When I did my solo loop around the trail before the walk, I saw this lovely small patch of rock rose all by itself along the way.

I think they are pretty.

There was a small Possumhaw that was showing the only color in the area.

The Circle of the Springs was alive with insects, including this Sulfur Butterfly.

Damselfly

I apologize for so many photos of this Common Buckeye. It was just too beautiful to resist.

another sulfur

Red Yucca

This rock rose is in the Circle of the Springs garden.

By now, I'm sure you recognize my favorite Alamo Vine.

OK, this is the beginning of the walk. Pamela Ball, Director of Headwaters, told the interesting story of how the Sanctuary tract was saved by the Sisters.

This is Norma Moore. She was the art teacher at my school for many years before she retired. She is a professional artist whose works are mostly based on nature. She became a Master Naturalist the year after I did. She is a very spiritual person and is very high on my list of Vitamin People. In case you forgot, those are those rare people that always make you feel good when your are around them.

We started by focusing on a Cedar Elm with all of our senses.

Everyone was hanging on Norma's every word. Almost all of them are fellow Master Naturalists. I think there were three on the tour who were not.

You know how much I love photographing Poison Ivy in the Fall. Look at this little lovely.

Norma was talking about invasive Catsclaw Vines. They are like the Texas version of Kudzu.

This is an amazing stand of young Retama (Palo Verde) trees that suddenly grew when the area around them was cleared. There is no telling how long that seed bank was waiting to grow. There are not mature Retamas in that area, and it is not near a stream. It makes you wonder how so many seeds ended up in that one place.

I love this plant. It is Condalia or Brasil. I have it in my wild zone and featured it a lot earlier this year when mine had its first berries. I love that you can often find a branch with multiple colors of berries dependent on the stage they are in. This one has the added color of that beautiful bug. Do you see it?

This was in the Circle of the Springs. I have photographed these large yellow daisy-like flowers many times. Norma pointed out the seed pods. I had never seen them before. This one is spent.

This is a seed pod from the same plant that is just developing. It looks like a whole other flower .

These Bordered Patch Butterflies were feeling frisky.

This is Acerola, AKA Barbados Cherry. It is a Texas native, but not in our area. It is from Cameron and Hidalgo counties in southernmost Texas.

This Border Patch Butterfly was sitting on some Apache Plume.

I don't remember seeing Apache Plume before.

Pigeon Berry

Some kind of insect makes these. I think it is the Bagworm Moth.

This is Carolina Snailseed.

At the end of the walk, Norma had us sit in the outdoor classroom. She asked us to close our eyes and listen to all the sounds around us- natural or otherwise. Just as we started, the first winds of the cold front hit. It was magical. The songs of the trees, the rhythm of dried leaves tumbling around us, and the beautiful trill of a Carolina Wren all blended with the sounds of baseball coming from the practice across the street.

The rest of the photos are taken at my house. This is a vine that grows in the Wildzone. I have featured it many times. You usually see large purple flowers. It is called Tievine.

These beautiful egg-shaped fungi popped all over the dead tree parts that border the Wildzone.

This is Drummond's Woodsorrel. It is a Texas native and has beautiful light purple flowers. It is coming up all over my backyard and Wildzone.

This is a beautiful specimen of Northern Mockingbird. He was sitting on a Brasil plant in the Wildzone.

He is worthy of two photos.

Chiltepin

Bulbane

Skeletor is here while his Mommy and Daddy celebrate Halloween and a friend's wedding in Las Vegas.

He is a lot like Olive. Always looking for snacks in the grass.