Blog
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Relocating Caterpillars
Since I last reported finding a Queen caterpillar in my milkweed patch, of course I visited often to see how it (and the plant it was eating) was doing. Over the course of the next two days I realized that there were actually three other Queen caterpillars moving among the milkweed plants. Each was about… Continue reading
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Observations At The Wood Pile
One of the first things I did when starting the garden last year was obtain a pile of logs from a dead tree that was cut down and assemble them into a wood pile. I planted a Frogfruit (Phyla nodiflora) in one of the internal pockets of the pile, and then pretty much left the… Continue reading
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Rock Rose Hidden But Doing Well
Last year I got a few trees and smaller perennials started, and then filled in the gaps with annuals from seed. One of the perennials was Rock Rose (Pavonia lasiopetala), which is growing well although rather obscured by everything else going on around it. It’s a pretty little shrub with high drought tolerance. Continue reading
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Hopeful For My (Almost) Leafless Red Buckeye
I planted a tiny Red Buckeye (Aesculus pavia) tree in April this year (see post). Here’s a photo from when it was new, just 13 inches tall: In early July I noticed that leaves were turning yellow and falling, so naturally I was concerned. Was it getting enough or too much water? Was it ailing?… Continue reading
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Red Yucca Expansion
In May 2023 I bought one pot of Red Yucca (Hesperaloe parviflora) that had four growing points. I split the pot into three portions, then planted the two biggest ones separately and the smallest two as a clump. All the plants took a few weeks to establish, but then have grown well in the past… Continue reading
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A Queen Caterpillar
I have seen Queen (Danaus gilippus) butterflies here, so it is not surprising to find a caterpillar. Queen caterpillars are very similar in appearance to Monarch caterpillars, and they also use milkweeds as their host plant, so I had to look very closely at this one to know which it was. (Another clue is the… Continue reading
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Tidying Up The Pollinator Garden
The front pollinator garden doesn’t need a lot of maintenance, but after a couple of weeks of my being away it was time for a little tidy-up. Specifically, the volunteer Spotted Beebalm aka Spotted Horsemint (Monarda punctata) had finished flowering and was lying on top of other plants that were actively growing. This is a… Continue reading
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Another Spider Breakfast
I was just walking beside the house yesterday and happened to notice a Spotted Orbweaver (Neoscona crucifera) spider hanging from a single thread from the eaves. No big deal. But suddenly there was frantic activity as a dragonfly appeared tangled in the thread. After some wrestling, which quickly subdued the dragonfly, the spider hoisted its… Continue reading
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Phaon Crescent
Frogfruit (Phyla nodiflora) is the host plant for Phaon Crescent (Phyciodes phaon) butterflies. For several weeks I have been seeing many of these small butterflies, although I haven’t spotted any caterpillars yet. There are nibbles on Frogfruit leaves, however. Maybe caterpillars are doing that? This butterfly also visits other nearby plants, although in this case on the Texas… Continue reading
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Ten Days Absent, And Caterpillars Had A Feast
I was away from the garden for ten days and a quick scan when I returned suggested that most things looked pretty happy. However, one thing that I would have caught earlier had I been here was another batch of Genista Broom Moth (Uresiphita reversalis) caterpillars eating new leaves on my little Texas Mountain Laurel… 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 