Naturally . . . South Texas

The Golden Crescent of South Texas, a ¿fteen-county region along the central Gulf Coast, is often called "the Crossroads" 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 con¿uence 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 ¿rst appearance of butter¿ies in January, to alligators in July, to Christmas Bird Counts in December. His observations are ¿lled with intriguing natural history lore, from what sounds mockingbirds will imitate (almost any noise in their neighborhood) to how armadillos swim (by in¿ating themselves to increase their buoyancy).