Böcker av Roland Wauer

We know by the calendar when spring officially begins, but how does nature tell us spring has come? In Heralds of Spring in Texas Roland H. Wauer walks us through Texas, from the Rio Grande to the Panhandle, as spring arrives.In addition to offering us his own special memories of spring in Texas, Wauer brings together the thoughts of other Texas naturalists, professional and avocational, and details and background information about the particular herald being considered. Each chapter is also illustrated with a beautiful pen-and-ink drawing by Ralph Scott. Harbingers of spring explore birds, trees, flowers, mammals, and even the night sky.For many along the Gulf Coast, the arrival of the first purple martin signifies the season. As Petra Hockey of Port O'Connor says, "e;I run outside to welcome them, and they seem just as happy to be back as I am to have them. Now spring has arrived."e; In the Trans-Pecos, two welcome signs of spring are the blooming of the Big Bend bluebonnets and the arrival of Cassin's kingbirds in the Davis Mountains. But for Mark Adams of the McDonald Observatory, "e;as the Earth swings closer to spring,... Pegasus, the Winged Horse, emerges from the solar glare into the predawn sky...My spring herald."e;For many in Central Texas, spring has come when the Mexican buckeyes and redbuds begin flowering and the golden-cheeked warbler arrives. But for Burr Williams, in the Panhandle and Western Plains, "e;spring is best expressed by the myriad of invertebrate tracks that he finds on the sand dunes at Monahans State Park."e;Anyone who loves outdoor Texas will relish this delightful celebration of spring.

The Golden Crescent of South Texas, a fifteen-county region along the central Gulf Coast, is often called "e;the Crossroads"e; because of its natural diversity. Located in the heart of the coastal prairies and marshes, the area also encompasses the edges of the South Texas Plains, Post Oak Savannah, and Blackland Prairie. This confluence of ecological zones makes it a wonderful place for birding and for observing the changing face of nature, especially during seasonal transitions.In this book, Roland Wauer describes a typical year in the natural life of South Texas. Using selected entries from his weekly column in the Victoria Avalanche newspaper, he discusses numerous topics for each month, from the first appearance of butterflies in January, to alligators in July, to Christmas Bird Counts in December. His observations are filled with intriguing natural history lore, from what sounds mockingbirds will imitate (almost any noise in their neighborhood) to how armadillos swim (by inflating themselves to increase their buoyancy).