How I came to participate in the Texas Master Naturalist Program:

"...inspiring us to observe nature with the wide-eyed empathy of a curious naturalist".

(Laurence A Marshall in Natural History vol. 113 November 2004, p52).

For me it is the interrelationships that are the most interesting.  To notice the butterfly comes first.  To identify it is important.  To find that its larva looks like a 3/4 inch space alien with oval eyes, feathery antennae, and a forked tail is neat.  To learn that the larva is one of a group of butterflies that feeds on the oft maligned Hackberry Tree is reason enough to leave a couple in your yard.  To watch as the Hackberry Butterfly aggressively darts off a limb and challenges all passers by including other species of butterfly, birds, cats, dogs, people, and even cars is, to me, the pay-off.  What does this little guy think he's doing?  Yet, all but the cars takes notice and change their path.  Give him a few thousand years, and he'll figure a way to make the car take notice and change course as well.

I didn't know it at the time, but I've been a naturalist for years.  When looking at wildflowers, I saw the bugs too.  When watching for birds, I was wondering about the trees.  When taking a hike, I smelled the flowers.  I figure, a Naturalist is someone who lacks the attention to focus on only one thing at a time.

Taking a Tree Folks tree care class at Wild Basin, I met Mike.  In return for the class, I had to do some volunteer hours, Mike suggested Wild Basin.  While volunteering, Mike told me about the Master Naturalist class he was taking.  I said 'You mean there's a name for someone who's always looking at the wrong thing?'  Sign me up!

I'm always a bit shy about identifying myself as a master naturalist, because it is all so new to me.  I hardly feel an amateur naturalist, and certainly not a "master" by any stretch.  I admire the folks like Norm who can undertake a systematic study.  Two or three times a week for the last ten years I have run on the hike and bike trail past Norm's Green Heron Rookery.  I ran past it for a year after learning it existed without knowing the location, hoping (expecting) I could find it on my own.  Finally, I broke down and asked for an exact location.  Norm obliged.  Norm may be a Master Naturalist.  He is certainly one in training.  Me, I'm just a member of a great group of folks whose enthusiasm for nature is infectious.  I'm a member of the Texas Master Naturalist Capitol Area Chapter.

P.S.  Isn't curious naturalist redundant?