Blog
-
A Gift For The Garden (And My Hands)
The “green mulch” approach of growing annual plants to fill my space this year means that I am generating quite a bit of biomass when it comes time to cut those plants down. In the short term, I have been able to lay cut stems on the ground as pathways but I will eventually run… Continue reading
-
Sometimes I Just Work Around A Plant
I like Lemon Beebalm aka Purple Horsemint (Monarda citriodora) and there is one pretty volunteer that kept falling over in the garden. Before I could get around to staking it, it had become quite comfortable just laying across a path and the flowers had adjusted to growing upwards, even though that was technically sideways. So… Continue reading
-
More Clearing, For An Important Project!
The biggest project that I am embarking on this year is installation of an ecosystem pond. This will be a water source available to everything from birds down to the tiniest of wildlife visitors, and I hope it will be an attractive feature for humans to watch as well. The first of many steps is… Continue reading
-
A Sea Of Sunflowers
There are primarily two kinds of sunflower here, both volunteers: Beach Sunflower (Helianthus debilis) and Common Sunflower (Helianthus annuus). I have mostly allowed them to grow in the furthest part of the back garden, which was seeded with tall plants. Of the three types of seed that I dispersed in that area, only one grew… Continue reading
-
This Moth Fooled Me At First
I happened to be in front of the house when I saw something flying around the pollinator garden. It was about the size of a hummingbird and it was flitting around like they do, but something didn’t seem quite right. After a while, it landed and sat among the leaves of my Gulf Muhly (Muhlenbergia… Continue reading
-
A Lanceleaf Coreopsis Stowaway?
I have a volunteer plant in the bed behind the house that appears to be a Lanceleaf Coreopsis (Coreopsis lanceolata). I did put this plant elsewhere in the garden, and they are known to self-seed, but the one that I planted has only just begun to flower so that can’t be the origin. I think… Continue reading
-
Two Insects I Haven’t Mentioned Before
Not surprisingly, I get a lot of insect visitors here. Every now and again I’ll intervene if they are attacking a vulnerable plant or something that I wish to eat myself, but if I can, I’ll let them do what they need to do. Insects are such an important part of the nature ecosystem. Here… Continue reading
-
Clearing A Back Corner
In this second year of my “rewilding” project, I am using annual native flowers (seeded or volunteer) to cover most of the back yard. This “green mulch” approach allows me to capture water before it runs off, prevent soil erosion, improve soil health, and host wildlife visitors while I continue to make more long-term plans… Continue reading
-
Funereal Duskywing
This is a Funereal Duskywing (Erynnis funeralis) butterfly feeding on a Firewheel aka Indian Blanket (Gaillardia pulchella) flower. I’ve never noticed the caterpillars here, but their host plants include a couple of weed plants that are common in this area (vetch, burclover) so it’s not surprising that I’d see the adults. Continue reading
-
Beebalm Volunteers
I have two kinds of volunteer Beebalm (also known as Horsemint) plants here. They attract a lot of insect visitors, and I’ve even seen a hummingbird at one of the plants. Here are some of the Spotted Beebalm aka Spotted Horsemint (Monarda punctata), which are all in front of the house. And here are some… 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 