Blog
-
Storm Damage To The Three Sisters Garden
The night of April 9, 2024, just three days after sowing bean seeds in my Three Sisters mounds, there was a fierce storm with 2.1 inches of rain/hail and high winds. Most of the garden was not affected, but some nearby Firewheel plants near the mounds were knocked over, which in turn knocked over a… Continue reading
-
The Intricate Design Of A Caterpillar
Caterpillars are the larval stage for a moth or butterfly, between egg and adult. As they grow they shed several times before the pupation phase where they develop into their adult form. Here’s something I had to look up: moths make cocoons; butterflies make chrysalises. I find it fascinating that the coloration of caterpillars often… Continue reading
-
“Tall Sock-Destroyer”!
Common Hedge Parsley (Torilis arvensis) is a weed that when it first grows looks like carrot leaves. The tiny white flowers look innocent enough, but the seeds that form later are covered with hooked hairs, hence one of its other names being Tall Sock-Destroyer. Common Hedge Parsley is annual, so if I want to remove… Continue reading
-
Bluebonnets Are Beginning To Seed
I’ve never grown Bluebonnets (Lupinus texensis) before, so I am enjoying watching their life cycle. Seeds for this year’s crop were scattered last fall, and by November or December there were small flat rosettes of leaves which stayed that way until spring. Blooms started appearing in February. There are still blooms in April, but I… Continue reading
-
Conjoined Flowers
This conjoined flower caught my eye, and of course I had questions. Is this common? What causes it? First, the plant is a volunteer sunflower, I believe perhaps a Cucumberleaf Sunflower (Helianthus debilis). I have several of them here, and they grow to about 3-4 feet tall. They are also called Beach Sunflowers, and although… Continue reading
-
A Wildflower Meadow In An Urban Environment
I have only a small piece of land. I am trying to “wildscape” that as much as possible, but I also need to bear in mind that I am in the middle of a housing development where many of my neighbors (and the HOA!) have expectations as to what an urban lot should look like.… Continue reading
-
“Will You Share?”
In my opinion, the little guy here would be better off moving to another stem, if not another plant entirely. I believe these are both Ermine Moth (Genus Estigmene) caterpillars (although I could be wrong there), and they are demolishing a dandelion flower. When I went to look later in the day, that entire stem had… Continue reading
-
Three Sisters Garden #3: Beans
See this earlier post for a general summary of the Three Sisters Garden and preparation of the growing mounds. On March 17, 2024, each of my five Three Sisters mounds received four corn seeds of the variety Ambrosia (Zea mays hybrid), and I marked the location of the seeds. The seeds were lightly watered daily. All of the corn… Continue reading
-
A Hungry Caterpillar
I see a lot of these dark fuzzy caterpillars here. They grow into Salt Marsh Moths (Estigmene acrea). They seem to feed on a variety of plants, which I don’t mind, unless they happen to visit a tiny plant that I am nurturing. If I spot that, then they get hurled to a different part… Continue reading
-
Three Visitors On One Flower
As I wander around, or sit in, my little developing nature garden, I get to watch abundant life. I can’t always identify or photograph what I see, so the things I share here represent just a small portion of my enjoyment. On this occasion, I happened to spot three separate visitors on one Smallflower Desert-Chicory… 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 