Blog
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A Color-Changing Treefrog
I was just walking by the American Beautyberry shrub one day when out of the corner of my eye I saw what looked at first like a large white fungal growth. When I looked closer it turned out to be a striking pale colored small frog! I was thrilled to see it because I had… Continue reading
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Grackle Fledgling Drama
While eating lunch on the back patio one day I noticed some odd activity among sunflowers near our Texas Mountain Laurel tree. With the aid of binoculars, I was able to see that there was a dark-colored baby bird sitting about halfway up a sunflower stem, apparently unable to fly. Nearby on the fence was… Continue reading
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Mexican Olive Has Now Exceeded Last Year’s Height
Long-time readers may remember that my Mexican Olive tree has had a tough beginning getting established here. This is a tree that does very well in heat and drought, but is more prone to freeze damage than I realized. During its first winter (2023-2024) some growing tips were lost during the one freeze we had,… Continue reading
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Planting Powderpuff That Was Foraged From Houston
A few weeks ago when I was in Houston I spotted a plant growing wild that I wanted for my garden — Powderpuff aka Sunshine Mimosa (Mimosa strigillosa). I dug up some root and stem pieces and brought them to Seguin, but because I was travelling I didn’t have a chance to get them into… Continue reading
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Finch Nest Update
Unfortunately, this post does not have a happy ending. Since the House Finch eggs hatched on June 24-28, 2025 I was periodically observing them with a stick mirror. On July 3 I caught my first glimpse of a baby chick from the ground without the mirror. There was one little beak visible at the front… Continue reading
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A Two-Week July Vacation
Vacations are fun, and what is also fun is seeing what the garden did during my time away (without it being watered!). I was recently gone for two weeks in July 2025 and this is what caught my eye when I got back. Sunflowers had grown A LOT. I will need to cut some of… Continue reading
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Pond Volunteer
In the pond are two pots of Aquatic Milkweed (Asclepias perennis). At some point volunteers arrived in each of the pots — I don’t see them in older photos of the milkweeds, so I don’t think they were original passengers. One is blooming and one is not, but they look like the same thing. Both… Continue reading
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More Happy Signs Of Fungal Activity
I know very little about fungi, and I don’t have a good way to identify what I find. However, as long as it is not destroying a valued plant, my general assumption is that fungal activity in the garden is a good thing. Mushrooms and their companions are part of the decay process that converts… Continue reading
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Prickly Pear Is Growing Well
On May 16, 2025 I planted a young Prickly Pear cactus, grown from a mature plant that is in San Antonio. I think this might be a Spineless Prickly Pear (Opuntia ellisiana), which has been derived by cultivation (so not a true native), but I may have to study it more as it grows to confirm… Continue reading
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Common Spotted Whiptail
This was the first year (two years since starting a wildlife habitat garden) that I caught sight of a Common Spotted Whiptail (Aspidoscelis gularis) lizard. This particular one may or may not be in the subspecies of Texas Spotted Whiptail (Aspidoscelis gularis gularis). I have had glimpses several times this spring and summer, but these… Continue reading
About Me
Nature Lover.
Inquisitive Observer.
Student Gardener.
I invite you to join me on my journey to convert my sterile (from a nature point of view) new house lot to a healthy and diverse ecosystem, as I make discoveries, mistakes, and hopefully progress. I am not an expert or professional. The project started in February 2023 and the location is Seguin, Texas, USA.
Rewilding My Lot 