{"id":452,"date":"2008-05-26T01:01:34","date_gmt":"2008-05-26T01:01:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/markdroberts\/2008\/05\/some-texas-critters.html"},"modified":"2008-05-26T01:01:34","modified_gmt":"2008-05-26T01:01:34","slug":"some-texas-critters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2008\/05\/some-texas-critters.html","title":{"rendered":"Some Texas Critters"},"content":{"rendered":"

One of the things I’m enjoying about Texas is the wildlife. My family and I live in the Hill Country outside of San Antonio, a relatively rural spot with lots of wildlife, both native to the area and exotic. (Did you know the word exotic<\/em> comes from the Greek word exotikos<\/em>, which means “from the outside” or “from elsewhere”?)
\nThis part of Texas once had native buffalo. In fact, I used to live on “Cibolo Basin” street in Boerne. Cibolo<\/em> is a Spanish word for buffalo, <\/em>and is common in the Hill Country, reflecting the fact that buffalo were once found here naturally, and that many who found them spoke Spanish. When settlers came to the Hill Country, however, they soon decimate the native buffalo population. In recent years, ranchers have begun to raise buffalo, partly because the meat is high in protein and low in fat. I’ve had a buffalo burger (in West Yellowstone, Montana), and it was quite tasty.
\n\"buffaloIn the foreground of the photo to the right, you can see some wildflowers growing alongside the fence. I have been amazed by the number and variety of Texas wildflowers. Quite a delight! In the background you can see the larger herd of buffalo on this ranch outside of Medina, Texas. You can also see that it’s a hazy day, rather cloudy and, therefore, not yet very hot. I’ve been enjoying how much the weather in Texas changes. Yes, it can get pretty hot here, but the variety of weather is impressive, nevertheless.
\n\"axisA few days ago at Laity Lodge I had a personal encounter with an Axis deer buck. Axis deer are native to India and Nepal, but are “the most abundant exotic ungulate in Texas” according to The Mammals of Texas – Online Edition<\/em><\/a>. (Ungulate<\/em> comes from the Latin word ungula<\/em>, which means claw<\/em> or hoof<\/em>.) Indeed, Axis deer cover the Hill Country, along with the native White-Tailed Deer. You can identify an Axis deer by its telltale spots. (Photo: This is the Axis deer that was having breakfast about fifty feet from my back door at Laity Lodge. If you look carefully, you can see that another deer was right behind the buck. That explains the multiple legs.)
\n\"rhinocerosFinally, the other night I was working in my workshop with my daughter Kara. All of a sudden we heard a loud noise, as if someone had thrown a rock at the side of the building. Looking up in alarm, we saw a gigantic beetle struggling on the ground. It had obviously flown into the side of the building, which explained the loud noise we had just heard. I had never seen such a large beetle before. Doing some online research, I discovered that it was a Rhinoceros Beetle. I learned that my visitor was a female, because the males have horns on their heads, which explains the name Rhinoceros<\/em>. Near as I can tell, these beetles aren’t dangerous to human. But I sure don’t want one crawling up my leg! (Photo: Another Rhino Beetle I captured a couple of nights ago. You can see how its size compares to a quarter. The first beetle I saw as a good bit larger than this “tiny” one.)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

One of the things I’m enjoying about Texas is the wildlife. My family and I live in the Hill Country outside of San Antonio, a relatively rural spot with lots of wildlife, both native to the area and exotic. (Did you know the word exotic comes from the Greek word exotikos, which means “from the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":214,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-452","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-only-in-texas"],"yoast_head":"\nSome Texas Critters - Mark D. 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My family and I live in the Hill Country outside of San Antonio, a relatively rural spot with lots of wildlife, both native to the area and exotic. (Did you know the word exotic comes from the Greek word exotikos, which means “from the…","og_url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2008\/05\/some-texas-critters.html","og_site_name":"Mark D. Roberts","article_published_time":"2008-05-26T01:01:34+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.markdroberts.com\/images\/buffalo-5.jpg"}],"author":"Mark D. Roberts","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2008\/05\/some-texas-critters.html","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2008\/05\/some-texas-critters.html","name":"Some Texas Critters - Mark D. 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Roberts","description":"Mark D. Roberts: Thoughtfully Christian Reflections on Jesus, the Church, and the World","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/1ff094a57b7e41f534434b1723df3d73","name":"Mark D. Roberts","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","caption":"Mark D. Roberts"},"description":"The Rev. Dr. Mark D. Roberts is a pastor, author, retreat leader, speaker, and blogger. Since October 2007 he has been the Senior Director and Scholar-in-Residence for Laity Lodge, a multifaceted ministry in the Hill Country of Texas. Before coming to Laity Lodge, he was for sixteen years the Senior Pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church in Irvine, California (a city in Orange County about forty miles south of Los Angeles). Before his time at Irvine Pres, Mark served on the staff of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood as Associate Pastor of Education. (Thanks to Janel Pahl for taking the photo to the right.) Mark studied at Harvard University, receiving a B.A. in Philosophy, an M.A. in the Study of Religion, and a Ph.D. in New Testament and Christian Origins. He has taught classes in New Testament for Fuller Theological Seminary and San Francisco Theological Seminary. Mark has written several books, including No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer (WaterBrook, 2005), Dare to Be True (WaterBrook, 2003), Jesus Revealed (WaterBrook, 2002), After \"I Believe\" (Baker, 2002), and Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (Word, 1993). His most recent book is Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (Crossway, 2007). He is currently working on a commentary on Ephesians that will be published by Zondervan in 2014. Mark writes a devotional for The High Calling of Our Daily Work, a website associated with Laity Lodge. His \"Daily Reflections\" can be viewed online or sent as a daily email. If you wish to receive this email, just visit TheHighCalling.org and sign up. Mark serves on the editorial board of Worship Leader magazine, where he publishes articles and reviews, including his regular column \"Lyrical Poetry.\" Additionally, he has published dozens of articles in leading magazines and journals. He often speaks for churches and other Christian groups, and has been interviewed on over seventy-five radio programs nationwide. Mark is married to Linda, who is a Marriage and Family Therapist, a Spiritual Director, and a retreat speaker. They have two children, Nathan and Kara.For Publicity Photos and Bio Statements for Mark, please check here. Mark's Dossier Professional History: Senior Director and Scholar-in Residence, Laity Lodge, October 2007 to present. Senior Pastor Irvine Presbyterian Church, June 1991 to September 2007 Adjunct Assistant Professor Fuller Theological Seminary, 1994 to 2007. Courses: New Testament Theology and Exegesis. Adjunct Instructor San Francisco Theological Seminary, 1995 to 2001. Courses: New Testament Greek and Exegesis Associate Pastor of Education First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, 1987-1991 Teaching Fellow Harvard University, 1980-1983 Education: Ph.D. in the Study of Religion. Harvard University, 1992. Area: New Testament and Christian Origins M.A. in the Study of Religion Harvard University, 1984. A.B. magna cum laude in Philosophy Harvard University, 1979. Phi Beta Kappa; Danforth Fellowship Books: Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Crossway, 2007 No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer. WaterBrook, 2005 Dare to Be True: Living in the Freedom of Complete Honesty. WaterBrook, 2003. Jesus Revealed: Know Him Better to Love Him Better. WaterBrook, 2002. After \"I Believe\": Experiencing Authentic Christian Living. Baker, 2002. Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther in the Communicator's Commentary Series. Word, 1993. Contacting Mark: You can reach Mark at: E-mail: mark@markdroberts.com mroberts@laitylodge.org Phone: Laity Lodge: (830) 792-1216 Address: Laity Lodge 719 Earl Garrett Kerrville, TX 78028","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/author\/mroberts"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/452","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/214"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=452"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/452\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=452"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=452"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=452"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}