Focus on Texas: Native

You don’t have to look far to find Texas originals

By Grace Arsiaga December 2016

Ron Hasty, CoServ: The pyrrhuloxia is a relative of the northern cardinal.

Gary McAlea, Pedernales EC: A male indigo bunting at South Llano River State Park

Mark Holly, Bandera EC: “South of Llano are many typical Hill Country homes and ranchettes where you find scenes like this quite often in the spring,” Holly says.

William Gary, Bandera EC: Gary says he climbed an adjacent hill to get at eye level and used a 400-mm lens to photograph this red-shouldered hawk nestling, which was high in an oak tree on his property.

Emily Howard, Jackson EC: A pine tree glows beneath a Texas sunset at Martin Dies Jr. State Park near Jasper.

Web Extra: Marvin Patterson: A buffalo in Hunt County

Web Extra: Pat Dunnuck, Sam Houston EC: Crab war on Galveston beach

Web Extra: Linda Whitted, San Bernard EC: “This little flower is quite amazing close up.”

Web Extra: Debra Swierk, Upshur Rural EC: Owls in Hughes Springs

Web Extra: Dawn McDonald, Heart of Texas EC: Native American dancer

Web Extra: Louellen Coker, CoServ: This little turtle was “just hanging out on the back porch before making its way to a nearby pond,” Coker says.

Web Extra: Jennifer Matula, Victoria EC: “We stopped to take pictures in a patch of [pink] buttercups and found that this one held a tiny green worm,” Matula says. This flower is also called evening primrose.

Web Extra: Sharon Regan, Magic Valley EC: A white ibis at the South Padre Island Birding and Nature Center

Web Extra: Kim Prince, Rusk County EC: Peaceful sunset on Lake Murvaul

Web Extra: Lisa Lalumandier, Deep East Texas EC: Native switchgrass gets attached to a model of an ancient dwelling at Caddo Mounds State Historic Site near Alto.

Web Extra: Lisa Lalumandier, Deep East Texas EC: A butterfly has landed on a purple passionflower, also called a maypop.

We love our transplants, but native Texans are a breed all our own—and proud of it! Whether Texas is your native soil, or you got here as quickly as you could, stick around to see the wildlife, objects and people with deep Lone Star roots.