Blog
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Common Sootywing
I’ve seen a few butterflies here this year so far, but there is not much for them to eat yet. They’re also tricky to photograph as they are flitting around — I usually end up discarding tens of photos just to get one that will do, and sometimes I fail altogether. Anyway, this Common Sootywing… Continue reading
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New Spring Growth: Barbados Cherry
I planted my Barbados Cherry (Malpighia glabra) last fall. It lost all its leaves in the winter freeze, but is now growing back from the lowest part of the trunk. It is a dwarf variety, and it’s even more tiny now. In fact, I have to be careful that I don’t trip over it because… Continue reading
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Dog Vomit Slime Mold!
Having owned a dog, I would say this Dog Vomit Slime Mold (Fuligo septica) is aptly named! It’s also known as Scrambled Egg Slime (yuck!). Dog Vomit Slime Mold often appears on bark mulch in urban settings and I’ve seen it before. We haven’t had much rain lately, but we have had some mornings with… Continue reading
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Volunteer: Texas Toadflax
I have several volunteer Texas Toadflax (Nuttallanthus texanus) plants here, especially in the front yard area. From a carpet of leaves that lie close to the ground emerge tall delicate stems with purple flowers that have an interesting shape. Continue reading
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Mating Salt Marsh Moths
I was just wandering around my garden a few days ago when I saw a bright white object. Thinking it was a piece of trash, I reached down to pick it up and discovered that it was actually a mating pair of Salt Marsh Moths (Estigmene acrea). I first saw them about 2pm and they… Continue reading
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My First Bluebonnet Flowers
I chose to grow Texas Bluebonnets (Lupinus texensis) here for several reasons: I dispersed Bluebonnet seeds last fall, which resulted in numerous small rosettes of leaves that emerged quickly after that and then quietly grew roots over the winter. More growth started above ground once we had warmer temperatures, and now I am starting to… Continue reading
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Three Sisters Garden #1: Mound Preparation
Sometime last year I heard of the concept of a “Three Sisters Garden” where three types of vegetable (corn, beans, squash) grow cooperatively together on mounds of soil. This particular gardening technique is based on centuries of Native American agricultural traditions and expertise. Corn is planted first. After the corn stalks have begun to grow,… Continue reading
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“Tardily Deciduous”
In front of our house are two Live Oak trees, variety unknown (perhaps Quercus fusiformis?), planted by the builder before we moved here. That does not seem the best choice of tree in this location, given their potential mature size and susceptibility to oak wilt. If they had been unhealthy, I would not have hesitated… Continue reading
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Volunteer: Smallflower Desert-Chicory
At first I thought this Smallflower Desert-Chicory (Pyrrhopappus pauciflorus) was a dandelion. Given that its other common names include Texas Dandelion and False Dandelion, my confusion is perhaps understandable. It seems to be quite abundant here, but if it’s not in the way, I’ll let it stay. Continue reading
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New Spring Growth: Silver Ponyfoot
In late October last year, I planted three small specimens of Silver Ponyfoot (Dichondra argentea) in the front pollinator garden. This is a sun-loving native groundcover with white flowers and grey/green-colored leaves that have a metallic appearance in sunlight. During the winter it froze back but did not die. All three plants are showing new growth… 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 