Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge

23C at 6:18 pm.

Today Brenda and I went to the Santa Ana Wildlife Refuge.  It was very reasonable in regards to entrance fees.

It cost $3 a carload.  We had found it on the Rio Grande Map where it listed things to do and see.  Birding is a popular sport here in the valley, due to the bird migration paths.  I felt really lost without binoculars, but in the end was happy that I did not have a pair as we saw almost no birds at all.  We took the hour and a half tour.  You are probably wondering why we did not just walk the trails on

Tour Vehicle

such a fine day.  Well, it was very hot on the paved trails for one thing.  Secondly, the mosquito's would have eaten me up alive.  It is strange that not one other person on the tour had a mosquito problem while they hung around me in clouds and I had multiple bites on every part of my body.  Thank goodness that at least part of the time we were moving.  I really need to find a natural repellent.  If anyone out there has any ideas, please let me know.

 

We did see a multitude of very interesting trees and some of them had Spanish moss hanging on them.   The trees with the moss were called ebony trees.  They are planted first on refuge property and are labeled "pioneer trees".  They grow quickly, provide shade for smaller trees, and provide other advantages as well.  The tour guide explained that most Texas shrubs have thorns on them (which would explain why I required first aide after brushing against one on the street). The ebony tree does not.

 



There is an old cemetery (cemetario viejo) on the property.  Rich land owners had been buried there.  At one time their graves had been robbed and bones were found throughout the property.  They were quickly reburied with their owners.

 

 

 Across the hwy from the refuge were fields of various crops:  onion, cabbage, Swiss chard, etc.

They planted long rows of a plant similar to sugar cane and this plant acted as a wind row for the smaller plants.  Also the equipment trenched each row to preserve and conserve water.  The palm trees you see are not native to Texas, but grow 2 feet a year and have become very popular in the Rio Grande Valley.  I like palm trees and usually where ever you see many of them together, you can suspect there is an RV park there.

In this case they were planted alongside the highway and look very nice. Each day we marvel at the weather and the beauty that surrounds us here.  Each day we learn something new about the Rio Grande Valley. 

 By the way, I was just kidding about the first aide, but it did take a while for the bleeding to stop! Keep warm and safe this holiday season and remember not to drink and drive!