Golden Silk Orb Weaver AKA "Banana Spider"

Recently found this lovely beast in the yard back by the garden. She had set up her web in the few feet between the garden fencing and the yard fence. I was shocked by her size -- her body alone is easily 3 inches long. I appreciate that she's been keeping the bug population down for us.

P.S. I named her Ariadne.

9-Banded Armadillo at Hagerman (Aug 2019)

There are few animals in Texas as iconic as the nine-banded armadillo. Many people see them as vermin and it's more common to see them as roadkill than as live specimen. I didn't want to spook this one while it was foraging, so I was only able to get photos of its backside.