The spider and the caterpillar...and a few other photos from my morning.

 I spotted this spider and walked over to see what he was up too. He was stalking the caterpillar. A friend and fellow photographer had gotten a photo of a spider with a caterpillar a few weeks ago. Something I had never seen before. I've seen them take down butterflies and wasp but not a caterpillar. Then I spotted this...

 Finally after stalking the caterpillar for 5 minutes and figuring out the best approach he went in for the kill. 

 Nailed it right on the head...

 

 The caterpillar put up a fight but was no match for the spider...

 Not sure if the drop of liquid is the spiders venom or liquid from the caterpllar, pretty cool.

The spider has his lunch, now to get it home!! 

Nature never ceases to amaze me...

 A gorgeous South Texas Sunset!! I never get tired of these!

 She's got her leg stuck out and was doing a little morning jig!!

 One of our pretty boys who comes to eat breakfast!

 I love flowers!!

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 Love the contrast of the bright green against the blue!!

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 You never know what will pop up out of gopher hole when you stick a water hose down it, I sure did jump, lol!!

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 Hairstreak butterfly trying to get away from an ant on the Silver Sage.

 Yes I still have a couple of hummingbirds buzzing around.

 Pipevine Swallowtail on the Silver Sage.

 My very own grumpy cat!! She is giving me that look!!

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I know this but I forgot, I will have to look it back up!!

Such a neat morning walking around and seeing what I could see!!

Hope y'all have a great weekend!!

Finally...Freedom to run!!

 This is Pepper...She's been penned up in a Corral for about a month. It was a very long Month!

 We finally got the fence finished up and were able to turn the calves out. (Michael and Fred putting the finishing touches on the t-post.) I do NOT like chasing cattle and I told Fred if we are putting a fence up we are doing it right! I plan on putting an electric wire along the top of the fence in the weeks to come! Fred said just put barbed wire up there and I said NO...I want to give them a little shock if they even have an inkling of putting their heads or bodies over that fence! This is a small section, we plan on fencing off 2 to 4 more sections. I didn't want to fence off the driveway as I am lazy and hate opening gates. I suggested to Fred we fence off 2 to 4 sections of the property. That way we can turn them in one section and let another one grow while the cows eat the one they are in, and vice versa. Plus I can run a fence straight down along the driveway and leave it open, yeah!! 

 Fred is so patient with Michael...Michael was chattering away!

 Run Ribeye Run!!

The calves were bellowing and running from one end to the next...We were all laughing at them!

 Freedom is a beautiful thing...Stretching those legs!

 Thank goodness Julie is good with the calves and never seems to be bothered by them. I am sure they drive her nuts as they have a habit of ganging around in her area. I hope someday I can find a passive riding horse that is good with the calves too.

Pepper is going to be a good Momma. She hates Jenny and shows it all the time! The other day Jenny came out in the pasture with me (I normally don't let her out there with me but I wasn't paying attention). Pepper noticed right away and took off and head butted Jenny up in the air. Jenny was trying to get away but wasn't quick enough. Pepper got her again and then managed to step on Jenny's foot. Finally Jenny ran for me and I got her out of the pasture. Jenny survived and is okay and I hope she learns to stay away from the calves. So far Jenny hasn't taken the hint that Pepper doesn't like her. I might have to work with Jenny and teach her, as Pepper is going to get a lot bigger and she is going to cause a lot more hurt then!

I am relieved that we got the calves out of the corral and into a pasture...Now on to the rest of my to do list...

Uh Oh!!

A little of this and that from the past few days!

 Storms last Saturday morning...We got some much needed rain too!

Gulf Fritillary Caterpillar and Butterfly (Below)

Their host plant is the Passion Plant and the caterpillars are all over it munching away!

 I love my butterfly bush. This summer something ate it, not sure if it was grasshoppers or deer but it came back and the blooms are gorgeous!

 We have a lot of these caterpillars too (not sure what they are) but they love the Cow pen daisy blooms!!

 With new calves also comes new fences...this is a work in progress as the rain storms that came through this past weekend put a damper on our work!

 The Lantana is blooming!!

 

This might have been our last swim in the pool. With this last Cold front the nights have been cold and the water temperature in the pool has dropped! 

 Our Jake! He was really sick last week and we had to make a run to the vet. After several tests they never did find out what was wrong with him. I wasn't sure he was going to make it but obviously he pulled through. He's been on antibiotics and pain meds and has his bounce back!

 We've been letting the chickens out of their pen late in the evenings for a little bit. Michael keeps an eye on them and herds them back in just before dark. We have some hens that would prefer to roost on the coral fence instead of in the coop and chicken pen. Lots of hawks and coyotes here so we need to watch them closely. Since we've moved here (July 15) we haven't lost any yet, we are very thankful, but we don't let them out of their pen (fort knox) very often either.

 I don't have to worry about planting flowers...Wild Morning Glories.

 Michael and I found a praying mantis this evening while walking around...

 We also found a Scorpion...they are all over the place, along with Black widow spiders and dozens of other critters too!!

 Lydia came over to see what we were up too! So glad she has stayed around. Our barn cat Ralph, who was 9 years old, didn't stick around. We moved him 3 times and each time he went back to the old rental house. Not sure if he is still alive or not. I feel bad for him and wish he would have stayed here.

 Lots of Cow pen daisies...The caterpillars are eating the blooms and come this winter when they go to seed the birds will eat the seeds! They are wild so I didn't even have to plant them but I get to enjoy them and seeing the critters that use them too!

A beautiful South Texas Sunset! 

The nights are chilly but the during the day it is gorgeous out!!

Hope y'all are enjoying your Autumn weather, so glad it finally cooled off here!

Happy Birthday

To the U.S. Navy!

Yet another one...

It's that time of year...the snakes are looking for a place to spend winter!

 My friend Clint came over with his family and we did a little searching and found a Copperhead.

 I love the markings and the color.

 Their eyes fascinate me!

What you might see in the grass around here. We found this one under some wooden crates that I have set up specifically for snakes and other interesting critters. We capture it, moved it out into a cleared area for photos. We then put it back in the bucket and took a walk and turned it loose away from the buildings and the areas we frequent. This was a young female and hopefully she will eat lots of mice, grasshoppers and maybe even baby gophers as she grows older!