Through These Doors

Welcome!

Through These Doors
you will find the new gorilla habitat
in the African Forest at the Houston Zoo.

You enter the main room.
 Walls with art.

Walls with glass overlooking the exhibit
where the gorillas and red river hogs live.
The Houston Zoo's gorillas
are all western lowland gorillas.
All of them were born and raised in American zoos.

The Red River hogs are named for their striking red hair 
and their ability to wade and swim in rivers.
The long white tufts on the tips of their ears are called tassels.

You will also find pictures that tell the story of the gorillas
along with descriptions of all of them.

And on this special day,
part of the welcoming committee,
a little human dressed like a chimp.

You can read more about the
Gorillas at the Houston Zoo here.

Wishing YOU well and much joy!

Thank you to the hosts of:

and Mosaic Monday.

Mina

Mina has been feeling picked on lately.

She always seems to be in the middle of things.

Even her kitty siblings have given her a piece of their mind.

Hiss Hiss and More Hiss!

So I decided she should have a post all to herself.

Poor little tyke!

Ha!

Careful there!

There is no catnip in that tea!

Wishing YOU well and much joy!

Thanks to the hosts of:

and Mosaic Monday.

Important Mission

I had never been to the Japanese Garden when the crepe myrtles were blooming.

(Probably because it's always too blooming hot.)

This year I was determined to visit and I made it.

Camera, water bottle and fan in hand.

It was worth the visit.

I almost always see a whistling duck or two and a yellow-crowned night heron.

Not this time.

This time it was the elegant great white heron.

All of a sudden -- there he was.

I walked around the water fall and tried not to disturb him.

He was there on an important mission.

Dinner!

Wishing YOU well and much joy.

I'm joining:

and

Eileen at Saturday Critters.

Meet Julia

I met Julia Longwing last week at the Houston Museum of Natural Science. Dryas iulia commonly called the Julia Butterfly, Julia Heliconian, The Flame, or Flambeau, is a species of brush-footed butterfly. The sole representative of its genus Dryas, it is native from Brazil to southern Texas and Florida, and in summer can sometimes be found as far north as eastern Nebraska. Over 15 subspecies have been described.

Its wingspan ranges from 82 to 92 mm, and it is colored orange (brighter in male specimens) with black markings; this species is somewhat unpalatable to birds.

This butterfly is a fast flier and frequents clearings, paths, and margins of forests and woodlands. It feeds on the nectar of flowers, such as lantanas (Lantana) and Shepherd's-needle (Scandix pecten-veneris). Its caterpillar feeds on leaves of passion vines including Passiflora affinis and Yellow Passionflower (P. lutea) in Texas.

The species is popular in butterfly houses because it is long-lived and active throughout the day.

Wishing YOU well and much joy!

Thank you to Eileen for Saturday Critters.

Thanks, Misty!

A Beautiful Treat

It's critter day!

This is the Rice Paper Butterfly from Malaysia.

I found them flying around in the Rain Forest Conservatory at the 

Houston Museum of Natural Science. 

What a beautiful treat!

Wishing YOU well and much joy.

Thanks to Eileen at Saturday Critters.

Thanks, Misty!

Camera Critters: All Grown Up!

When I visit the Houston Zoo, I always start with the Chilean Flamingo.

I've been watching the babies grow up.

From this-- 

Fluffy little grey balls.

To this -- almost all grown up!

Still grey, but beginning to get their pink coloring.

Very handsome!

Wishing YOU well and much joy!

Thanks to Eileen at Saturday Critters.

Thanks, Misty!

Meet Belle and Willow

Meet Belle and Willow, the two new American Black Bears at the Houston Zoo.

*They were hanging around a bar in the mountains near Maricopa, California when the California Department of Fish and Wildlife were notified. The older of the two orphans had made herself right at home and regularly wandered into the bar. A few weeks later, she was joined by another young cub. They quickly learned to paw at the ice cream freezer until someone gave them a treat and even made friends with local kids.

Unfortunately, these adorable baby behaviors translate into a dangerous nuisance as the bears grow up. They were taken to DPW holding facility after their adventures at the bar. Calls were made to different zoos to see if anyone was looking for bears. These two girls gave the Houston Zoo the opportunity to talk about conservation efforts of bears in the wild. No one knows what happened to the mothers of our girls. It is illegal to hunt black bears in Texas, but is legal in other states. The cubs' appearance a the bar coincided with the California hunting season so it is likely their mothers were shot by hunters.

Historically black bears ranged throughout Texas, but they were largely eradicated by hunting in the early 1900s. The bears are making a come back in Texas. Because it is illegal to hunt them here, they are migrating into the state from neighboring states.

You notice that they are called American Black Bears but they are, in fact, brown in color. There are several subspecies of black bears in North America and this difference in coloration reflects the differences in subspecies.  Most of the bears east of the Great Plains are black in color while the bears west of the Great Plains are brown or a lighter cinnamon color.

*All written information about Belle and Willow from Wildlife published by the Houston Zoo.
Photography of Belle and Willow by me! 


Wishing YOU well and much joy!





Thank you, Misty!

Thanks to Eileen at Saturday's Critters.

It's Baby Time!

It's baby time at the Houston Zoo.

This is Baridi, the newest member of the Giraffe herd.

He was 6' 6" tall at birth and weighted in at 165 pounds.

Baridi means cold in Swahili. He was born on a very cold morning.

Meet Duncan, the newest member of the Asian Elephant herd.

He was 6 days old when I visited.

He's with his Mom, Shanti.

Thank you, Misty!

And thank you Eileen at Saturday's Critters.

Wishing YOU well and much joy.

We Had a Photo Shoot

He is a natural poser.

He sits in the sun looking like a King.

Handsome, sweet boy.

He likes to ignore the camera.

"What?

You were taking pictures of me? 

I never knew!"

This is Sir Theodore.

Theodorable

Teddy

Thank you, Misty.

And thank you Eileen at Saturday's Critters.

Wishing YOU well and much joy!

Camera Critters: Cougar

On one of my recent visits to the zoo,

cougars Shasta and Haley were having a discussion about the best place to take a nap.

Both of the cougars are young cats and their stories are similar.

It is legal to kill cougars under certain circumstances.

It is illegal to kill female cougars with kits.

Both Haley and Shasta's mothers were killed. 

Shasta had two siblings that were found quickly and rescued, but Shasta went hiding.

He was finally found and made his way to the Houston Zoo where he is now the official

mascot of the University of Houston cougars. 

Just look at those feet! 

They share a lovely habitat -- plenty of room to climb, run and jump and no one to shoot them.

Thanks to Misty for hosting Camera Critters each week.

Wishing all of you well and much joy.