Caretaker's note: Texas is known for its unpredictable weather. The ice storm hit central Texas for three days between January 13th and 16th. This was one of the most severe ice storms recorded in Texas weather history. Reports of power outages were widespread. The storm affected a huge area in North America, from the Rio Grande valley to New England and Canada. watersto_jennystone damage consisted of broken limbs on large oak and juniper trees. The pretty winter wonderland melted on day 3. Walking through the woods was risky as huge ice chunks fell and tree limbs cracked under the weight of the ice. See more photos.

Caretaker's note: A raccoon was seen listless in the road in the afternoon. Raccoons are normally nocturnal. It was picked up in a thick blanket with caretaker wearing thick gloves. There was no struggle indicating its illness. It was kept in a box in the house during the extreme cold weather and given food and water. The box was cleaned out daily until travel was possible after the ice storm.

It was taken to Wildlife Rescue where it was diagnosed with distemper. Raccoons can contract both feline and canine distemper. It had evidence of blindness and a limp. The eyes had a greenish color instead of black. It was given a distemper vaccine, which arrests the progress of the disease. It was left at Wildlife Rescue. Caretakers were advised to redesign the feeding area so that raccoons would not share feeding in close proximity to one another. Instead of one large pile of black oil sunflower seeds, the seed is scattered in a broad area.

Caretaker's note: Oak Wilt is a fungal disease that affects Live oaks, Shumard oaks, Red oaks (also called Spanish oaks), Black jack oaks and other members of the Red oak family. Experts have developed this Eight Step Program to correctly identify the problem. The fungus spreads through the root system and can be carried by beetles that are infected with the fungus. Proper pruning and careful wood storage can help prevent the spread of the disease. Oak Wilt, and other tree diseases are another reason to preserve Ashe juniper species in a woodland.

Treatment was provided by Paula Johnson's company Oak Wilt Specialists of Texas.

Caretaker's note: This Monarch butterfly was flying south to its wintering grounds in Mexico. They cannot survive freezing temperatures and in the fall travel in large groups to warm winter climates. The

Caretaker's note: The cup of water hung above the feeder keeps ants out of the hummingbird food. The water guards also provide another drinking place for thirsty birds in the drought.

The hummingbird feeding mixture is 4 parts water to 1 part plain white sugar. Do not cook to dissolve, just stir very well and keep refrigerated. It is not necessary to add red dye to the feeding mixture because the red color on the feeder will attract the hummingbirds.

Caretaker's note: Continued feeding stations. Animals benefit from supplemental feeding, black oil sunflower seeds are a favorite for many species. Using 900 pounds a week