Blog
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Insect Poop Is Called Frass
One of the host plants for Bordered Patch butterflies, which I have seen here, is sunflowers and I do have an abundance of those. I wrote last year about observing Bordered Patch caterpillars, and I am starting to see them again. These caterpillars seem to travel around a sunflower plant as a pack, which surprises… Continue reading
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American Beautyberry In Recovery
I bought an American Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana) in the spring of 2023 because of how stunning the purple berries are and I had fond memories of my Houston plant. The Seguin plant has been through a lot of trauma since then, with last summer’s drought and then the January freeze earlier this year. Here’s a… Continue reading
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Understanding Corn Plants
I had never grown corn before I started my Three Sisters Garden project this year, nor had I ever studied the structure and development of a corn plant. Once my plants started to grow, it soon became apparent that things were happening that I didn’t understand so of course there had to be research. I… Continue reading
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More Milkweeds, Although Unplanned!
There is a small triangular area at the back of the garden that I have designated for native milkweed plants. Earlier this year I planted seven tiny plants: 4 Antelope Horns Milkweed (Asclepias asperula) and 3 Butterflyweed (Asclepias tuberosa). In addition, I had previously scattered some seed for Zizotes Milkweed (Asclepias oenotheroides) in the area,… Continue reading
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Wind Damage To The Desert Willow
Last week we had a few hours of extremely high winds (our local newspaper said 70mph), which was apparently enough to tear a split in a fork near the top of my Desert Willow tree. This tree does move more than others in the wind (one of the reasons I like it), and it must… Continue reading
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Fall Aster Seems Confused
In my front pollinator garden I have a Fall Aster (Symphyotrichum oblongifolium), which is “supposed” to bloom September to November. However, this plant has a few flowers in mid-May, and additional buds suggest there will be more. Sometimes plants will do this if they perceive an unusual climate signal, although they usually sort themselves out.… Continue reading
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Mushrooms!
Decay of organic matter is an important part of my journey to improve soil health in this new development lot. So it’s not at all surprising to see fungi of different types here. They often pop up overnight, stay a few days, and then break down. I’ve written before about the aptly named Dog Vomit… Continue reading
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Native Grasses Get Mown Twice A Year
I don’t have complete coverage yet of my perimeter area of short native grasses (Thunder Turf), but there is a significant amount of grass there, nevertheless. These native grasses were chosen because of their deep roots, drought tolerance, support of wildlife, and minimal care. For instance, the mowing schedule is twice a YEAR! May is… Continue reading
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Lanceleaf Coreopsis
Lanceleaf Coreopsis (Coreopsis lanceolata) is a plant that I tried to grow in Houston, but that one never flowered for me. Undeterred, that was my choice of plant to put in the giant pot that supports my rain gauge. It is now flowering, although it’s a little hard to notice among the other yellow blooms… Continue reading
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Hairstreak On A Beebalm
I see a lot of these dainty little grey butterflies here. This is a Gray Hairstreak (Strymon melinus) nectaring on a Beebalm, Bee Mine Pink (Monarda didyma). For a long time, these butterflies confused me because I thought I was seeing pairs that were closely beside each other head to tail. However, the Hairstreaks all… 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 