Fredericksburg peaches in the Texas hill country

[RKEnnis]

I visited Marburger Orchard near Fredericksburg. They allow you to pick peaches from their orchard (for a price, of course). I go every year; it's a real blast! For me, summer isn't complete without fresh, juicy peaches.

http://www.marburgerorchard.com/

Here are a few shots I took there:

[onewingedangel73106]

nice shots and dang those are some big ants *shudders*

[pentaxtexas]

Nice shot of the those cool peaches!

I love native fire ants! Did you try getting one to climb around your hand? They're very docile, not like imported fire ants at all, and when they do defend themselves (usually if you've crushed them) they just bite, which feels like a pinch. :D

[ka5txl]

Originally Posted by pentaxtexas

Nice shot of the those cool peaches!

I love native fire ants! Did you try getting one to climb around your hand? They're very docile, not like imported fire ants at all, and when they do defend themselves (usually if you've crushed them) they just bite, which feels like a pinch. :D

Are you related to a previous Tx Agriculture Commisioner who stuck his hand in a fire ant mound and was suprised that those little ba***rds bites sting Actually those were good pictures and now I have this craving for Blue Bell Peach Ice Cream

[mdparthum]

Aren't those Red Ants?

[RKEnnis]

I think they are Texas red ants, otherwise known as harvester ants.

http://insects.tamu.edu/extension/bulletins/l-5314.html

They are pretty docile. When I was a kid, I used to let them crawl on my hands, and they would occasionally "pinch" me, but never stung me.

They used to be very common in San Antonio area, but not any longer. They are threatened by imported fire ants. Which is a real bummer, since they are a major food source for the Texas horned lizard. Actually, the horned lizards are doubly threatened by imported fire ants - fire ants kill their food and also attack them and their young directly.