Rewilding My Lot

A few cold nights sent me to the east-facing front porch for breakfast where it’s sunnier in the mornings. So while I was there I took a few photos.

I was supervised by our resident Barn Swallows. The female got the cozy nest, the male got to sit outside. They seem fairly accustomed to us — I presume they wouldn’t have built a nest if they felt threatened. The noise and movement of opening the door sometimes sends them away, but they return very soon afterwards.

The wildflower meadow looks very vibrant! The majority of blooms at the moment are Texas Bluebonnets (Lupinus texensis), but there are also more Firewheel aka Indian Blankets (Gaillardia pulchella) now. In the photo below, you can see that some of the bluebonnets have started to make seed pods.

I can see a few other plants in the meadow as well. For instance, I’ve spotted a Roadside Gaura (Oenothera suffulta) and some Golden Wave Tickseed (Coreopsis basalis) — these are annuals that I saw last year also.

Both of the Live Oak trees are green and bushy, so they look happy.

The Mexican Buckeye (Ungnadia speciosa) tree is very small, dwarfed by bluebonnets at the moment. If it weren’t for its little stake, it would be hard to find.

In the pollinator garden (bed in front of the house), stray bluebonnets provide much of the color and food while the perennials are waking up from their winter rest.

And here are a couple more photos of the meadow.