101 Highland Lakes

Build a bee hotel as simple or as elaborate as you wish to help attract native bees to pollinate your garden. Native bees are solitary but communal. They will live in close proximity but prefer their own space for nesting.

Basics of Building a Bee Hotel for Native Species

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Unlike honeybees, native bees are solitary. The female bees lay their eggs in holes in trees and wood or in the ground. You can attract more native bees to your garden by building a bee hotel to make finding a Read more…

April 9, 2019

Native bumblebees are attracted to bluebonnets. The largest of the bees, bumblebees are buzz pollinators. Their wings beat 130 times more per second than other pollinators, vibrating flowers until they release pollen. Plants produce more fruit through buzz pollination, according to the National Wildlife Federation. That’s why tomato growers prefer bumblebees.

Lawn and Garden, Wildflowers

Native Bees Are Bluebonnets’ Best Buds

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Suzanne Freeman

Mason bees love bluebonnets, depending on them for nectar and nourishment. The bluebonnets are just as dependent on these native Central Texas bees for their own existence. In fact, this particular species of bee hatches each year just in time Read more…

April 9, 2019

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Tee Off at a Highland Lakes Golf Course

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Staff

Whether you enjoy just hacking the ball around or believe you have a shot at the PGA Tour, the Highland Lakes has a golf course to suit your style. Blue Lake Golf Club, 214 W. Bluebonnet Road off RR 2831 Read more…

April 9, 2019

The best-tasting tomatoes are picked just when they ripen into a bright red. To beat the bugs to the reward, however, gardeners might need to pick when the skin begins to turn from green to pink. Ripen on a windowsill or your kitchen counter.

Lawn and Garden

The Secret to Growing Sensational Tomatoes

By

Suzanne Freeman

Green thumbs aren’t necessary to produce juicy, delicious tomatoes, according to Ricky Lane, Master Gardener and project manager of The Helping Center of Marble Falls garden. Anyone who follows Lane’s simple guidelines for growing in the Hill Country heat can Read more…

April 8, 2019

Weighing 450 pounds, this section of railroad now on display at The Falls on the Colorado Museum in Marble Falls was part of the Austin and Northwestern Railroad line that carried granite from Granite Mountain to the Texas State Capitol construction site in Austin in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro

Highland Lakes History Guide, See

Piece of Historic Railroad Ties Marble Falls to Capitol

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Suzanne Freeman

A right-of-way inquiry turned into the latest exhibit at The Falls on the Colorado Museum in Marble Falls: a 125-year-old section of the railroad spur that carried the rock used to build the state Capitol building from Granite Mountain to Read more…

April 5, 2019

Lakes

Find Balance on Peaceful Paddling Expedition in the Highland Lakes

By

Daniel Clifton

After the standup paddleboard dunked me into the water for the third time — it was obviously its fault, not mine — my wife, Sheri, cruised by on her own board, smirked at me, and made a somewhat disparaging comment Read more…

April 2, 2019

Photograph a group of bluebonnets on eye level with the flowers, as in this shot, which makes the outcropping look more full and colorful. A shot from the top down will show the dirt and leaves between the flowers and make them look sparse and less vibrant. Photos by Ronnie Madrid/Divine Radiance Photography

Wildflowers

Tips for Taking the Best Bluebonnet Photos

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Staff

Professional photographer Ronnie Madrid, owner of Divine Radiance Photography in Marble Falls, recently took 101HighlandLakes.com to a patch of bluebonnets on RR 1431 west of Marble Falls to demonstrate how best to capture Texas’s state flower and other wildflowers on Read more…

March 29, 2019

Outdoors, Wildlife

Snakes of the Highland Lakes

By

Jennifer Greenwell

Home to over 115 species and subspecies of snakes, Texas harbors more of these reptiles than any other state in the nation. The good news is that most of these snakes — roughly 85 percent — are nonvenomous. In fact, Read more…

March 28, 2019

Lawn and Garden

In the Garden: Bluebonnets and Grasshoppers, the Pros and Cons of Spring

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Special

Whoo-hoo! The pecan leaves are coming out, and the scissortails are arriving. Spring has officially sprung. GRASSHOPPERS Begin the vigil for grasshoppers. We are getting close to the critical time of the first hatch. You can see them when you Read more…

March 28, 2019

As Emma knows, there’s no better way to spend a day than picking strawberries at Sweet Berry Farm, located between Marble Falls and Granite Shoals at 1801 FM 1980. The farm is open 8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Monday-Saturday (closed Wednesday) and 1-5:30 p.m. Sunday. Staff photo by Daniel Clifton

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Venture Out at Sweet Berry Farm for Best Pickings

By

Daniel Clifton

The rows are alive with the colors of strawberries. Yes, that’s a cheesy way to start, and I stole it from “The Sound of Music,” but it sums up what you’ll find at Sweet Berry Farm this spring. A couple Read more…

March 26, 2019

Weekend Picks for April 3-5

Llano Earth Art Festival and returns March 27-29

Paws on the Path: Explore dog-friendly hikes in the Highland Lakes

Bluem blooms at Muleshoe Bend Recreation Area

Bluebonnet Airshow soars March 21

Highland Lakes skies star nightly at Eagle Eye Observatory

History and stars at LBJ National Historical Park

Burnet Bluebonnet Festival blooms in April

A roadrunner rundown

From fresh cider to live concerts, Round Mountain Cider Mill has it all

Breweries and beer gardens in the Highland Lakes

Pretty-as-a-picture Park Road 4

Test your wildflower IQ

Hill Country Wildflower Identification Guide

These Highland Lakes fish take the bait

How do you say that? Highland Lakes pronunciation guide

Welcome to 101 Highland Lakes

Basics of Building a Bee Hotel for Native Species

Native Bees Are Bluebonnets’ Best Buds

Tee Off at a Highland Lakes Golf Course

The Secret to Growing Sensational Tomatoes

Piece of Historic Railroad Ties Marble Falls to Capitol

Find Balance on Peaceful Paddling Expedition in the Highland Lakes

Tips for Taking the Best Bluebonnet Photos

Snakes of the Highland Lakes

In the Garden: Bluebonnets and Grasshoppers, the Pros and Cons of Spring

Venture Out at Sweet Berry Farm for Best Pickings

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