Blog
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Reseeding The Short Native Grasses
One of the first things I did here in the spring was to clear Bermudagrass from the perimeter of the back yard, seed the area with the Thunder Turf mix of three native grasses, and then disappointingly have the seed washed away or moved by torrential rain. Here are links to posts describing those events: Planning, Preparation, Seeding, Rain… Continue reading
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Two Grasshoppers Just Chilling
And “chilling” is perhaps appropriate, given that the temperature when these photos were taken was 43F — quite a contrast from 100F just a month ago. These are two American Bird Grasshoppers (Schistocerca americana) resting on a Texas Barometer Bush (Leucophyllum frutescens). I didn’t see any evidence that they had been eating the plant. They… Continue reading
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My Little Pollinator Garden
I’m taking different approaches for the front and back gardens in this new lot. The back area is a major work-in-progress that will probably take 2-3 years to take shape. In contrast, the front — and more visible to the public — area is intended to look more managed, even as changes are being made.… Continue reading
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Collecting Salvia Babies
I planted two Scarlet Sage (Salvia coccinea) in front of the house this spring. Salvias are some of the easiest plants to grow and pollinators love them. Their season is long, and even through this summer’s drought, they thrived and even self-seeded. Here’s one of the plants with a few tiny babies to the right.… Continue reading
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The Last Sunflower Has Been Taken Down
To have received so many volunteer sunflowers in this first year here has been such a gift. They have colorfully provided food for birds and insects that I hadn’t planned and I’ve enjoyed watching all that. Over time, each of the plants has been removed to make way for other projects and it’s time for… Continue reading
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Mid-Height Prairie Grasses
I have a small area near the back of the garden where I tried to seed Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) in the spring. Nothing grew. Last month I bought a Little Bluestem in a pot, split the clump into pieces, and planted those. Also in that area, I planted one Gulf Muhly (Muhlenbergia capillaris). In… Continue reading
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Camouflage
This is probably a Syrbula, which is a genus of slant-faced grasshoppers in the family Acrididae. Doesn’t it have amazing camouflage in the lawn, which is currently a mixture of green and brown? Continue reading
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Native Grasses Don’t Need Mowing, But Mine Got A Haircut
I have defined two areas in my garden for native grasses: a 5-ft strip around the perimeter where a mixture of three short grasses (“Thunder Turf”) have been sown, and a smaller area near the back for three kinds of mid-height prairie grasses. The original sowing of the short grasses was only partly successful because… Continue reading
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I Left The Garden For Five Days. What Did It Do?
I went out of town for five days. Of course I wanted to see what the garden had done while I was away, so a tour was in order as soon as I returned. Most of what I noticed was a consequence of a soaking rain on the first day, and the start of consistently… Continue reading
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Thorns, Spines, And Prickles
Have you, like me, been mistakenly interchanging the words thorn, spine, and prickle to name sharp protrusions on plants? I have now been educated on this topic and so I share this with you! THORNS are modified branches or stems, and grow from nodes. This example is a Huisache tree that was planted here until… 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 