historically used as dyes ranging from purple to red to yellow.

A Two-Flower Strategy

Very showy and quite lovely, the sunshine yellow trumpet-shaped flowers of Narrowleaf Puccoon are hard to miss. They often cluster at the ends of 12-20” long stems where the floral tube is ringed by five frilly petal lobes. The flowers depend on pollinators like butterflies for cross-pollination which adds genetic diversity to the few seeds they produce. Botanically speaking, these traditional, open flowers with exposed reproductive parts are referred to as Chasmogamous.

Then later in the season, the Narrowleaf Puccoon produces small, petal-less flowers that remain tightly closed. These highly fertile, self-pollinating flowers account for almost all of the plant’s seed production. Botanists refer to this type of closed, often inconspicuous flower as Cleistogamous.

The“Stone Seed” Fruit

Because Narrowleaf Puccoon only produces the occasional fruit from its showy flowers, it takes a bit of searching around the plant’s lower leaf axils to locate a tiny group of up to four hard “stone seed” nutlets. Beginning growth inside the self-fertile, closed (Cleistogamous) flowers that are present late in the season, each egg-shaped nutlet, pitted across the surface, ripens to a shiny white.

Plant Propagation

Seed Germination – To grow Narrowleaf Puccoon from seed, nutlets should be collected in late summer. Soak them overnight in hot water then plant immediately. Because seed germination is sporadic and often disappointing, selecting a desirable location for planting is important. The plant grows best in very sandy, well drained soils found in the dry/open areas within our pinyon/juniper woodlands (though they do grow in soils with some loam or clay).

Shiny white nutlets with Penny for size
Photo edited from a post by
A Wandering Botanist

Root Cutting – A more successful method may be to take a 2-inch cutting of the taproot in the fall. Dip the cutting in a root stimulant and plant in a desirable location.

Suggestions for root stimulants

Powdered Hormones: Highly cost-effective, have a long shelf life and easy to use. After you moisten the root cutting, just dip it directly into the powder (e.g., Garden Safe TakeRoot) and plant.
Natural/DIY Options: Raw aloe vera gel and crushed, uncoated aspirin both contain natural growth-promoting enzymes. You can also use diluted willow bark extract, which is naturally rich in rooting hormones.

Plant Care – Narrowleaf Puccoon requires full sun and very little water, making it a good plant for xeric gardens or included with other native plants to establish a wildflower meadow.

Photo taken early May 2026 along the Entranosa access road

Medicinal Properties and a Cautionary Note

The Navajo chewed the root of Narrowleaf Puccoon for coughs and colds. They, and the Zuni rubbed the plant’s finely powdered leaves, root and stem on the body to treat paralyzed limbs. An infusion of the root was used for stomach aches and kidney problems. The plant was eaten as an oral contraceptive, and a cold infusion of the pulverized root and seed was used as an eyewash.

Although Narrowleaf Puccoon does have medicinal properties, it contains potentially toxic alkaloids. Self-treatment involving this plant is strongly discouraged.

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If you’ve seen Narrowleaf Puccoon, did you find their highly fertile, tightly closed flowers and/or the shiny white nutlets? Have you tried growing the plant from seed or root cuttings, and were you successful?

As always, thanks for stopping by!

Happy Memorial Day!

References

backyardnature.net

iNaturalist.org

minnesotawildflowers.info

openprairie.sdstate.edu

swcoloradowildflowers.com

visitsfbg.org

wildflower.org

Rose Heath – Page 9 .. The 100 Day Project (2026)

May 9, 2026

Rose Heath (Chaetopappa ericoides)

When the last Spring snow melts and the runoff soaks into the nooks and crannies of dehydrated soils, there’s a thirsty little shrub that eagerly drinks its fill. The leafy stems of this tiny shrub, so easily overlooked in the winter, rapidly grows on bare ground, around the drip line of pinyon and juniper trees, in the negative spaces between rocks and broken branches, and through beds of dried grasses. Then in a day or two a very small flower bud forms on the top of each stem, and in half a week the buds open simultaneously. What a spectacular display of brilliant white daisies ….. bouquets of light!

Barely ankle high, each flowerhead can have up to 24 white ray florets surrounding a rich buttery yellow center of 12-25 disc florets. And don’t fret if you notice the ray florets have curled downward in the evening. They magically unfurl to their full length by mid-morning the following day.

This annual Spring show, which takes place all across the U.S. west and western Great Plains, is brought to you by the “petite” perennial called Rose Heath (Chaetopappa eriocoides). (Widespread and common in New Mexico, Rose Heath is adaptable to a variety of soils, elevation, and drought.)

The show typically begins in late March and continues into early May. And for those craving more, flowering resumes in August and can run until November; no charge. You just have to get out there and see for yourself!

Origin and Etymology – What’s in a Name?

Origin of the Scientific Name, Chaetopappa ericoides

Augustin Pyramus de Candolle, a Swiss botanist, named this genus Inula in the early 1800s. But in 1827, it was the American botanist John Torrey, who named the species Inula ericoides, from a specimen collected by botanist Edwin James along the Canadian River during Major Stephen Long’s Expedition of 1819-1820. Since that time, the species has undergone more than a dozen name changes including Leucelene ericoides (Edward Greene in 1896) and finally Chaetopappa ericoides (Guy Nesom in 1988).

Etymology of the Scientific Name, Chaetopappa ericoides

The genus “Chaetopappa” is Greek for ‘bristly pappus’ (pappus refers to the score of tiny white bristles surrounding the disc florets; the same bristles, one per seed, that helps carry Rose Heath’s mature seeds up, up and away. The species “Ericoides,” also Greek, means ‘similar (“oides“) to Heath’ (“eric”); i.e., the plant’s tiny, overlapping leaves are similar to those of some Heaths (Ericaceae is the scientific name of the Heath Family.)

Common Name, Rose Heath

From the previous paragraph, it’s obvious where the name ‘Heath’ comes from, as Rose Heath does have stems and leaves very similar to a heath plant. But why ‘Rose?’ What I found is ‘Rose’ is Latin in origin, derived from “rosa,” referring to the flower. Because the daisy-like flowers of Rose Heath don’t resemble a rose flower, deeper diving was needed. I discovered that throughout history ‘Rosa’ and ‘Rose’ have represented love, passion, innocence, and beauty. So perhaps ……. ? If you’re familiar with Rose Heath or have seen photos of the plant in bloom, do you love or could you love its beautiful floral bouquets? I think whoever thought to call this plant by the common name ‘Rose Heath,’ must’ve loved its stunning display!

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Have you seen this beautiful plant, Rose Heath?

As always, thanks for stopping by!

References

inaturalist.org

npsnm.org/wildflowersnm

Stevenson, M., 1915 Ethnobotany of the Zuni Indians. SI-BAE Annual Report #30, p.55 (as referenced by iNaturalist)

swbiodiversity.org

swcoloradowildflowers.com

Dark Jerusalem Cricket – Page 5 .. The 100 Day Project (2026)

April 5, 2026

Dark Jerusalem Cricket (Ammopelmatus fuscus)

Last month (mid-March), while looking everywhere for signs of spring (something green and growing), I dared to peek under a flat rock and gasped with surprise! Instead of uncovering a tiny flower bud was a gigantic “creepy-crawly” bug! Yikes! After quickly dropping the rock back on his head I realized my run-away imagination had gotten the better of me.

So gathering my courage, I took another look. There, hiding under that rock was a “cuddly” Jerusalem cricket trying his best to be invisible (while avoiding the bright sunlight).

This wasn’t my first Jerusalem cricket, but seeing this guy prompted me to learn more about this curious insect……

Firstly, Jerusalem crickets are neither true crickets nor are they native to Jerusalem

Taxonomists agree, “Jerusalem crickets are in a very different family than true crickets. This includes a bunch of flightless varieties, and some with wings, found in Africa. The Jerusalem crickets are wingless and are found in the Americas.”
“The origins of the name, “Jerusalem” cricket isn’t certain, but it’s thought that it comes either as a reference to the skull-shaped head (they’re also known as skull crickets), which is associated with skull hill in Jerusalem; or, comes from a watered-down swear word from the ‘40s and ‘50s. Around this time, in the US, both “Jerusalem” and “Cricket” were expletives, associated with being startled.”

Next, some Jerusalem Cricket Mating Characteristics

Similar to true crickets, each species of “sings” a different song during mating. They actually sing by drumming and they drum by beating their butts on the ground.
Once a larger female has successfully mated with a smaller male, and before she lays eggs, females usually eat the males!
She lays her egg masses in holes in the soil. After hatching, over the next 1-2 years, nymphs undergo several molts (as many as 10) until they reach sexual maturity which lasts for only 2-6 months.
Adults can reach up to 2 to 3 inches in length. Females are often larger in size; males have longer hind legs.

Third, Jerusalem Cricket Habitats and Out-of-Sight Living Quarters

They are “well-adapted to living in sandy soils, but can be found in sand dunes, chaparrals, grasslands, woodlands, and forests.”
Being nocturnal, they spend a majority of their lives underground.
They hide underneath organic matter and other debris like rocks, wood. With their powerful mandibles, spiny legs and specially adapted feet, they also dig underground burrows for comfortable living quarters.

And Almost Lastly …. the Cultural Significance of Jerusalem Crickets

Of great importance to Native Americans as food, many tribes in southwestern U.S. also considered Jerusalem crickets as a powerful cultural symbol. Its striking appearance leads some to think the cricket brings mortality, as depicted in the folklore of the Chumash people of southern California.
The Hopi, who settled in Arizona, portrays this cricket as a spirit being (a Kachina) named Sösööpa who races. As a result, it’s often carved into their Katsina dolls as a yellow humanlike character with black beady eyes, a black-and-white plaid skirt, and antennae made from sand grass, depicting traits of the cricket.
The Navajo associated the Yucca plant with the insect; you had to eat the plant as a cure of the cricket’s painful bite. This myth possibly gave rise to the misconception that their bite is venomous.

It’s Greek to Me! (Entomologically Speaking)

Learning the meaning of a scientific name assigned to a species not only helps me remember uncommon words and how they’re pronounced, but often describes aspects of a species’ characteristics that may help differentiate it from another similar-looking species. Learning about these complex names falls into a study called entomology.

Ammopelmatus fuscus, the scientific name for the Dark Jerusalem Cricket, is quite a mouthful. Curious about the meanings (in plain English) of these two strange words, I learned the name originates from Greek and Latin roots meaning “dark sand-sole” or “dark sand-burrower,” obviously referring to their sandy habitats, dark color, and burrowing behavior. But to learn how the common name with the word “sole” ties to one of the cricket’s characteristics, my dive continued. Here’s the entomology breakdown:

Genus Ammopelmatus
- Ammos (Greek) means “sand,” referring to the cricket’s specialized adaptation to arid, sandy environments.
- pelma (Greek) means “sole of the foot,” highlighting the specialized leg structures the cricket uses for burrowing.
- tus (Greek) is a common word meaning either “them” or “their.” In this case, “tus” ties the first two parts together into “their sand sole.”
Species fuscus (Latin) means “dark,” “dusky,” or “brown,” describing the cricket’s color.

Here’s the underside of my Dark Jerusalem Cricket. The leg spines really show well as does the strong mandible. A scary fascinating view!

After learning more about the Dark Jerusalem Cricket, maybe next time I discover one, I won’t jump so high?! Do you think?

Have you seen a Jerusalem cricket hiding out in your yard? If so, what was your reaction?

Hope you enjoyed this post! Thanks for stopping by!

References

inaturalist.org/taxa

bugguide.net/node/view/154

factanimal.com/jerusalem-cricket/

Eaton, Eric R.; Kenn Kaufman (2007). Kaufman Field Guide to Insects of North America. New York: Houghton Mifflin. p. 84.
Milne, Lorus Milne, Lorus and Milne, Margery (1980) The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Insects & Spiders. Alfred A. Knopf, Inc, pp. 437.
Stoffolano JG, Wright B (2005). “So so opa —Jerusalem Cricket: An Important Insect in the Hopi Katsina Pantheon.”American Entomologist. 51 (3): 174–179. doi:10.1093/ae/51.3.174

Redstem Stork’s-Bill – Page 2 .. The 100 Day Project (2026)

March 20, 2o26

Redstem Stork’s-Bill (Erodium cicutarium)

An early draft of the page with actual plant parts

Constance’s Spring Parsley – Page 1 .. The 100 Day Project (2026)

March 18, 2026

Project Introduction

For the last few years my “someday” goal has been to create a nature field guide, of sorts, highlighting my many years of observations in the East Mountains of central New Mexico. Well, my “Someday” is officially here! Coinciding with the February 22, 2026 kick-off of the 100 Day Project¹ (Project), I began by committing an hour/day to developing that field guide as my project and immediately penciled out an outline and a few thumbnail sketches of a sample page. But, after retrieving my iNaturalist lists of East Mountains sightings I’ve made from home and during countless hikes, eliminating redundancies, and totaling up the individual species, my reported observations still numbered in the many hundreds. I would be working on this Project for the next five to six years!

Interlude

When we moved to the East Mountains in the summer of 2017, we quickly fell in love with the beauty of the wide open landscapes, the grasslands and woodlands habitats, the diverse populations of wildflowers and mammals, resident and migratory birds, and the insects and reptiles. So yes, nature is plentiful; species are many.

Now Back to the Project

Not to be overwhelmed (or defeated) by the potential magnitude of my Project, I decided to:

“Divide and Conquer” by focusing on a single location …. our current subdivision and surrounding area and trails; and
Prioritize quality over quantity by creating one page over two days, keeping each work session to one hour; and
Keep the Project motivating and interesting, by adding fun facts or other research tidbit about each species.

“These guidelines seemed more realistic,” I thought, with a cautiously optimistic chance of achieving my goal of creating a nature field guide.

So with that as an introduction to my Project, here’s Page 1 to “An Illustrated Guide to the Nature of Las Leyendas Subdivision & Environs, Tijeras, East Mountains, New Mexico” — with many more pages to follow. 🤞

Constance’s Spring Parsley (Vesper constancei)

An early draft of the page with live samples of this pretty wild parsley

¹ “The 100 Day Project is a free global art project that takes place online (https://www.the100dayproject.org/). Every year, thousands of people all around the world commit to 100 days of creating, and anyone can participate. The idea is simple: choose a creative project, do it every single day for 100 days, and document and share your process online. The most recent round of the Project began February 22, 2026, but any day is a great day to begin.”

Wait For It!

Spring is on the Way

February 10, 2026

One of my virtues is impatience ……. when it comes to Spring ….. and its arrival ….. finally.

Admittedly, winter has its perks. After a long, hot summer and fall, winter’s crisp air is a mood lifter, and cooler air temps allow for cozy sleeping under piles of blankets. Longer nights mean my favorite constellations hang in the sky longer, and somehow the moon always seems brighter and friendlier. In New Mexico, winter hiking about is more casual without having to watch every step for rattlesnakes, and certainly any snowfall we’ve been fortunate enough to get helps recharge water tables, tempers our risk of wildfire, and is absolutely beautiful to watch while falling.

But ….. since Winter Solstice and with daytime hours lengthening, I’m ready for Spring. And the closer it gets, my impatience for the upcoming change in season is obvious. My nature journal, pencils and 10x magnifying loop are packed and ready, each daily hike begins by plucking from a yucca one of last year’s flower stalks to poke the ground for signs of growth, and I’m anxious to snap photos of any passing migrating bird or resident roadrunner in search of a perfect nesting spot.

Meanwhile, I’m thankful for my late winter attack of impatience, because it get’s me out there every day, in anticipation of the first flower bud!

As always, Thanks for stopping by!

Sketchbook Revival 2025 ….. Binge Fest Extravaganza!

June 16, 2025

What a whirlwind celebration! Sketchbook Revival (SR) 2025 Binge Fest was so much fun. And Wow! Two jam packed weeks of creativity was over in the blink of an eye!

Karen Abend, SR creator, host extraordinaire, and wonderful artist, came up with a brilliant idea for the SR 2025 session. I would swear the creative gears inside her head were spinning with delight as she declared, “Yureka! I’ve got it!”

Beginning on May 27th thru June 9th, Karen generously opened up the SR historic vault and set free all of the workshops conducted the first 5 years of SR (2018-2022)! That unbelievable offering came to more than 130 one-hour-long workshops of inspiring, hands-on, and creative play time all instructed by well-known experts in artistic fields associated with Sketchbook Journaling.

Challenge presented ……. Challenge accepted.

Since I’ve been participating in SR each year since 2018, and attended most of these workshops in the past, my goals and strategies to tackle the challenge were these:

Complete a minimum of 4 workshops daily;
Two workshops should involve a project outside of my comfort zone, such as portrait drawing, fantasy, word play, collage, and properly stitching my own SR sketchbook so it wouldn’t fall apart during the 2-week challenge, etc.;
Two workshops should involve projects within my comfort zone, such nature subjects, urban sketching, whimsey, and lettering, and those using watercolor pencils, graphite, and ink;
Develop fresh, interesting, and imaginative sketches during the workshops;
Allow Flambé to play along;
Slow down, breathe, and enjoy the 2-week marathon without becoming overwhelmed;
Recognize and gather take-away tips and techniques to bring into my Nature Journaling practice and Zentangle storytelling.
Keep sketching and sharing.

After two weeks of play, I was able to fill up my handmade and successfully stitched SR 2025 sketchbook! With a total of 46 pages completed (doubling up workshop projects on a handful of pages), including several pockets with inserts, I was pretty happy (and a bit exhausted).

If you’ve participated in SR in the past, or maybe took on the 2025 challenge as your first time, you know how intense (in an exhilarating way) it can become. If not, and would like to learn more, check out this link

This link will take you to Karen Abend’s website where you can ask for more information about Sketchbook Revival. https://karenabend.com

Hope my collection made you smile and laugh! I certainly got a kick out of the experience.

Well, until Sketchbook Revival next year, thanks for coming along!

Front and back of the concertina book that tucks into the pocket above.

My hand sewn, one signature SR 2025 Sketchbook.

High on the Views: Camping Above the Rio Grande

June 6, 2025

Such an awesome-inspiring place to spend a Spring week in New Mexico!

Three of the five big boys! Rocky Mountain Big Horn Sheep.

Rio Grande del Norte National Monument …..

comprises a breathtaking 245,000 acre area of the northern Rio Grande rift valley in north central New Mexico. Established as a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) national monument in 2013, the rugged wide-open plains average 7,000 feet in elevation before dropping into steep narrow canyons carved into the landscape by rivers that have been flowing for millennia.

The confluence of two of these rivers, the Rio Grande and the Red River, occurs in the northern Wild Rivers area of the Monument. It’s at this confluence where the gorge is its deepest at 800 feet, and its widest from rim to rim measuring 3/4 mile. It’s an impressive view from the la Junta (“the Meeting”) Overlook. All of the views from anywhere along the rim are impressive.

We backed our RV (‘Felix’) into what must’ve been the best designated camping site ever ….. #9 on the southern loop in Big Arsenic Springs Campground. After setting up, we discovered that Felix rested only a few steps west was the rim and the long plunge down to the Rio Grande! But immediately south of us, the rim formed a small peninsula where nearly every afternoon I could be found sketching the plants growing from the basalt cliffs, or the swifts and turkey vultures soaring along the cliffs and over the river aided by the canyon’s updrafts. This skinny little peninsula quickly became my favorite sit spot; then late one morning it became priceless …….

Can you spot our RV? We were precariously perched above the Rio Grande, right on the rim of the gorge!

I could hear them approaching, like a swarm of bees. In a matter of seconds I was witnessing a cacophonous chorus of 100’s of pinyon jays. These noisy birds quickly moved in and onward while descending, like they were famished, on this year’s piñon pine cone-laden trees in large erratic groups, all the while screaming, “Hurry, Hurry, Hurry, Hurry!” Where exactly they came from or where they went remains a mystery. All I know was the spectacle must’ve lasted a good 10 minutes or more, as I watched wave after wave of these birds pass by. I still get goosebumps (jaybumps?) recalling those exciting moments.

We had planned to spend only one day camping in the Monument, but every morning we decided to stay at least another and then another day. We hiked every rim and interior trail (sometimes more than once), spent hours at all of the Overlooks getting ‘High on the Views,” were thrilled with our chance encounters of five (5) Rocky Mountain Big Horn Sheep rams (twice in one day), and marveled at how the forces of nature* collaborated to carve the narrow and steep 800 foot deep gorge within the Monument.

But alas, it became time to pack up our home away from home. Even tho a string of completely clear days allowed sun to shine on our solar panels from sunup to sundown, keeping Felix’s battery purring happily our entire stay, it did nothing to recharge our potable water tank. So the morning we found the water indicator light teetering on ‘Empty,’ was the day we headed for home (after enjoying a farewell hike, of course) with my nature journal full of sketches and memories for a lifetime!

Do you have an especially special place where you can spend time in nature? Please share your discovery and what makes it so awesome!

As always, thanks for stopping by!

*Geology 101

From the overlooks throughout the Monument, we could see stacks and stacks of basalt and ash lining the narrow canyon walls of the Rio Grande Gorge. It’s hard to imagine the volume of material deposited during two very active periods of volcanic activity that occurred 5 and 3 million years ago. Soon after these events, water moving through the major drainage in the area (today’s Red River) began eroding pathways into these deposits as it flowed downstream into the 10-16 million year old rift valley. Geologists refer to the ancient Red River drainage as the ‘original Rio Grande’ because the still-closed San Luis Basin to the north (in south central Colorado) would not overflow for a few million years. Then 400,000 years ago, coinciding with a change in climate resulting in an overabundance of snow and rain, the San Luis Basin filled and spilled. As water does so well, this new and powerful river, today’s Rio Grande, moved ‘downhill’ towards the ‘original Rio Grande’, cutting through everything in its path (including the ancient volcanic deposits). When it converged with the ‘original Rio Grande,’ the erosive force of both rivers became enough to eventually carve out an 800-foot deep gorge in the Rift.

Confluence of the Rio Grande and Red River

Dance of the Bagworms

May 9, 2025

On a warm Spring morning, wandering around a grove of American Sycamore, I became curious about these magnificent trees: where in the US are they native; why are some leaves larger than the palm of my hand and some half the size; what about those odd pingpong sized seedballs lying on the ground everywhere you look ….. why don’t they roll away in search of an ideal spot to pop open so the seeds can germinate …… when the seedballs are kicked, stepped on or crushed beneath a car tire, do the 1,000’s of seeds inside blow away to sprout ….. are the seeds (all or some of them) even viable ….. do the seedballs make a good ink or dye or maybe they’re edible or even medicinal……. what, if any wildlife species eat the seedballs or seeds; and ooooohhhhhhh, sycamore bark! Why does this tree’s bark flaunt a pastel palette of greens, yellows and pinks. These and many more questions came to mind that it seemed about time the American Sycamore became a subject for my nature journal, until ……………..

There! In the tree above my head, I spotted a most curious thing. Parting a few of that sycamore’s beautiful Spring green palmate-shaped leaves was a bundle of dead brown and beige leafy bits and sticks all haphazardly glued together. Wishing to get a closer look at that elongated ornament shaped “thing,” I found it was securely suspended from a branch. Trying to puzzle out this fascinating mystery while searching for my pen knife, a stiff breeze blew through the tree. It was then a I noticed hundreds of those 2-3” long bundles all over the tree; from the base to its crown!

Curiosity is the Essence of Nature Journaling

What continues to draw me to nature and nature journaling after so many years are the surprises in the familiar and in the unknown. I know well enough that new encounters in nature are infinite; you just have to open your eyes and look. Having learned by carefully observing what appears to be familiar, often leads to new discoveries. That’s when my curiosity kicks into high gear ….. when it’s time to engage in some serious poking around to figure something out; to learn what the “thing” is.

Curiosity, for me, is the very heart and soul of nature journaling. The ‘art’ of curiosity even precedes skill in observation. It’s what drives me out the door in the morning and fuels my exploration. Curiosity fills the mind with countless questions if for no other reason but to develop a deeper understanding of the natural world.

But I “wax philosophical.” Needless to say, my curious discovery on that warm and breezy Spring morning prompted an abrupt change of mind for my next blog post (this post). Anxious to learn about the “thing” suspended from a tree branch, probably minding its own business, I proceeded to cut it down (along with two more) and popped them in a bag along with a few sycamore leaves and seedballs.

Later that same day …….

Upon completing my journal sketches of sycamore leaves and seedballs, and posting a few photos to iNaturalist for an initial ID, it was time to take a closer look at my discovery. Reaching into the bag for one of the “things” (wiping my hand free of spider webbing?), I placed it on my examination table surrounded by several hand lenses, a larger magnifying glass, a penknife, and 2 pairs of tweezers. Before beginning the dissection, I noticed about a dozen black pepper-sized bits moving about the “thing.” Thinking tiny spiders had come from the bag, I didn’t give them a second thought (should’ve been curious!).

This bagworm bag was the subject of my dissection. Notice the pepper-sized black dots next to the bag ….. those are wiggling 1st instar larva.

iNaturalist ID Pick :::::::::::::: BAGWORM MOTH ::::::::::::::: iNaturalist ID Pick

(awaiting genus/species ID)

A Bagworm Moth!

How cool is that!?!

The opened bag of a female Bagworm moth. She’s very dead, but her progeny are escaping as fast as they can.

Dissection resumes ……

After finding out the “thing” I’ve been pondering over is the Bag of a bagworm moth, I learned the Bag was built during last Spring, Summer and Fall by either a male or female bagworm moth. If a male, the Bag would be empty; if a female, the Bag would contain her remains …. she would’ve died last fall after a male fertilized 500-1,000+ eggs she overwintered inside her body until Spring when newly-hatched larvae would emerge from the bottom of the Bag and begin the species’ life cycle all over again.

The Bag, that took about 10 minutes and all my dissection tools to open, contained the black and mushy remains of a female and 100’s of wiggling/dancing larvae! They were on the move; escaping from the now wide open Bag, and quickly covering my examination table like a pepper grinder out of control.

And my effort to open the Bag? This made sense after reading about the high tensile strength of the silk they produce. These thin strands of silk, 10x stronger than that produced by silkworms, is used in abundance to construct their Bags.

The coolest thing ever! Notice the either late 2nd or early 3rd instar larva, no longer naked, but swaddled in very chewed up leafy bits glued together with strong silk. This dude was hiking up a sycamore branch, continually chewing, wiggling, and gluing.

After disposing of all the naked 1st instar larvae waggling and dancing across my examination table, I placed the dissected Bag, the two whole Bags, and collected leaf material into a clear plastic ziplock to observe what would happen. Over 10 days, the number of larvae multiplied and the naked 1st instar caterpillars grew in size (at least to 2nd instar) while building their individual Bags from tiny bits of leaf litter! Their wiggling dance seemed to be the way their silk strands wrapped and secured leafy bits around their bodies. It’s been fun to watch all the activity.

Have you ever encountered one or more of the 1,350+ species of bagworm moths? What materials were their Bags made from? Please share your experience with these fascinating members of the butterfly/moth family of insects.

As always, thanks for stopping by!