warmth

Its the time of year when creatures start rustling around outside in the undergrowth. This skink was captured in a neighbor's house and is visiting for a short while. These reptiles are pretty hardy outside and like warm cosy places with insects around. The cold makes them easy to catch right now

One of the things they are looking to eat are hibernating insects, like this citronella ant, that gives off a smell like lemons when it is alarmed. There are worse things out there in the woods to smell!

I like this picture of an American robin with his russet chest facing the sun. Many birds try to get the sun on their bare skin in the early morning. The roadrunners are famous for the patch of bare skin they can expose in the morning.

The early morning sun is able to warm pretty quickly these days and many birds are noticing that its time to claim territory with early morning singing. Even though it was impossible to see this flicker in the undergrowth, the loud calls meant that I was eventually able to snap a quick picture of that characteristic beak and dappled back.

there is a lot more evidence of porcupine in the bosque now. The russian olives are getting hit hard by both tree eating mammals.

I noticed the banks of the river has more pampas grass replacing the russian olive, which is replacing the young willows where the ground is muddier.

Grasses in general are an amazingly diverse group of plants, and come in all types. Some are really tall; the tropical bamboos can stretch upwards for several stories. Grasses are pretty unnatural for Corrales. This pampas grass (or bear grass) came to us from the plains of Central America. The ancestor of grasses began in Africa and were adapted to heavy migratory grazing by herds of animals and occasional fires. They survive heavy use by keeping most of the vital parts under the ground. 

this means that grass can survive the most ferocius pruning by humans and then bounce right back before any other plant has had a chance to become established.

grass is so prolific it is usually growing right through the winter and is ready to spring back into a green carpet as soon as conditions are right. Here, the grass is using a small spot of warmth that collects under the Andrews bridge to prolong the growing period further into the night, and because it faces the north east, it gets the first of the morning sunlight, it maximizes the time it can grow during the winter.

these many survival properties allows farmers to raise animals thoughout the winter with fields of fast growing hay, and allows home owners to keep vistas clear to enjoy the view of distant mountains and horizons.