December 31, 2025 — We close out 2025 grateful for the year and all the improvements we’ve made thanks to the NRCS’s stewardship grant. Wish the fish were biting, though!

December 17, 2025 — A flock of about 40-50 Double-crested Cormorants on the pond today at noon. They migrate from the north to ice-free southern states eating fish as they dive and swim about underwater.

December 10, 2025 — Finally we had a good soaking rain for two days. It was a little chilly, but we really needed the rain. The pond is quiet, no fish striking the top, no turtle heads peeking at the surface, no bluegill looking for a treat at the feeding station. Here is the last Largemouth Bass I caught before the cool weather set in on whatever that orange lure is.

November 30, 2025 — NO RAIN! It was predicted, but dissipated before it reached Lake Pontchartrain. Temps in the 60s and low 70s this past week. Check out my soon-to-become-World-Class Duck Gumbo here.

November 14, 2025 –– Still too dry! We need rain, but at least the meadows have a good haircut and the woody stuff has been eradicated. A full report on the results of the evaluation by Southeast Pond Management company is coming soon. We had no idea how comprehensive this would be, but we learned a lot and the habitat will be a lot more balanced as we move along. Suffice it to say that for now we are fishing everyday and still need to remove about 120 lbs of bass and all the sac-a-lait (white crappie).

October 7, 2025 — Too dry! The last St. John’s Wort of the season. This late-blooming species is Roundpod St. John’s Wort, Hypericum cistifolium, probably named for the little roundish seed pods on the stem.

September 20, 2025 — It’s been really dry for two weeks. The meadows are going to seed. Found this beautiful, very large Red-headed Meadow Katydid hiding deep in a patch of Musky Mint. Bees love it. too.

September 13, 2025 — For the third project under our contract for habitat improvement awarded by the Natural Resources Conservation Service’s Stewardship Program, we will complete a pond habitat improvement plan. The initial evaluation is scheduled for October 8 and our contractor is SouthEast Pond Management company, Canton, Mississippi. Details and NRCS Fishpond Management conservation practice standards will follow at the appropriate time.

September 9, 2025 — Seems we’ve seen the last of the season’s Black Swallowtail caterpillars. The host plant, Water Cowbane has gone to seed in the meadow leaving nothing for them to eat. Only one chrysalis was still attached to a stalk. Otherwise, the pond was beautiful today with the sun setting while I enjoyed paddling for a long time. We are looking for a pond management company to help us complete the technical study and monitoring for our stewardship grant from the Natural Resources Conservation Service.

September 2, 2025 — The Swallowtail caterpillar count continues to disappoint. It seems they are completely disappearing while still small. Some are found dried and shriveling on the stem from either injury or disease. On 8/28 we found six and on 8/30 there were 8, but by this morning the number had dwindled to only one in total. On a lighter note this lovely Sleepy Orange butterfly looks healthy and happy flitting about in the Partridge Peas and sunflowers.

August 25, 2025 — Our annual Black Swallowtail count in the meadows got off to a late start due to the Captain’s heart issues and an unusually wet month. Standing water kept even the 4-wheel drive Honda from making its rounds through the Water Cowbane looking for caterpillars and chysalises. That said we found 19 caterpillars between August 18 and August 24. Most of them were small and the remains of some dead ones were seen. We picked off some Swallowtail predators including preying mantises. The count will continue if the weather holds.

August 12, 2025 — It’s too hot to do anything on the farm. We’ve had a lot of rain, but it doesn’t cool anything much. Where are the Swallowtail caterpillars? We should have had dozens of them by the middle of August, but I’ve only seen two on the Water Cowbane stalks and only one empty chrysalis. Is it too wet?

July 22, 2025 — What an exciting day! Our guest at Vista Farm was Dr. Scott Egan, Evolutionary Biologist and Associate Professor in the Department of BioSciences at Rice University. We toured the farm and spent a couple of hours finding galls I had never seen and a particularly curious little bug on a Dewberry vine that develops inside it’s poop. Thank you Scott!

July 21, 2025 — Who’s that looking at me? A young male Whitetail Deer with velvet on his antlers. The soft, fuzzy layer on a deer’s antlers is actually a type of skin containing short, dense hair. This “fur” is described as fine, hair-like structures that form a protective and sensory layer over the growing bone. Velvet plays a crucial role in providing nutrients and sensing the environment during antler development. 

July 19, 2025 — The four baby wrens hatched yesterday, July 18, in a flower pot which had been left in the Honda Pioneer. They are extremely tiny. She is so fast darting in and out of the nest we can’t get a good photo. In other news, very sad, one-by-one our ducks were missing, even the wild Muscovy “Pretty Girl.” We thought it was a large snapping turtle seen once in a while on the shore, but this morning as we were deciding how to rig up a turtle trap, a very large alligator appeared on the north shore swimming along the bank where I had just been canoeing. The thing is gigantic. So all the ducks are gone and we are wondering if maybe we can leave it a while and let it eat as many turtles as possible. It’s their only predator and there are too many anyway. Eventually, we hope it will move on to another pond in the area nearby.

July 14, 2025 — We have recently had an explosion in the bunny rabbit population. The Red Tailed hawk that was with us all last fall and winter has disappeared and Rhett the dog finally gave up chasing them into a briar patch (too much pain involved!). So there are bunnies everywhere. This one thinks it’s hiding in the tall grass next to the plum orchard but I see him/her looking at me with those big eyes.

July 10, 2025 — A tiny Carolina Wren has built her nest of pine straw in a plastic pot that I left in the back seat of the Honda Pioneer. There are four tiny speckled eggs. Every morning I drive it to the pond and she waits until I return to swoop back into it. I guess I will have to find other transportation when they hatch.

July 7, 2025 — The beautiful gray and white Muscovy we named “Pretty Girl” has made her first nest. We’re giving her a 10 for most creative location choice. We know it gets hot, hot, hot on the aluminum roof of the aviary and we’re not sure whether the babies will survive the fall when they hatch, but she seems happy with her decision.

July 1, 2025 — So much rain lately. The orchard is muddy. Found this pretty little Flowerpot Parasol fungi near the pond. It is toxic and usually found in greenhouses rather than in a pine forest.

June 22, 2025 — So much rain lately. The orchard is muddy. The humidity is about 100% and it’s 95 degrees. Here’s a new critter found hanging out inside the dock box where we keep the dog and duck food. It’s a huge Dark Fishing Spider, not poisonous, but will bite if cornered.

June 12, 2025 — Finally, some much needed rain on the orchard Tuesday and Wednesday. The little muscadines are thriving again. An unknown caterpillar damaged the crabapples, but we put Sevin on all of them and are watching. The caterpillar ate its fill while we were in north Louisiana for the Peach Festival in Ruston. The dog killed this Black Racer snake before we could save it.

May 5, 2025 — These are very tiny buds on the muscadine vines which will open and in a month or so become a cluster of delicious muscadine grapes. A tendril is looking for something to wrap itself around.

April 29, 2025 — After a rather wet month the new orchard has finally dried enough to finish planting the west side of the pond road with plum trees in varieties that will allow for early, mid-summer and late season fruit. It’s also been good canoeing weather the last few days.

April 2, 2025 — In a ride through the Vista Farm wetland we spotted a little Swamp Sparrow and its mate looking for a place to build a nest among the sedges and rushes near an old fallen tree.

March 23, 2025 — Have been canoeing almost every day that is not too windy. Yesterday we saw a Monarch, a Black Swallowtail, and a Tiger Swallowtail; also a few dragonflies. Four Wood Ducks (two males and two females) flew in and went straight to the feeding station like they knew where to look for an easy meal. A Muscovy, a pair of Whistling Ducks and the domestics shared the log and companionship.

March 15, 2025 — Rain is expected, but we were out in the new orchard this morning early and found that the crabapples are blooming. Spring is coming for sure!

March 9, 2025 — Lots of rain the last two days. The fruit trees are all showing tiny new leaves. Temps in the upper 60s mostly.

March 3, 2025 — It’s a beautiful thing to see our new crabapple trees leafing out. We planted this little orchard only a week ago and tiny leaves are just popping out.

February 27, 2025 — The rain finally stopped for a while and we planted dozens of plum, crabapple, and persimmon trees along with six muscadine vines. This is the second project of our habitat improvement grant from the USDA’s Natural Resources stewardship program. Deer tracks in the mud around some of the trees indicate our wildlife have already discovered the new orchard.

January 21, 2025 – Approximately 12″ of snow in the meadow at Vista Farm.

January 15, 2025 – Lots of rain in the last week and it’s too cold to get any work done.

January 1, 2025 – There was no celebrating today. We are mourning the deaths of so many in New Orleans at the hands of an Islamic terrorist. Deport them all, citizens or not.