July 2026, Vol 26, Issue 7

Texas Master Naturalist Elm Fork Chapter

• Announcements
• Upcoming Chapter Meetings
• Inside Outside News – Approved AT + Volunteer Opportunities
• Projects in the Community 
• Wild About LLELA
• Features
• Tweet of the Month
• Almost the Last Word 

https://txmn.org/elmfork/

Transcript

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The Texas Master Naturalist Elm Fork Chapter presents Naturalist News, July 2026, Volume 26, Issue 7. Announcements. County Conversations Podcast. Check out Podcast Number 25, featuring Brenda Martin and Susan Richmond sharing about Texas Master Naturalist Elm Fork Chapter. Texas Master Naturalist 2026 Annual Meeting, Waco, Thursday, October 22nd through Sunday, October 25th. Texas Master Naturalist Elm Fork Chapter, scholarships allocated. 15 members at $100, one certified member at $500, and one initial trainee at $500. Certified members, submission period, June 19th through 26th. Initial trainees submission period to be determined. Submissions will be via a form on our chapter website. Upcoming chapter meetings. July chapter meeting and presentation, Thursday, July 16th, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., Denton County Southwest Courthouse, 6200 Canyon Falls Drive, Flower Mound. This month's presentation, How to Build a Park, Palo Pinto Mountains State Park by Kate Fisher, Park Interpreter and Park Ranger, Palo Pinto Mountains State Park. Originally purchased in 2011, Palo Pinto Mountains has become the newest state park in Texas. But what goes into building a park? Come and hear from a ranger about the steps taken to balance outdoor recreation opportunities for Texans while also conserving wild spaces. From shielding starry skies to protecting historic waterways, this park will offer a natural sanctuary for generations to come. Kate Fisher is a native Texan, born and raised in Fort Worth. Despite limited access to the outdoors growing up, her fascination for animals and the natural environment persisted from a young age. This quickly turned into a deep-seated passion for protecting wildlife and wild spaces, which took Kate to Tarleton State University to study wildlife biology. Having worked for the Corps of Engineers and Abilene State Park, Kate developed a love for interpretation to share the wonders of the outdoors with others. This brought her to Palo Pinto Mountain State Park, which sits halfway between two major metropolitan areas of Texas. Kate is so excited to be a part of helping others discover the great outdoors. Whether she's teaching someone the history of the land, a weird animal fact, a new skill, or helping to create a more accessible experience, Kate strives to introduce the outdoors to others the same way that so many did for her, in a way that is memorable and welcoming. August chapter meeting and presentation. Thursday, august twentieth, 9 AM to 12 PM, Denton County Administrative Courthouse, third floor conference room, one courthouse drive, Denton. August's presentation Green Stormwater Infrastructure, Design, Performance, and Maintenance by Dr. Fuad Jabber, Professor and Water Resources Extension Specialist, Texas AM AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Dallas. Urbanization is reshaping the health of rivers, streams, and lakes in every community. Join Dr. Fuad Jabber, an expert in hydrology management, as he shares nature-based strategies for reducing these impacts at residential and larger scales. He will also present findings from a green stormwater infrastructure study done at the Dallas Center and discuss maintenance considerations. Dr. Jabber is a professor and extension specialist in integrated water resources management at the Texas AM AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Dallas. A professional engineer in Texas, his research and programs in green stormwater infrastructure, nature-based systems, stream restoration, and climate change resiliency have received over $3 million in funding. His work is published in scientific journals, conference papers, extension publications, and government reports. Dr. Jobber's contributions have been honored with awards from the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineering and the American Society for Horticultural Sciences. He earned a PhD in agricultural and biological engineering from Purdue University and a master's degree in irrigation and bachelor's degree in agricultural and biological engineering from the American University of Beirut. Inside Outside News, Advanced Training, Admiring Moths Talk, 10 to 11 AM, Saturday, July 18th, Biodiversity Education Center at Capell Nature Park, 367 Freeport Parkway, Capel. Public welcome. Celebrate the beginning of National Moth Week, July 18th through 26th, at the Biodiversity Education Center at Capel Nature Park. Joshua E. Bright with the North Texas chapter of Texas Master Naturalist will lead us for a lively conversation about these fascinating creatures and discover how we can help moths thrive in Texas for years to come. Click the link in the digital version of the newsletter or on the calendar page of our website. More advanced training. Texas AM AgriLi Extension presents Habitat at Home, managing the land you have with the wildlife you want. August twenty first, two thousand twenty six, eight AM to three p.m., Denton County Extension Office, 611 Kimberly Drive, Denton. What is Habitat at Home? This workshop guides landowners through managing wildlife habitat on your land, regardless of acreage. From home pollinator gardens to white-tailed deer management, this series focuses on identifying the right wildlife species for your property, building a wildlife management plan, and integrating your land use goals with your wildlife management. Cost is $35 for early registration, and July 21st, or $45 for regular registration, lunch and all course materials included with registration. Program agenda 8-830 a.m. Registration, 8 30 to 9 a.m. Welcome and introduction to wildlife management, 9 to 10 a.m. Land Resource Inventory and Habitat Suitability Assessment, 10 to 1015 a.m. Break, 1015 to 11 a.m. Species at Scales. What wildlife can you manage on your size property? 11 to 1145 a.m. Managing Wildlife Habitat Within Land Use Restrictions. 1145 to 1215 p.m. Lunch provided with registration. 1215 to 1 p.m. Choosing Scale Appropriate Wildlife Management Practices. 1 to 2.30 p.m. Building Wildlife Management Plans. 2.30 to 3 p.m. Building Communities of Conservation. Agenda and presentation titles subject to change. Register by clicking the link in the digital version of the newsletter, scanning the QR code in the digital version, or the link on the calendar page of our website. For questions about the program or sponsorship opportunities, email chase.brook with an E at ag.tamu.edu. The Texas AM AgriLife Extension Service provides equal opportunities in its programs and employment to all persons, regardless of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, sexual orientation, or gender identity. The Texas AM University System, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the County Commissioner Courts of Texas. Texas Waters Webinar. Enjoy learning about improving water quality, water quantity, conservation practices, water law, and aquatic habitats. Join us throughout the year for free. Wednesday, July 15th, 6.30 to 7.30 p.m., conservation opportunity areas in Texas. Jennifer Marugo, ecologist at Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Wildlife Division. Register by clicking the link in the digital version of the newsletter or on the calendar page of our website. Wednesday, August 12th, 6.30 to 7.30 p.m. Investing in Texas Water Future. Jeremy Mazer, Director of Infrastructure and Natural Resources Policy at Texas 2036. Register by clicking the link in the digital version of the newsletter or on the calendar page of our website. Visit the Texas Waters webpage for information on becoming a certified Texas Waters specialist. Note Texas Waters Webinars AT, Texas Waters Certification Training. Volunteer Opportunities. DFW Wildlife Coalition. Looking for volunteers. Volunteer for a two or three hour shift once a week from your home. Six hours of online training. If interested or for more information, contact Beth Barger or Andrea Dixon through the membership directory. More volunteer opportunities. Greenbelt General Maintenance and Natural Resource Volunteers needed. The staff of the Greenbelt Unit of Ray Roberts Lake State Park serve as the management team for the Greenbelt and the Natural Resource Team for the Ray Roberts Complex. We are looking for general maintenance and natural resource volunteers to assist us in maintaining the Greenbelt and conserve the natural resources of Ray Roberts. General Maintenance Volunteers have multiple opportunities to volunteer at the park based on their areas of interest and the park's operational needs. Opportunities include, but are not limited to, a variety of maintenance tasks, special projects, and customer-related opportunities. Natural resource volunteer projects could include bluebird box monitoring, firebreak preparation, invasive management, and habitat restoration. This opportunity is available year-round and provides a flexible schedule. No minimum hours per week are required. This volunteer opportunity does not include a campsite. Please contact the Greenbelt Manager at Matthew.more with an E at tpwd.texas.gov for more information. Minimum age of volunteers 16. If under 18, volunteer will need to print a parental release form and bring a completed copy to the park. Criminal background check is required for non-TMN members. PO six zero two one two RM Ray Roberts Lake, Bluebird Nest Box Monitoring would be PO six zero two one two FR. More volunteer and AT opportunities. Ray Roberts Lake State Park, Johnson Branch Nature Center. Summer is in full swing at the park and nature center. We are really needing volunteers to host at the Nature Center during the week. If we are not there, our beautiful nature center can't be utilized by the public. It is a great place for young and old to get in touch with nature. I will also add it is one of the few climate-controlled projects TMN EFC has. Please sign up through the chapters calendar on Signp Genius. Also, Ranger Celia is looking for volunteers who would like to hold other events at the center or in the park. This is from Celia. For summer programs, I am always looking for an extra set of hands as well. I spoke to Lynn Hampton while she was here this past Saturday about hosting watercolors at JB in July. I would like to have others come out and host programs, like for a bio blitz or naturalist talk. I would like to add more options, especially for our early risers. If you would like to host a program or talk, please contact Celia at nine four zero seven eight three six seven nine three or through her email. Celia C E L I A dot Flores F L O R E S at TPWD.texas.gov. Be sure to check Plan Your Week and the Elm Fork Chapter website and calendar for more AT and volunteer opportunities. Projects in the Community. Green Herrens at Greenacres by Becky Bertoni. On Tuesday, June 2nd, during our volunteer time at the Green Acres Farm Memorial Park, Andrew and Emily, both class of 2026 trainees, who are currently volunteering with the Greenacres Project, heard a different bird call. Emily spotted a heron nest just on the other side of the East Fence, in a tree between the fence and the pond. She took photos and they told us about it. I didn't remember seeing any herons there before, so it was exciting to learn. The herons were identified on iNaturalist as green herons. I think their presence by this pond may be because of the additional land we added this year. There is a wet section that is filled with grassleaf rushes, juncus marginatus, that may have made the site look welcoming to them. Then, on June 9th, the next volunteer Tuesday, Emily saw that there were two families, each with two parents and three babies. Family one was in a tree with green leaves, and family two was in a tree on dead branches, not good for camouflage. On the photos in the digital version of the newsletter, you can see how Emily marked on the photo to show the babies and parent. You can tell by the photos that the Family One baby is older with feathers compared to the fuzzy Family Two baby. We watched these two families, and on June twelfth, during the blacklighting evening at Greenacre, participants for the blacklighting event walked over to see a family group of a parent and three young ones in a different tree with dead branches. Through time, we noted some behaviors. I saw parents standing guard from higher branches to watch over the young birds. Jenna saw green herons coming over the west fence and landing in our riparian area. On Tuesday, June twenty third, there was one parent bird on the nest with bluish eggs, and all of the others apparently have relocated. We will keep watching. On June 29th, Bryn saw the parent green heron on the nest, along with some juvenile green herons. She also spotted a juvenile yellow crowned night heron. I looked up green herons and found that they are here only during the warmer weather, migrating south for the winter. They nest near water usually and don't normally nest in large clusters. Eggs take about 20 days to hatch. We should see more babies between July 14th through the 21st. To hear green heron calls and read more, click on the link in the digital version of the newsletter. You are welcome to come and visit and follow the Green Herrens. Blacklight Nights by Bryn Bryan. The fourth Blacklight Night at Green Acres with Sam Kieshnick was just last month on June 12th. It was a hoot as usual with anything that Sam orchestrates. There were 1,020 observations of the nighttime creatures visiting the blacklit bed sheets at night, made by 16 current and nascent Elm Fork master naturalists, master gardeners, and other enthusiasts. If you think there are a lot of species of birds and butterflies in North Texas, you should consider the moths, beetles, and other bugs. There were other things seen in the fading light, but though I love birds, reptiles, and plants, I am going to ignore them in this story. Insects are drawn to any light source at night, as you may have noticed on your porch at night, if you still leave your light on. This behavior can disrupt their natural navigation and interactions. They are even more attracted to ultraviolet UV light, such as reflected off the moon or emitted by black lights. UV light is mostly invisible to us, except for the longer bluish or purplish wavelengths. Insects may use UV light for finding and recognizing resources. Because of this strong attraction to UV light, black lights are particularly useful tools for entomologists studying insect populations. The insects quickly regain their composure once the lights are turned off. Even though there were over 1,000 observations submitted to iNaturalist, henceforth iNat that night, that doesn't mean there were over 1,000 species. What happens during an event like this is that Sam or someone else shouts out, Hey, look at this incredible thing, and everyone, including myself, rushes over to get a photo of it. One individual bug might have fifteen observations. That's cool. The beauty of iNat is that it can sift through observations and tell you how many actual species were seen. When an organism has been verified by at least one other person to the species level, if such an identification is possible, without peering at the organism's underparts, it becomes research grade. This year, over half of the observations were verified as research grade, and this number is slowly increasing as the identifiers go back over the submissions. Before I continue, I want to give a disclaimer. Some people, myself included, refer to any small thing that creeps, crawls, or flits around as a bug. They might consider things like spiders, ticks, and millipedes to be bugs, and that's fine. They are all arthropods, things with jointed legs and exoskeletons. Calling them bugs is just a colloquial way of referring to them. However, a true entomologist will tell you that only insects in the order hemiptera are true bugs, and none of the others, not beetles, moths, spiders, millipedes, or anything else. Hemipterins are in a group of insects that hold their wings over the backs like a roof, think cicadas, or have wings that are at least semi-transparent on the back end, think stink bugs. Leafhoppers are hemipterins too. They are small, but because of their sheer numbers, they can make up most of the biomass of things coming to the blacklights. Because I'm a nerd and I love spreadsheets, I wanted to see how many species of bugs were documented over the past four years. I downloaded the data from each year and put them side by side. I organized the species taxonomically with a focus on how many species were in each order. For those of you who are a little rusty on your taxonomic classification, here is a little refresher. Kindly pay cash or forget getting served. There are ruder mnemonics, but I will leave that up to your imagination. All levels are always capitalized except species, and genus and species are always set apart by underlining or italicizing. If you see them written otherwise, you can shake your head and go tisk tisk. There are eighteen orders in the phylum anthropoda represented at Green Acres at night. I wanted to try to simplify this story by focusing on the orders with the most species and the greatest abundance, the beetles, the true bugs, and the moths. Forget about the butterflies, they don't typically fly at night. This year, after all the redundant observations were accounted for, there were over 200 species that came to the lights. How does that compare to previous years? The number of observers has been fairly consistent over the last four years, and the number of arthropod species hasn't changed that much from year to year, considering that the number of photos taken has nearly doubled. As a matter of interest, only 25 species have returned each year. It is a shifting dynamic of bugs that show themselves yearly. Here's the breakdown by year. 2023, 608 observations, 13 observers, 176 arthropod species, 83% were research grade. 2024, 621 observations, 12 observers, 175 arthropod species, 74% were research grade. 2025, 1,179 observations, 14 observers, 280 arthropod species, and 75% were research grade. 2026, 1,004 observations, 16 observers, 225 arthropod species, and 77%. were research grade. It should come as no surprise that there were more moth species than anything else. Their numbers weren't nearly as high as the true bugs or the dipturins, the midges and their relatives. This is not based on counting them, of course, but on trying to keep them out of my eyes and mouth. The diversity of beetles was pretty high as well, but their overall abundance was moderate compared to the others. The grand total of species over the last four years is five hundred forty nine. Every year that we do this kind of survey, we have the potential to add more species to the list. Or we are poised to document a decline. Let's hope that is not the case. Becky Bertoni has done such a marvelous job of leading volunteers in restoring habitat for native plants and their pollinators. She will tell you that the volunteers deserve the credit, but the volunteers are inspired by Becky's energy. The HEB Pollinators of Texas grant she received last year is a testament to her efforts. There was a team of people in addition to herself who were instrumental in obtaining this grant. Tom Kerwin had the idea of applying for it and the experience with what goes into a grant proposal. Livy, Olivia Reese, kept the numbers straight with her spreadsheet skills. Allie Foreman was most helpful in editing the language of the grant. Once all of that was done and the grant received, the team of volunteers worked hard to get the plants and seeds in the ground. Daytime pollinators are constantly being documented by naturalists, but not very much is known about who is creeping and flying around the gardens at night. Some of these nocturnal inhabitants will pollinate the flowers directly by targeting nectar, and some of them do it inadvertently just by clambering all over them. Regardless, documenting biodiversity, both diurnal and nocturnal, shows the importance of fostering and maintaining diverse habitats. The plants obtained with the grant have played a huge role in enhancing this diversity. There would not be nearly as many species of bugs or birds and other wildlife that depend on them if all we had was just one big Bermudagrass lawn. There are other opportunities to document nocturnal bugs in the region. Sam Kieshnick is hosting a slew of blacklight events this month. Follow them by clicking on the link in the digital version of the newsletter to keep updated Wild About Leela Sue Yost Class of 2017 Ebony Jewel Wing Crown jewels are meant for royalty. The crown jewels at Leela belong to the Ebony Jewelwing, which arrives in late spring. The ebony jewel wing is a magnificent damselfly. It is of average size for a damselfly 1.5 to 2.2 inches long between 39 to 57 millimeters. The male is flashier than the female with a metallic blue green body and black wings while the female is duller brown with smoke colored wings. Her wings have white spots near the tips. In the sun, the male's body is iridescent, with the wings creating a striking contrast it's electrifying. According to dragonflyguide com, these damselflies prefer clean, slow moving water surrounded by trees or shrubs, wooded streams provide ideal conditions because they offer perching spots, shelter from strong winds, and aquatic vegetation for egg laying the Blackjack trail is the only place at Leela to find them. Usually the first few creek crossings is where they like to hang out, flitting and fluttering much like a butterfly against the greenery. You must be quick to snap a photo of this jewel. Dragonflyguide.com continues Water quality is extremely important for this species. Because their larvae develop underwater, they thrive in areas with low pollution and healthy aquatic ecosystems. As a result, their presence often indicates good environmental conditions. Ebony jewel wings mate in the summer, as Dragonflyguide.com describes it, the life cycle begins when the female lays her eggs in aquatic plants. Using her ovipositor, she inserts eggs into submerged stems or leaves just below the water's surface. In some cases, the female may partially submerge herself while laying eggs, remaining underwater for short periods. The eggs remain hidden within plant tissue where they are protected from many predators. After hatching, the young damselflies entered the nymph stage, which is entirely aquatic. This phase can last several months to more than a year, depending on environmental conditions. While nymphs, ebony jewel wings are active predators. They use their extendable mouthparts to capture prey, including aquatic invertebrates like insect larvae and tiny crustaceans. The nymphs molt many times, each time shedding their exoskeletons and growing larger until they are ready to climb out of the water and move on to their next phase. At this point the outer skin splits open and the adult damselfly emerges. Initially the wings are soft and crumpled but soon expand and harden as fluids are pumped through them. Once its wings are fully formed and dry, the ebony jewel wing takes its first flight, beginning the final stage of its life above water. Wikipedia lists the prey of this species as mosquitoes, water fleas, green darners, giant willow aphid, fungus gnats, craneflies, large diving beetles, eastern dobson fly, caddisflies, rotifers, amphipods, dogwood borer, and six-spotted tiger beetle of Lila fame. And the predators of the ebony jewel wing include birds such as the great crested flycatcher, American Robin, mallard, red-winged blackbird, and blue jay, reptiles and amphibians such as the eastern painted turtle, common snapping turtle and southern leopard frog, fish such as the bluegill, largemouth bass, creek chub, channel catfish, common carp and northern hogsucker, mammals such as the big brown bat, and insects such as the green darner, large diving beetles, eastern dobson fly and common water strider, all of which are found at Leela. The Lela Blackjack Trail is the perfect hike to find the crown jewels of the ebony jewel winged damselfly. Go find one today. You won't be disappointed Features Hey there, Little Caterpillar by Marilyn Blanton Hey there, little Caterpillar You're eating more every day. You're growing so fast, you're on your way. What an adventure awaits for you you'll totally transform into something new. Your change begins when you form a chrysalis. It's what's called metamorphosis from moving about on your many legs munching leaves to flying with wings, sipping nectar to meet your needs. Hey there little caterpillar I wish you well on your way I hope to see you as a butterfly one day The Gulf Fritillary The Gulf Fritillary, a Graylus vanilli, is a fast flying medium sized butterfly with three inch wings. The female is slightly larger than the male. The butterfly has elongated forewings with a beautiful pattern flashing bright orange with black veins and spots. The undersides of their wings have silver spots and streaks that are often said to look like stained glass. Their color pattern is a signal to predators that they are toxic. Gulf fritillaries are common in the southern United States, especially in Texas and Florida. Their range also extends through Mexico. They prefer sunny open areas near grasslands and woodlands. Their host plants are members of the Passaflora family. The adults feed on various flowers nectar Lookout Stations, Lost Gardens, and the Arthurian Legends Hiking the Southwest Coast Path by Jerry Hamby After reading Daphne de Mourier's 1938 novel Rebecca Years Ago, I envisioned Cornwall, the peninsula on the southwest tip of England, as an untamed, ominous landscape, oppressive woods, jagged cliffs and treacherous shorelines. Such details suit the gothic mood of the novel and its characters' turbulent lives, but after spending a week in Cornwall, I have revised my view of this complex region to include rolling pastures, crystal blue water, sunny skies, and a coastline dotted with historic towers and castle ruins. Every location I visited was filled with natural beauty. My travels in Cornwall were part of a road scholar trip devoted to hiking the English countryside, and joining me on this adventure were my wife Susan and our good friends Rick and Lisa Travis. After exploring the Cotswolds for a week, our group of 16 travelers relocated to Camelford, a base that provided easy access to sections of the Southwest Coast Path, England's second longest national trail at 630 miles. Along the way we visited picturesque villages and unique cultural sites and witnessed spectacular views of the Celtic Sea. Our guides for the two-week adventure were Ian and Simon, who kept us on track and shared illuminating background on the places we traveled. Our first outing was a gentle four and a half mile hike that circled the dramatic peninsula of Pentire Headland before crossing a public beach at Polzith. Early on we passed the Rumps, a twin headland promontory and site of an Iron Age fort or cliff castle a few hundred yards offshore is the Moles, a conical island that is home to breeding colonies of Atlantic puffins, Fraturcula arctica, and other seabirds. As the path approached the coastline we passed a sheep creep, a gap at the base of a dry stone wall that allows sheep to pass through, to graze on clifftops while preventing cattle from doing the same. As in the Cotswolds, we hiked along and crossed over dozens of stone walls, the oldest of which have existed in Cornwall for more than 4,000 years. The unique design of Cornish hedges incorporates a herringbone pattern that channels water and maximizes the strength of the local slate used in construction. An earthen core between the two faces allows vegetation to take root. Many of the walls were covered with English stone crop, Cedum Anglicum, a matte forming succulent flecked with small white star-shaped flowers. Among the wildflowers I observed was spotted orchid, Dactyloriza fuxi, which added occasional splashes of purple to the coastal pastures. The most prolific plant I observed was seathrift, a Maria meridima, a compact evergreen perennial whose long stems support globes of bright pink flowers. Its Latin species name Meridima means of the sea. Before reaching Pentire Point, we stopped at a stone plaque commemorating the poet Lawrence Binyan, who composed For the Fallen, his tribute to the casualties of World War I, while sitting on these cliffs. We ate lunch near the gravestone of another poet, John Bechemin, who is buried in the churchyard of Saint Enidoc Church. Between the 16th and 19th centuries, sand dunes buried the 900-year-old church, earning it the nickname Sinking Netty. To maintain its status as a functioning parish, the church was required to hold yearly services in the sanctuary, which participants entered through the roof. By 1864 the structure was unearthed and restored and the dunes surrounding it were stabilized. After a day and a half of light walking through the fishing village of Port Isaac and the seaside town of St. Ives, we looked forward to a more vigorous hike the following day. The six mile track went from Trevon Bay to Padstow, passing close to the Round Hole, a sunken sea cave with an eighty foot drop, formed over thousands of years by pounding waves and gradual erosion, the cave eventually collapsed. Because there is no physical barrier around the hole, people occasionally fall to the bottom after venturing too close to the edge, and in 2021 a woman fell to her death. One of the most scenic spots was Stepper Point, which overlooks the Camel Estuary, a tidal river valley, and the Doom Bar, a treacherous sandbank. For much of our uphill hike to the headland, we were guided by the Daymark, a nineteenth century stone tower that, unlike a lighthouse, guides boats only during daylight. Originally painted white, the tower now shows only hints of a limewashed exterior. Today's search and rescue operations on Stepper Point are coordinated a short distance from the Daymark at NCI Padstow, one of more than sixty lookout stations that provide eyes along the coast of England and Wales, volunteers with the National Coast Watch Institution, spot vessels and individuals in distress, and initiate rescues with his Majesty's Coast Guard. As our group approached the lookout, a watchkeeper invited us inside the facility, a self-sufficient station that runs entirely on solar and wind energy. When NCI Padstow was restored in 2005 after being abandoned for 12 years, the building was expanded to accommodate state-of-the-art equipment, including high-powered web cameras and monitors that provide views of the estuary hidden below the point. As we hiked above Hawker's Cove, we learned that red-billed chuffs, pyrocorax pyrocorax, had been spotted nesting beneath the cliffs. A cultural icon of Cornwall, the bird appears prominently on the Cornish coat of arms, but is endangered locally due to egg poaching and habitat loss. The genus name Pyrocorax, literally fire raven, refers to Chuff's bright red legs, feet and bills. According to medieval legend, chuffs started fires by dropping burning twigs onto thatched roofs, a belief that resulted in their persecution. Fortunately, modern conservation efforts have helped protect this iconic species and have allowed its population to rebound. On our fourth day in Cornwall, our group traveled to the southern coast of Cornwall, where we were given a choice of activities, hike from Dodman Point to Mevizi, or visit the lost gardens of Heligan, a 200 acre botanical estate that was restored after being abandoned for 70 years. Susan and I decided to forfeit a day of hiking to explore this popular natural site. Between the 18th and 20th centuries, the gardens were maintained by the Tremaine family, but during World War I, the gardens were neglected and at least nine of the estate's gardeners died in battle. Restoration of the gardens, which began in the 1990s, took ten years and involved species recovery and the rebuilding of historic structures, including a wall of bee bowls, brick recesses that hold straw skeps, traditional domed beehives. Our visit to the lost gardens of Heligan began with a guided tour of the North Garden, which includes rhododendron-filled pleasure grounds, and kitchen gardens. After eating lunch at the 1850s Steward's house prepared with locally sourced produce, we explored less formal parts of the estate. For instance, in the Lost Valley, a steeply sloped area, we discovered the Wibbly Wobbly tree, a 300-year-old European beech tree, Fogus Sylvatica, along with hundreds of gigantic subtropical plants. After a light day of walking through historic gardens, we were ready to tackle our last hiking adventure, a five mile trek along the Celtic Sea. Early on we saw several northern fulmers, fulmarus glacialis, gray and white seabirds that are closely related to albatrosses. Their common name translates to foul gall, a reference to their tendency to spit oily stomach fluids at predators. An hour and a half into the walk, we rested near the ladies window, a natural archway formation that frames the ocean on the top of Travalga cliffs. Our hike leader Simon warned us that the hike would involve elevation changes of up to fourteen hundred feet, so we were prepared for our last descent, which passed through Rocky Valley, a steep sided slate canyon carved by the Travillet River. In addition to preserving the narrow ravine's biodiversity, the National Trust, which owns the property, protects Bronze Age rock carvings and historical ruins upstream from the trail. After arriving in Tintigell, Susan and I enjoyed a picnic lunch in the garden of another National Trust site, the old post office, which, despite its name, was originally a 14th century yeoman's farmhouse. We ended the day with one of the cultural highlights of our trip, a self-guided tour of Tintigell Castle, a medieval fortress at the end of a rugged headland. The site is accessed via a 230-foot bridge spanning a deep gorge. Comprised of two cantilevers that nearly touch in the middle, the bridge is paved with 40,000 handcut pieces of delable slate. Completion of the bridge in 2019 allowed visitors to approach the island from the perspective of medieval inhabitants before a land bridge from the island crumbled into the sea. The headland at the far end of the bridge reveals layers of post-Roman history, mostly in the form of crumbling walls and foundations, some of which date to the 13th century. At the far end of the island, a sculpture by Ruben Ainen, Gallos, hints at the legendary aspects of Tintigell Castle. A cloaked figure leaning on a large sword recalls ancient Cornish rulers, but many observers believe the sculpture represents King Arthur, the mythological character who purportedly repelled Saxon invaders. Our return to London the following day provided a brief encounter with another mythical site and one of the most mysterious monuments in the Western world, Stonehenge. With our two-week adventure coming to an end, we could experience it only from a distance as our coach drove across the Salisbury Plain. That glimpse of Stonehenge was a dramatic coda to an in-depth exploration of the English countryside and made me eager to plan my next adventure Tweet of the Month from Sue Yost, class of 2017 Yellow Billed Cuckoo Rain Crow, Storm Crow. Common folk names for this bird in the southern United States, probably referring to the bird's habit of calling when a storm is threatening to move in. It's better known, however, as the yellow billed cuckoo. The Wikipedia entry has an excellent description. Adults have a long tail, brown above and black and white below, and a black curved bill with yellow especially on the lower mandible. The head and upper parts are brown and the underparts are white. There is a yellow ring around the eye. It shows cinnamon on the wings in flight. Juveniles are similar but the black on the undertail is replaced by gray. The adults show no sexual dimorphism, and thus the males and females can't be told apart by plumage. They are a large bird, about the size of a blue jay. Their length measures around eleven inches with a wingspan of sixteen to seventeen inches. They breed in deciduous woods and feed in dense shrubs and trees. Their diet consists mainly of insects, especially tent caterpillars and cicadas, but also some lizards, eggs of other birds, and berries. Cuckoos also may catch insects in flight. They will catch and eat the spotted lanternfly. According to Texas AM's technol Texas breeding bird atlas, the yellow-billed cuckoo and the black-billed cuckoo are two of the few North American birds that readily eat hairy caterpillars. As a result, they will sometimes gather around outbreaks of insects, including invasive spongy moth caterpillars. Wikipedia notes that they nest in a tree or shrub, usually up to two to twelve feet above the ground. The nest is a flimsy platform of short twigs placed on a horizontal branch. The three to four eggs are incubated for 14 days or less. The chicks are able to climb about with agility at seven to nine days of age. At about this same time, the feathers of the chicks burst out of their sheaths and the young can fly. The entire time from egg laying to fledgling may be as little as seventeen days. The Texas AM breeding bird atlas continues, many of the world's cuckoos are brood parasites, but the North American species, including the yellow-billed cuckoo, rarely lay their eggs in other birds' nests. The yellow-billed cuckoo typically spends the winter months in South America. It is usually present in Texas only from April to October. They are common nesters at Leela and can be heard frequently in the woods around the pavilion. The yellow-billed cuckoo is a secretive bird that is hard to observe and can vanish into the foliage, so you need to familiarize yourself with its song. This consists of one short repeated note that resembles a koo sound and gets deeper as the call progresses. The Texas Breeding Bird Atlas notes, although it is still a common bird in Texas, the yellow-billed cuckoo's numbers are diminishing. Like many neotropical migrants, it has declined considerably throughout its range in the past 30 years. Several factors combine to explain this decline. The most apparent reasons are the loss of habitat, both on its breeding and wintering grounds, and forest fragmentation, which is believed to cause increased predation on nests. It also suffers from modern farming practices that eliminate hedgerows, fence rows, and similar overgrown areas. The disturbance of mature riparian woods in the west caused it to be placed on the blue list of species of special concern. The continued decline of such habitats poses a concern for the long-term success of the yellow-billed cuckoo and other species that depend on them. Other threats to the yellow-billed cuckoo population are pesticide use. As we master naturalists know, the decline of an insect predator in turn means an increase in unwanted insects, and the introduction of man-made objects in the natural habitat. These birds often nest in fruit orchards, which introduce agricultural pesticides into their habitat. There have been observations of loss of balance, egg thinning, and increased pesticide concentrations. These birds have also been observed to collide with man-made objects, such as radio towers, tall buildings, and airport structures during migrations at night, posing a risk to their migrating population. The Lights Out Texas program benefits this and other night migrating birds. Hopefully, you will get cuckoo about cuckoos on your next bird hike. Almost the last word. Please follow us at Elmfork Chapter TMN and check out all the neat photos from our chapter. Show your project workday on Instagram. Send one to three photos to social media team at efctmn.org. Thank you all for your amazing articles and photos for the Naturalist News. We couldn't do it without you. Please send submissions to newsletter at efctmn.org. August 2026 submissions are due by Monday, August 10th. This has been Naturalist News, presented by the Texas Master Naturalist Elm Fork Chapter, July 2026, volume 26, issue 7. Read to you by Terry Schnellbelt. Thank you for listening.