From quarantine to the brutal murders of Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd recorded and witnessed by all of us, an outbreak of rage and protests, and the relentless climbing numbers of Covid-19 deaths, it was difficult not to be entirely consumed by bad news as spring slipped into the stifling heat of summer. Spring passedContinue 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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Long Hot Summer
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Losing Loblolly Pines-Part II: In the Context of a Pandemic
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Painting by Tammy Brown
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Losing Loblolly Pines–Part I
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It’s All About the Trees At Little Piney it’s all about the trees. I fell in love with Little Piney because of the trees. Little Piney lies where the Lost Pines meets the Post Oak Savannah in Bastrop . We have pine trees so old and so big it takes three people to circle theContinue reading
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All Creatures Great and Small–Water Moccasins and Hummingbirds
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All things bright and beautifulAll creatures great and smallAll things wise and wonderfulThe Lord God made them all…–Cecil France Alexander, 1848 The Great Cottonmouth When I saw this creature swimming fast, tongue flicking, heading down Piney Creek, I was standing safely on shore. The strangest thing is, the snake was so much bigger than anyContinue reading
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March Magic–Wildflowers, Wood Ducks, and a Beautiful Hawk
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March is the magical month at Little Piney! In a few short weeks Little Piney transforms from a gray and brown world of bare branches and dry grass into a bright array of greens almost shocking in intensity. Within this green world are little seas of bluebonnets, hot pink phlox, baby blue-eyes, orange-red paintbrush, andContinue reading
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River Otter at Little Piney, Bastrop TX
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River Otter Encounter One of the most delightful surprises at Little Piney is the occasional sighting of North American river otters. River otters are often seen in the Colorado River near Bastrop, but we are miles from the river. I am very curious how otters find their way to the small lake/wide creek atContinue reading
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Pondless Fountain for the Birds
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Pondless Fountain Burbling water in a rocky stream, light bouncing off drops and splashes–we are all attracted to flowing water. In addition to the pleasure of sight and sound, fresh water attracts birds and wildlife. Fountains and bird baths provide a water source any where you want to have one but most require frequent cleaningContinue reading
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Little Piney Updates–All is Well
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Gas Pipeline Update Two weekends ago, I rolled up 800 feet of temporary fencing and pulled all the metal fence stakes. I delivered the stakes to Audrey’s place where we put them on her trailer for another friend in need. A couple from Cedar Creek picked up the rolls of fence to reuse at theirContinue reading
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Loblolly Pines
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I have always known that the loblolly pines at Little Piney are special, but it’s nice to have my idea confirmed by experts. Texas Forest Service Forester, Gretchen Riley, and Certified Arborist, Vince Debrock of Heritage Tree Care came out to measure our largest pine to see if it qualified as a Texas champion. HereContinue reading
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Warning—Gas Pipeline: Beware of a Blanket Easement
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Warning–Gas Pipeline We didn’t think much about that gas pipeline when we fell in love with Little Piney. Pre-purchase, I researched water quality, pine beetles, floodplain, history of the land, and more. For some reason, the pipeline marked with yellow posts on the land and with little “PL’s” across the survey, didn’t get muchContinue reading