Come exploring with me!

Did you ever go somewhere you’ve been wanting to go for a really really long time and then you realized that while you remembered to bring your camera, you forgot to bring a battery for it? Well, that’s what happened to me when I went on a Native Plant Society field trip to Fossil Hill, a beautiful piece of private property in the Cross Timbers area of Texas up north of Dallas. I turned my camera on and the camera battery light started flashing. So I reached into my bag, only to discover that I brought a spare battery alright — but for a different camera. Doh!

What’s a girl to do?

Well, I decided to use my iPhone + some apps and just have fun and enjoy the day.  Come exploring with me and see what I found, starting with this photo of some mosses and lichens.  I just love moss, I always want to pet it.

Now that we’ve looked down, let’s look up through the ancient old-growth post oaks and blackjack oaks to the sunshine and blue sky overhead.

And back down again while I share a “moss party trick” that you can use to impress your friends next time you’re out hiking in the woods. Just break out your water bottle and pour a little on part of the moss — it will green up instantly!

(Assuming you didn’t leave your water bottle with your spare battery, that is. Ahem.)

Next I thought I’d share some of my fellow field trip friends — from left to right, that’s Joe Liggio, author of Wild Orchids of Texas — yep, there really are orchids in Texas, 54 of ’em — J with his trusty Indiana Jones hat on, and Peter Loos owner of Ecovirons.

And here’s my friend Alan Lusk, an awesome photographer (using a real camera, because HE remembered to bring a battery).

Here’s two pretty things in one shot — a moss covered boulder and the lake.

It was so blue, I just wanted to jump right in.

And finally, a liatris blooming on Fossil Hill itself. The Hill really was loaded with fossils — they crunched under our feet while we walked. So amazing to think that the land we were standing on used to be an ocean.

What a great day! Thanks so much to Jeanne and Wayne Erickson for sharing their property with us. I loved every minute of it. Even without my real camera. :)