Spring at Little Piney Spring flies by like a butterfly–beautiful, colorful, swiftly gone. I know it’s not over yet, but in the flurry of over-scheduled days away from Little Piney, I feel a sense of loss. I didn’t have enough days with the Bluebonnets which are already going to seed, or with the Cedar WaxwingsContinue reading
Category: Bastrop Lost Pines Nature
Wildlife, insects, native plants and living respectfully in the native environment at Little Piney, home and wildlife habitat in the Lost Pines of Bastrop, Texas.
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Spring Flies By Like a Butterfly
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March Promises and the Nature Cure for Primary Madness
March Promises Little Piney in March is a green and happy place. The landscape is tame and parklike after a late winter mowing, and full of promises of things to come–the first wildflowers, the first butterflies, mounds of dewberry blossoms, and tiny eggs that will hatch by Easter. Nature is a welcome antidote to the uglyContinue reading
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Thoughts About Loving a Place
I wrote this last week after a visit to my childhood home. These are my thoughts about “loving a place.” Loving a Place “A place belongs forever to whoever claims it hardest, remembers it most obsessively, wrenches it from itself, shapes it, renders it, loves it so radically that he remakes it in his ownContinue reading
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Frosty Morning at Little Piney
Frosty Morning at Little Piney Sunday morning I awoke to the sound of hundreds of Robins and the sight of a frosty earth. Flashing red in the sun, the Robins flew from the woods in groups of 20-25 and perched in bare elms among Cedar Waxwings, Chipping Sparrows, and Cardinals. Robins Mist on Dragonfly Pond I threwContinue reading
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Ten Things You Should Know Before Moving to the Country
Our First Anniversary A year has passed since we became country dwellers at Little Piney. We have learned quite a bit about living with nature, and I have shared much of my learning process here on Lost Pines Life. As I looked back over my website, I was surprised to see that I have publishedContinue reading
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“There is Only Light and Shadow”
Landscape painters learn to “paint the light, not the objects.” The light glancing off trees, fields, and water creates a beautiful and ever-changing scene in nature. Autumn light with its slant angle and long afternoons has been particularly beautiful at Little Piney this season. Here are some of the photo highlights of the fall/winter landscapeContinue reading
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Wild New Year at Little Piney
Christmas Bird Count New Year’s at Little Piney was all about the wildlife. On January 1, I participated in my first Christmas Bird Count in Bastrop. Every year, all over the world, on a given day between December 14 and January 5, tens of thousands of local birders count the birds in their area and report theContinue reading
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Favorite Photos 2015, First Year at Little Piney– Part 1
First Year at Little Piney Our first year at Little Piney has been rich and blessed. She is becoming familiar tree by tree, bird by bird, yet I am thrilled to know that my feet have yet to explore some of her ground and my eyes will never see all of her avian visitors. Looking back throughContinue reading
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The Gray Palette of Winter
The Gray Palette of Winter at Little Piney As the golden tones of autumn fade, the gray palette of winter is pleasingly rich and textured. Here is a collection of photos highlighting both warm and cool shades of winter gray.
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Knock-Knock–Who’s There?
Pileated Woodpecker We always know when the Pileated Woodpecker is hungry. His distinct and resonant hammering sound is the loudest of the wood-pecking birds at Little Piney. No matter how many times I see a Pileated Woodpecker, it’s always a thrill. At 15-19 inches tall, with a brilliant red crest, shiny black back, pure whiteContinue reading