Laughing Gulls

Laughing Gulls on Pilings

No, I'm not in the Arkansas Ozarks at the moment.  Instead, I'm visiting my folks down on the Texas coast.  This shot was taken along the Lighthouse Point along the channel between Aransas Pass and Port Aransas.

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Laughing Gulls

Thank You, FDR

The sidewalk in front of my folks' house has been around for a while.

Thank You, FDR

Coastal Sandbur

The bane of my childhood bare feet.

We called these plants with sharp-pointed burs "sticker burs" or just "stickers" -- and we cursed them. Though my vocabulary of profane expressions wasn't nearly as advanced as it is today, the juvenile oaths I directed at Cenchrus sp. (probably Cenchrus spinifex) were just as intense as any I could conjure up today. I mean, what's the point of living in a climate that allows going without shoes for almost nine months of the year if these foot-piercing burs abound in all but the most carefully manicured lawns?

Additional Information:
USDA
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Coastal Sandbur

South Texas

Bouganvilla in my folks' yard.

Jo and I are in South Texas near Corpus Christi (Aransas Pass to be exact) visiting my folks and her Mom. We made this quick trip -- if driving for 16 hours can be called a "quick trip" -- because my Mom was released from rehab following a stroke. Most of our time is being spent with relatives, but we've manage to sneak away every once and a while to take a few photos and walk the dogs along the channel that runs from Aransas Pass to Port Aransas and then into the Gulf of Mexico.

Chinaberry Blooms

Chinaberry is a nasty invasive tree that has naturalize throughout the south. This fast-growing tree can form dense thickets that crowd out native vegetation. Chinaberry fruit is poisonous to humans and small mammals. Leaves and roots release compounds that inhibit the germination and growth of other plant species (allelopathy).

As a kid, I did my share in helping the spread of this invasive. Chinaberries are often the projectile of choice of small boys interested in "chunking" something at their friends.

South Texas