July 7, 2015. Last week in the Davis Mountains of West Texas, my eyes were drawn to the brilliance of lowering sun rays “caught” in plants along the campground edge. Closer to them, I found a very determined beetle hanging on as the wind whipped his chosen stem in all directions. These were a mass of Apache Plume seed strands, the petals of the flowers already gone. The beetle looked to be enjoying his wild ride! I stood and watched, envying the beetle, then realized I was standing in the middle of paradise myself. I grew up in West Texas, only a couple of hours from these mountains. As a child, I paid little attention to plants but might have rudely plucked the beetle for a temporary pet. Not now!
stepsandpauses 