By Eric Duran It's time to talk reptiles. Reptiles have skin that is covered with scales, made of keratin (which your hair and fingernails are made of). Reptiles have an internal skeleton made of bone, just like you (even snakes). Reptiles breathe air with lungs their whole lives. They don't have tadpoles, like salamanders and frogs. Most reptiles hatch out of eggs, but … [Read more...] about Nature 101 — Know your reptiles
Wired to Nature
Celebrating pollinators
By Eric Duran Pollinators are important. All of the showy wildflowers that we enjoy around this time of year depend on animals to cross-fertilize them, as well as many of our food crops. A plant attracts animals with brightly colored flowers and strong smells. The flower produces sweet nectar for the animal to feed on. The animal inadvertently carries a little sticky pollen … [Read more...] about Celebrating pollinators
Aliens in your yard
By Eric Duran Many common backyard animals found in your garden are actually from another continent. You may have grown up with them as part of your outdoor landscape, but they didn't originate here in North America. Some creatures have been introduced accidentally in the soil of potted plants, others were introduced purposefully to help with agricultural problems, and some … [Read more...] about Aliens in your yard
Lizards and salamanders: A who’s who
By Eric Duran As a naturalist, I get questions about a lot of different animals. People are often curious about the small creatures they see crawling around their yards, but they don't always know how to describe or label them. One of the misnomers I hear repeatedly is the use of the word "salamander" to describe many small lizards. There is a lot of difference between … [Read more...] about Lizards and salamanders: A who’s who
For outside-the-norm winter birding, do go near the water
By Eric Duran One of my favorite winter wildlife occurrences along the Gulf Coast of Texas is the appearance of winter waterbirds. The lakes and other bodies of water in our area receive millions of ducks, but we also get a variety of other non-duck water birds, like grebes, loons, coots and cormorants. To view some of these birds, you need to head down to the coast or out … [Read more...] about For outside-the-norm winter birding, do go near the water