iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Rene Bartos @rebwrites.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Haiku inspired by the 2026 Wild Wonder Journaling Conference prompt to write about hope. Video from a birding hike I led in May 2026. The wonder of nature and restoration of wild spaces brings me hope. Pipevine Swallowtail Hovering, wings quivering Hope, in Wild Wonder #haikusaturday #butterflies

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Rene Bartos @rebwrites.bsky.social · 26/07/2026

Had a great time yesterday celebrating the new book 🧠 All Brains Welcome by @johannapeyton.bsky.social illustrated by Olga Popova, published by Sourcebooks eXplore at @birdhousebooksatx.bsky.social 👏 Congrats Johanna! #childrensbook #picturebook #disabilitypridemonth #neurodiversity #inclusion

Photo of 2 women sitting next to each other near a table, both smiling. The brunette woman is holding up a children's picture book All Brains Welcome. More books and swag are on the table in front of her. The blonde woman is holding up a plush "brain" that is featured in illustrations in the book.

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Rene Bartos @rebwrites.bsky.social · 26/07/2026

Practice nature journaling (only time for pencil sketching today) sparked a haiku idea. I learned a lot about pecan trees sketching from a photo I took on a walk. Praying Mantis haiku: Patiently waiting You eat your siblings for lunch Mantis power strike Eek! #haikusaturday #naturejournaling

Photo of a nature journal open to a spread showing a pencil sketch of pecan tree stems, leaves, and nuts on one page, and a praying mantis on the other page with a haiku written beneath it.

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Rene Bartos @rebwrites.bsky.social · 19/07/2026

Reflecting on a trip to Pedernales Falls State Park this spring. Natural treasure! Do you have a favorite? Other ideas? Winding below bluffs Pedernales River flows Hill Country treasure Winding below bluffs Pedernales River flows A blue ribbon show #haikusaturday #nature #rivers #texasparks

Photo of the Pedernales River at Pedernales Falls State Park from atop a bluff, trees framing, water is blue, calm at this location.

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Rene Bartos @rebwrites.bsky.social · 12/07/2026

Amazing Saturday at Book People in Austin celebrating the new picture book Imperfectly Perfect Posie: A Wobbly Yoga Story written by Lizzie Brooks and illustrated by Enni Heikura published by Spinning Wheel Stories. Highly recommend! #childrensbooks #childrensbooksauthor #picturebooks

Photo of 2 women standing together holding up a book entitled Imperfectly Perfect Posie

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Rene Bartos @rebwrites.bsky.social · 04/07/2026

Coopers Hawk in a local park in Austin Tx. July 4th treat! #birding #Texasbirds #texasparks

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Rene Bartos @rebwrites.bsky.social · 04/07/2026

Happy 4th of July! My favorite sweet treat and a family tradition. Easy to make with strawberries, blueberries, and homemade whipped cream (sugar, cream, vanilla mixed by hand). #July4th #IndependenceDay #FourthofJuly

Photo of a glass cake pan with strawberries, blueberries, and whipped cream arranged to look similar to the American flag with strawberries and whipped cream stripes and blueberries in the top left corner.

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Rene Bartos @rebwrites.bsky.social · 04/07/2026

Nature journal sketching practice. A haiku to bring our attention to wildlife in this heatwave. Sweltering summer Sploosh, flutter, feather refresh Winged Bathing Beauty! 🐦 #haikusaturday #naturejournaling

Sketch comic haiku in pencil in a page of a nature journal entitled Heatwave Haiku with three panels showing the sun beaming onto a bird that looks overheated, the bird splashing in a shallow birdbath, and the refreshed bird flying away

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Rene Bartos @rebwrites.bsky.social · 27/06/2026

From today's poetry birding: Dear Widow Skimmer Dragonfly, You emerge from water Transformed Libellula luctuosa You wear a mournful cloak Steely blue wonder Strong wings Agile Aerial Actobat Nimble Predator Fly chaser Mosquito eater🦟 Thank you for saving my skin! Love, Grateful human

Photo of Widow Skimmer Dragonfly (Libellula luctuosa) taken at Roy G. Guerrero Colorado River Metro Park on a poetry birding walk. Dragonfly is described as having a "dark cloak" on the proximal wings, a powder blue or steel blue middle wing area, with transparent ends, and a steel blue body.

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Rene Bartos @rebwrites.bsky.social · 25/04/2026

Bumblebees are essential workers that help feed the world! This is a Sonoran Bumblebee photo taken at Pedernales Falls State Park. The flowering plant is Mealy Blue Sage. #haikusaturday #poetry #bumblebee🐝 #nativeplants #earthmonth

Sonoran Bumblebee foraging on Mealy Blue Sage (a purplish/lavender -colored flowering plant), and a fence in the background consisting of old wooden posts anchoring the metal fencing.

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Rene Bartos @rebwrites.bsky.social · 25/04/2026

Spotted a White-eyed Vireo feeding her chicks during our @travisaudubon poetry birding hike today. What a treat! Video from my cell phone. Taken at Mayfield Park in Austin Texas.

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Rene Bartos @rebwrites.bsky.social · 25/04/2026

All you pet lovers out there, pick up a copy of this marvelous new book If Pets Wrote Poems: A Parody Collection Highly recommend! My rescue cat Feathers is a fan 😻 #kidlitauthor #kidlitillustrator #picturebooks #poetrybook #animalbooks #pets #catlife

Photo of a cat lounging on a bed with the picture book If Pets Wrote Poems next to her.

Photo of a cat lounging on a bed with the picture book If Pets Wrote Poems next to her. Cat is glancing up toward the window.

Photo of a cat lounging on a bed with the picture book If Pets Wrote Poems next to her looking at the camera.

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Rene Bartos @rebwrites.bsky.social · 25/04/2026

Late post- catch up. Sharing an Earth Day treat 🌎 View from a trail on The Nature Conservancy's Barton Creek Preserve in Austin Tx. Thanks to @travisaudubon and @nature_tx for making this special Birdathon event possible #birding #nature #texasnativeplants #naturepreserve

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Rene Bartos @rebwrites.bsky.social · 12/04/2026

A few pollinators spotted yesterday on a trip to Pedernales Falls State Park Tx. Two butterflies (a skipper-Julia's vs Dun, and a Red Admiral Butterfly) plus a Sonoran Bumblebee. Look at that heart shape on the bumblebee. 🐝 Bee love❤️ y'all! #bumblebees #butterflies #pollinators #nativeplantmonth

Skipper butterfly (small tan/brown color) on Mealy Blue Sage flowers

Red Admiral Butterfly resting on rocks with wings extended

Sonoran Bumblebee foraging on Mealy Blue Sage flowers

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Rene Bartos @rebwrites.bsky.social · 12/04/2026

Sonoran Bumblebee🐝 foraging on Mealy Blue Sage at Pedernales Falls State Park Tx for a hummingbird class trip. Video from park area with lots of native plants and bird blinds. Love bumblebees! ❤️ Birdsong background🐦 #bumblebees #pollinators #nativeplantmonth #stateparks #texasstateparks

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Rene Bartos @rebwrites.bsky.social · 12/04/2026

Sharing a bit of nature from my trip to Pedernales Falls State Park yesterday for a birding event. Peaceful 💦 #nature #stateparks #Texasstateparks

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Rene Bartos @rebwrites.bsky.social · 10/04/2026

Check out my Writers' Rumpus interview (Writersrumpus.com) with award-winning and bestselling author Diane Muldrow about her new book Once a Wasteland: From Toxic Dump to National Park, illustrated by Amy Jindra Hodgson Perfect to share for 🌎Earth Day #nationalparks #earthmonth #earthday #kidlit

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Rene Bartos @rebwrites.bsky.social · 05/04/2026

What pathways have you taken? What pathways will you choose? Life is full of twists and turns. Through it all, time in nature brings us peace and solace, healing and hope, wonder and joy. Connection 🌻 #natureforall #naturelovers

Nature photos from a few pathways I have enjoyed- hrough Bluebonnet and wildflower fields in Texas, across an Atlantic beach (Outer Banks NC), a path in the Desert Botanical Garden in Az at twilight surrounded by towering cacti, paths through Texas wildlife preserves and a wildlife sanctuary (Blair Woods, Chaetura Canyon), and a full moon through trees while walking in my Austin neighborhood.

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Rene Bartos @rebwrites.bsky.social · 05/04/2026

Happy Easter for those who celebrate! 🐣 Follow up to my haiku yesterday for pollinator and native plant fans out there. Adding a few more spring pollinator photos I used for an Instagram carousel. Can only add 3 photos at a time on Bluesky, correct? #pollinators #nativeplants #texaswildflowers

Orangish brown small butterfly or moth (unsure, I think a Skipper?)on Dakota Mock Vervain, a lavender/ purple wildflower, in a local park Austin Tx

Bumblebee clinging to Mealy Blue Sage- tall purple wildflowers, local park in Austin Tx

Caterpillar clinging to stem of Palmleaf Mistflower,a purplish/lavender wildflower, taken in an Austin Tx rain garden where I was volunteering, planting native plants.

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Rene Bartos @rebwrites.bsky.social · 05/04/2026

Celebrating pollinators of all types 🦋 🐝 and life stages 🐛 thriving with the arrival of spring. Native plants support new pollinator babies that keep habitats healthy around the world 🌎 Photos-Austin Tx, more on Instagram #haikusaturday #nativeplants #pollinators #springblooms #texaswildflowers

Texas Bluebonnets, a small light colored (whitish/tan/blush) butterfly is on one bloom, and a haiku printed on the photo

White-lined Sphinx (hummingbird) Moth hovering next to Yellow (Carolina) Jessamine blooms.

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Rene Bartos @rebwrites.bsky.social · 22/03/2026

Yesterday was @shoalcreekconservancy Waterwise Landscapes Tour featuring some amazing waterwise innovations in Austin neighborhoods. Do you know your local watershed? Check out your local water conservation groups for info. #worldwaterday 💦 #waterconservation #waterwiselandscaping #waterwise

Photo of a brochure "passport" for Shoal Creek Conservancy Waterwise Landscapes Tour and a packet of native seeds.

Yard sign by Shoal Creek Conservancy with Waterwise Landscape Tip advising about how excess fertilizer on yards washes into creeks and can cause harmful algae blooms, so skip fertilizer this spring or apply sparingly.

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Rene Bartos @rebwrites.bsky.social · 22/03/2026

Happy Caturday! Posting late after a busy day yesterday at Travis Audubon's catio tour and Shoal Creek Conservancy's water-wise landscapes tour. Both organizations help to protect wild spaces & wildlife. I am sharing my rescue cat and a few of my favorite catio tour pix. #caturday #catlife

Photo of a cat with grey/black/creme coloring sitting on a fleece blanket in a large woven basket next to a sofa in a living room setting.

Interior of a catio (patio made for cats) with cat perches, baskets, and multiple cat-friendly features and a tree in the center (tree trunk is coming through the floor and branches extending out through holes in the catio roof).

Photo of partial view of a catio (patio for cats) with a connecting bridge for cats to travel from the house to the catio.

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Rene Bartos @rebwrites.bsky.social · 20/03/2026

💚Volunteer farming yesterday morning at Farmshare Austin. Met great people, helped add compost, plant onions, and more! 🌱 #nationalagricultureweek #csa #organicfarming

Photo of rows of rows of plants in a field at Farmshare Austin

Photo of rows of plants in a field at Farmshare Austin

Photo of field at Farmshare Austin with newly planted rows of onions

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Rene Bartos @rebwrites.bsky.social · 17/03/2026

Sharing a collage I made with Canva to capture some favorite early spring blooms in Austin, Texas. Photos are from late Feb to mid-March and taken at The Wildflower Center, Travis Audubon's Chaetura Canyon Wildlife Sanctuary, and Blair Woods. #wildflowers #nativeplants #springflowers

Photo collage of early spring blooms in Austin Texas, all from native plants and trees in a variety of colors- purples, blues, yellow, and white blossoms

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Rene Bartos @rebwrites.bsky.social · 03/03/2026

Gardening, making random nature art, and cooking comfort food are all things that bring me peace. Rosemary, it turns out, can be used for all three.💙 #nature #herbgarden #natureart

Photo of a blank sketch pad page with rosemary sprigs from my garden arranged in a shape of the symbol for peace with small leaflets (from a ground cover plant from my yard) in each corner.

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Rene Bartos @rebwrites.bsky.social · 03/03/2026

Spotted at LBJ Wildflower Center at the spring NPSOT symposium this weekend. Yellow jessamine, Gelsemium sempervirens and White-lined Sphinx, Hyles lineata (hummingbird moth) Many butterflies and bees too. Lots of pollinators at Wildflower Center! #pollinators #moths #nativeplants #wildflowers

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Rene Bartos @rebwrites.bsky.social · 03/03/2026

Last week, my son and I were fortunate to attend an event at @bookpeople.com in Austin featuring the amazing Jennifer L. Bristol sharing her new book published by @tamupress.bsky.social Wild women for conservation getting things done! Highly recommend ❤️ #womeninconservation #conservationstories

Image created by myself using Canva featuring book cover, Wild Women For Good: Stories of Conservation in Texas by Jennifer L. Bristol with 5 stars and my comments next to the book cover: celebrating courageous women, stories of conservation, how to get things done in challenging times

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Rene Bartos @rebwrites.bsky.social · 03/03/2026

Catching up on cross posting from Instagram- Loved presenting about owls recently and sharing the joy of family reading, writing, and birding. Thanks to Jane Yolen, Heidi EY Stemple @heidieys.bsky.social and all the family writers and birders for sharing their stories. 🙏 #kidlit #birding #owlbooks

Picture of a slide from a presentation entitled "Fostering Intergenerational Birding and Writing" with photos of books covers by author Jane Yolen and Heidi EY Stemple, including Owl Moon and Heidi's latest release, Snowy Owl Rescue, Raptor Recovery

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Rene Bartos @rebwrites.bsky.social · 14/02/2026

Happy Valentine's Day! ❤️ Sharing a photo collage with some of my favorite wildflowers.

Happy Valentine's Day collage using framed photos of a variety of wildflowers. Flower colors-light pink, darker pink, lavender, purple-blue

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Rene Bartos @rebwrites.bsky.social · 07/02/2026

Spotted this Great Egret on a quick walk in a nearby park. Fish catcher extraordinaire! #HaikuSaturday #naturepoetry #birding

Great Egret standing still in a park pond, with surrounding tall grasses.

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Rene Bartos @rebwrites.bsky.social · 03/02/2026

Adding from my Instagram acct. Great idea from an amazing @writersloftma.bsky.social class with editor Karen Boss, who mentioned authors creating a storyboard or folder with content/images to share with their illustrator. I was inspired to create a story spark collage using a Canva template. #kidlit

Collage using Canva template: my happy cat doodle/sketch, photos of my rescue cat upside down in a sherpa fish-shaped cat bed, a Northern Cardinal perched in a tree, a birdhouse, a Northern Mockingbird in a bush, a Live Oak Tree in a local park in Austin Tx, and a few feathers.

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Stephanie Gibeault @stephaniegibeault.bsky.social · 27/01/2026

If you write nonfiction for kids, join me and Sourcebooks editor Anna Luketic for an online webinar with @thewritingbarn.bsky.social on Thursday, Feb. 12 at noon CT. We'll discuss the power of hooks to grab readers and editors.🪝 #kidlit #cankidlit More info here: thewritingbarn.com/class/webina...

graphic about webinar entitled The Importance of Hooks in Nonfiction with photos of Stephanie Gibeault and Anna Luketic

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Rene Bartos @rebwrites.bsky.social · 31/01/2026

Reposting for #NationlInspireaYourHeartwithArtDay Valentine's Day idea to help wildlife. Owl box + ❤️ from wood shavings. Check with your local Audubon Chapter or other organizations supporting birds 🐦 and wildlife for opportunities+resources to make bird boxes, bee boxes, or even bat boxes!

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Dow Phumiruk @dowphumiruk.bsky.social · 31/01/2026

I can't believe this book will be here very soon! I hope you'll check out HAPPY SONGKRAN DAY!: A Thai New Year Celebration. You'll meet spunky Tida and her big sister Lek as they celebrate this special holiday. From Viking Children's Books. #newbook #songkran #thai #kidlit #picturebook

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Rene Bartos @rebwrites.bsky.social · 31/01/2026

Not a haiku today for #haikusaturday, but perhaps share any you come up with? Desert Botanical Garden in Phx and memories of my son's amazing high school marching band performance "The Blue Hour" embedded the magic of the blue hour forever in my heart. 💙 #poetry #naturepoetry #arizonasunset

Photo of trees and cacti in foreground at twilight with gorgeous blue-purple-pink toned sky (the blue hour) in the background just after sunset at the Desert Botanical Garden in Phx Az taken in December 2025.

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Rene Bartos @rebwrites.bsky.social · 29/12/2025

Participated in Audubon Christmas Bird Count for my area 12/27/25. In addition to hundreds of birds and other wildlife, there were many beautiful green and blue spaces with native trees and plants. Sharing a few of the many photos. #christmasbirdcount #birding #nature #audubonsociety

Photo of Great Egret in flight travelling away from the camera over calm water (Brushy Creek). Taken at Brushy Creek Lake Park Dec 27 2025 during Christmas Bird Count.

Eastern Bluebird perched on top of a tree branch at the top of a tree. Taken at Brushy Creek Lake Park Dec 27 2025 during Christmas Bird Count.

Treetop flock of Cedar Waxwings. Taken at Brushy Creek Lake Park Dec 27 2025 during Christmas Bird Count.

Great Blue Heron standing on a small area of land surrounded by water (Brushy Creek)with grasses, brush, and deciduous trees (some bare branches, some still with leaves), along the banks of the creek on both sides and a fallen branch/log visible in the creek beyond the heron.Taken at Brushy Creek Lake Park Dec 27 2025 during Christmas Bird Count.

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Rene Bartos @rebwrites.bsky.social · 29/12/2025

The Desert Botanical Garden's Las Noches de las Luminarias event makes the holidays magical. Garden pathways with luminarias, musical performances, gorgeous desert sunsets, the wonder of the blue hour, and time in nature with family. Priceless. #nature #botanicalgarden #luminaria #arizonasunset

Photo of welcome sign at the entrance of the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix Arizona. Succulent plants are growing from the sign display and some are blooming. Taken Dec 22 2025

Photo of sunset at Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix Arizona with Saguaro cactus and desert plants in the foreground and crescent moon visible in the sky. Taken Dec 22 2025

Photo just after sunset of a path surrounded by stone walls and a variety of plants and trees. The path is illuminated with paper bag/candle luminarias and string lights on the nearby trees. Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix Arizona, Dec 22 2025

Photo of deep blue, purple, and pink sky just after sunset with cacti and trees native to the Sonoran desert at the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix Arizona taken Dec 22 2025

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Rene Bartos @rebwrites.bsky.social · 14/12/2025

Poetry birding-haiku in photo and a free form version. I can't clearly see your crests, colors, or facial masks. But I heard your high-pitched whistles. I saw you swoop in to land together in the treetop. Social birds, I know you are Cedar Waxwings despite morning fog. #poetry #haikusaturday

A flock of birds perched in upper branches of a deciduous tree in fall that has lost most of its leaves. Details of the birds are hard to make out given the morning fog, grey sky, and distance (taken with phone cam).

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Rene Bartos @rebwrites.bsky.social · 13/12/2025

For our Travis Audubon poetry birding event today we tackled epistolary poetry in the early morning fog. Here is my first try! #nature #epistolarypoetry

Photograph from a path overlooking the Colorado River in fall on a foggy morning. Roy G. Guerrero Park in Austin Texas

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Rene Bartos @rebwrites.bsky.social · 06/12/2025

Just realized @birdability is on Blue Sky! Reposting and tagging. Thank you to founder Virginia Rose for being a part of this workshop. I recommend checking out their website for helpful resources and more info.

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Rene Bartos @rebwrites.bsky.social · 06/12/2025

Last week I had the honor of presenting a workshop on Nature Connections for Children of All Abilities at Texas Children in Nature Network's 2025 Summit along with amazing community partners from Birdability, Texas A&M Agrilife Extension, and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. 🌳 #natureforall

Photo of a slide presentation on a screen with 4 presenters, 3 are standing and one is seated in a wheelchair in front of people seated at tables watching the presenters.

Photo of a slide presentation on a large screen. The slide text says Nature Connections for Children of All Abilities and has a photo with wildflowers. A table below the sceen has items that appear to be flyers, resources (unable to see details). Standing to the left of the screen is a woman smiling at the camera, hands clasped in front.

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Rene Bartos @rebwrites.bsky.social · 06/12/2025

As I was strolling through a nearby park, I looked at the path and was reminded of the importance of accessibility to help make nature welcoming for all, something I have been learning more about in my work connecting kids to nature. #haikusaturday #natureforall

View from a dirt park path that is flat and fairly even, with trees along the side of the trail providing shade. Beyond the trees is a sloping area with a hint of a body of water to the left of this portion of the path.

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Rene Bartos @rebwrites.bsky.social · 22/11/2025

Photo taken at Blair Woods Nature Preserve in Austin for our Travis Audubon poetry birding event November 8, 2025 #haikusaturday #nativeplants #nature

Photo of Palmleaf Mistflower plant zoomed in on blossoms, purple-blue color with a fuzzy or mist-like appearance to the flowers. To me they look like little whiskers coming out of the flowers.

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Rene Bartos @rebwrites.bsky.social · 09/11/2025

On our poetry birding hike today we wrote nonets. This is my first attempt at writing one! We heard Carolina Chickadees along the trail. Although I didn't capture a good photo today, I added a nonet to a rough sketch I made from a photo I took of a Black-capped Chickadee in the NE.

Sketch of a Black-capped Chickadee with a nonet typed onto the sketch.

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Rene Bartos @rebwrites.bsky.social · 09/11/2025

Had a great morning on our Travis Audubon poetry birding hike at Blair Woods Nature Preserve in Austin. This interesting spider was hanging above the trail. #haikusaturday #nature

Spinybacked Orbweaver spider hanging from a web, which was strung between tree branches over a wooded trail in Blair Woods Nature Preserve this morning in Austin Tx

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ZERO TO THREE @zerotothree.bsky.social · 01/11/2025

For Native American communities, providing a strong start for their children includes enriching practices that embrace their heritages, languages and cultures. Join us in celebrating our indigenous communities and the professionals who support them: bit.ly/3UtZahb

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Lisa Rogers @lisaljrogers.bsky.social · 01/11/2025

❤️ this! "...using picture books for STEAM and PBL is about building bridges: between literacy and science, imagination and innovation, the classroom and the real world...we offer students the tools to question, create, experience, and connect." @lindsayamoretti.bsky.social #Educators #PBL #STEAM

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Kidlit For Growing Minds @kl4gm.bsky.social · 01/11/2025

The Nov. newsletter with an article by author @lynnstreetbooks.bsky.social is ready to read! Find book news, teaching tips, inspiration, and #KidLitForGrowingMinds members who will attend NCTE! 📚 #NCTE2025 #edusky #booksky #schoollibrarians #skybrarian tinyurl.com/zk4asf3m

kidlitforgrowingminds.substack.com

Every Seed (and Book) Holds Possibility

By Lynn Street

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Rene Bartos @rebwrites.bsky.social · 01/11/2025

Cloudy and rainy morning hike today but the birds always delight! #haikusaturday #birding #nature

A Red-bellied woodpecker is clinging to a branch. Photo taken at Roy G. Guerrero Colorado River Park

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