Rewilding My Lot

For several weeks, there have been new seedlings appearing in the wildflower meadow in front of the house. And then, after a very welcome two inches of rain in late October, even more have sprouted up.

These are annual wildflowers that will grow bigger and bloom next spring, but in the meantime the seeds are germinating and the plants are growing roots in preparation. They will stay small during the winter, and if we have freezes they won’t mind.

The easiest to recognize are the Texas Bluebonnets (Lupinus texensis). The first two leaves that appear are thick and round, and then later leaves are the more recognizable shape of the mature plant. (There’s a larger version in the first photo of this post, with its compound leaf of five leaflets.)

It also looks like there will be plenty of bluebonnets under the oak trees (which are producing a lot of acorns this year!).

I see many Firewheel aka Indian Blanket (Gaillardia pulchella).

For the first time there are a handful of Standing Cypress (Ipomopsis rubra) in the meadow. These are biennial plants and the small rosettes that I see now are first-year plants. Next year they should grow taller and bloom.

There are a few perennial Mealy Blue Sage (Salvia farinacea) plants in the meadow. I spared them when I mowed the area down for the winter, in the hopes that they would drop more seed. Mealy Blue Sage is a valuable food source in the fall, lasting long after the spring annuals have finished, and behind the house they are growing (and reseeding) very well. This is my first year to establish them in the meadow.

And then there are a host of other things growing that I don’t recognize yet. I will have to wait until spring to see how the meadow looks — it’s different every year!

You may notice that there is still bermudagrass in what theoretically would be the front lawn. Instead of removing it, as I did behind the house, I have chosen to keep it. I stress it (by not watering it), and I encourage its competitors (by making sure there’s a good seed bank on the ground). The grass does not seem to interfere with development of the wildflower meadow, and it may be helping to reduce soil erosion. We are peacefully coexisting!