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
Wired to Nature
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
Brrrrrrrrrrilliant! Creatures’ coping strategies for the winter
By Eric Duran Winter is almost upon us, such as it is in Houston. Though we may not have the long severe cold winters that are common to the North, it does get cold enough here to warrant certain behaviors and lifestyle changes among our native animals. For the most part, fruits, seeds, and insects are less available as a food source, so winter strategies are called for. … [Read more...] about Brrrrrrrrrrilliant! Creatures’ coping strategies for the winter
Imagining when big cats, elephant-like creatures roamed the Bellaire-West U prairie
By Eric Duran When I take kids out in the park, or out on large areas of land nearby the Nature Center, I like to tell stories about what the land was like long before we we were here. Before European settlement of the Houston area, prairie dominated the landscape here. It’s not hard to imagine what kinds of "big prairie" animals may have been prowling the landscape in … [Read more...] about Imagining when big cats, elephant-like creatures roamed the Bellaire-West U prairie