Weather, trees and bugs (Houston, Austin: condo, trip , rent)

[Jennrn10]

Can the locals describe what the weather is really like?

Baltimore has 4 seasons and summer is very humid.

Also I have seen pix with some trees. I assume there are birds in them? And how about squirrels?

Bugs- I am used to mosquitoes and bees. Besides scorpions what else can I expect?

How far is is beach? Is Houston where everyone goes?

[love roses]

Galveston would be 3+ hours away. Same for Corpus or South Padre.
Centipedes. the bees (not all of them, but some) are africanized, so do be wary. Right now we're having a freeze. Our seasons are Summer, Summer, Light Summer, and small winter. Oh, and spiders and roaches, black flies. We've also seen some praying mantis and walking sticks.

[AustinTraveler]

I moved here from Florida and believe me, Texas has nothing on Florida when it comes to bugs. I haven't seen a scorpion or a roach since I moved here. And mosquitos definitely haven't been a problem for us like they were in Florida. I find all the bug questions on this forum so funny. Why does everyone think there are so many bugs in Texas?

There are plenty of trees, birds and squirrels, at least in my neighborhood. Of course, all of this depends on where you live. Different parts of Austin (and the outskirts) have different types of vegetation. And, some of the newer developments aren't going to have much in the way of trees.

As for the weather, don't expect anything consistent, except for summer (which is basically May through October) which is hot. Humidity is definitely not as bad here as it was in Florida. Winter can be beautiful and sunny one day and freezing the next. The cold never lasts very long though. I just got back from the store and it's about 40 outside with a freezing rain. On Tuesday it will be in the 80's.

The only beach I've been to in Texas was Galveston. I wasn't impressed but then I used to live on the Gulf Coast in Florida. Personally, I don't miss the beach at all. Austin has freshwater lakes which I like a lot better.

Hope this helps.

[FromCalitoSteinerRanch]

Originally Posted by Jennrn10

Can the locals describe what the weather is really like?

Baltimore has 4 seasons and summer is very humid.

Also I have seen pix with some trees. I assume there are birds in them? And how about squirrels?

Bugs- I am used to mosquitoes and bees. Besides scorpions what else can I expect?

How far is is beach? Is Houston where everyone goes?

Gavelston is where some folks go, but the water is very turbid (read this as meaning brown), but there is a boardwalk, etc. My family, we go to Port Aransas, or for like a 4 or 5 day trip to South Padre Island.

In SPI, you can rent a condo right on the beach for about $150-$300/night depending on size. Off season is less. We use the kitchen to cook and then have one or two family meals to save a few bucks. The money we save, we put towards Schlitterban Water Park, and other fun things. It is about 6 hours drive.

We see squirrels and birds all the time. My sister is a "birder" or whatever they call themselves, and she said there are several areas listed for even Austin to bird watch.

[Adios Baltimore]

I am also coming from Baltimore and I have visited Austin twice so I can tell you what we noticed.
The trees are short compared to around here, my husband noticed that right away. It is beautiful there. I knew nothing about TX before we came and was actually thinking I was going to see tumbleweeds rolling across the road and nothing but dirt. I was very wrong!
Our friends were living in San Marcos at our last visit and it took us all of 2 min to find a scorpion on the side of their house at night. I was slightly freaked out to say the least. They were definitely in the country though.

It was about 90-95 degrees there in May though but it really didn't feel like it. The humidity was nothing like Baltimore. I'm sure it's get way hotter later in the season but I think we can take it!

[achtungpv]

Most from the northeast freak out at the 2+ inch cockroaches. Fire ants are bad and you'd better have the poison ready when your first infestation starts. Worst than the bugs, IMHO, are the weeds. Grass was not meant to grow in central TX. Yard work is definitely a challenge until your yard is very well established.

[jwb123]

There are actually TOO MANY birds here. It's a little freaky, all these Grackles... and they all congregate together... here in Round Rock, there will be a parking lot - and every single branch is covered with these Grackles crowded on it...

It's weird.

[love roses]

That's so funny Jenbar, cause me and my husband are always joking about it turning into the movie "The Birds" because there are always so many.

[love roses]

Just a note...I've only seen the centipedes whenever I'm out digging around in the garden. The fire ants are the worst, and they're forever trying to get into the house. My husband actually had to pour gasoline on a little anthill near our back door, because nothing else would run them off.

[jwb123]

Yeah, the ants are the only bug I have had a problem with. I don't even see worms in the soil - because it's so clay-like here. I don't feel like the mosquitos are any worse here than I have seen elsewhere.