Blog
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Water Usage
One of my major goals here is to conserve water. That has always been important, but with new housing development and climate change I believe that water availability and management will become an increasingly critical issue over time. It is certainly the topic of some serious conversations here in Seguin, Texas. We have just received… Continue reading
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Is This Bee Home, Or Just Resting?
One morning when I was walking past the wood pile, I noticed a lot of bee activity. I had seen bees before flying to the inside of the pile, where I presumed they were living but couldn’t see. This time I happened to notice several bees nestled into holes on the outside of the pile.… Continue reading
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Little Bluestem
Little Bluestem is a moderately tall (5 ft) prairie grass. I defined an area for it toward the back of the garden in the spring and sowed seed there. But nothing grew! That was around the time of The Great Deluge, which disrupted my other native grass seeding project, so who knows where those seeds… Continue reading
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Gulf Muhly
Gulf Muhly is a pretty prairie grass that stands about 2 feet tall, and one I saw often in Houston. I’ve added one here as well. It’s not time for them to bloom yet (late summer/fall), but with this being its first year here, it may not produce flower heads until next year. The main… Continue reading
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A Session Of Spurge-Purging
Spotted Spurge is a common weed here, and I made the mistake of leaving it in the ground when this summer’s drought made weeding difficult. I figured I’d just wait until the soil was softer after rain. However, I failed to account for the fact that after only five weeks of growing, each plant may… Continue reading
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Happy Plant, Happy Bee
The Skeleton-Leaf Goldeneye continues to impress me for its longevity in flowering, and drought resistance — I have not watered it all summer. When I look at it, there is almost always some insect visitor. This time there was a foraging bee. Continue reading
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Leafy Oak Gall Wasp
I had heard about galls before, but didn’t really know anything about them. So when I found three on a branch of one of my Live Oak trees, then of course there had to be research. A plant gall in general is an abnormal swelling of plant tissue, usually caused by some other organism (e.g.,… Continue reading
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Preparing For Fall
I arrived here in February 2023. Spring was designated for planning and the planting of trees and native grasses. Summer was designated for infrastructure projects and more planning. And fall is intended to be a big planting season. It is not my goal to finish planting the garden this year. However, I want at least… Continue reading
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Frogfruit On The Wood Pile
When I first formed the wood pile a few months ago, I filled one cavity with soil and planted a Frogfruit there. It has happily started to ramble over and around the pile. Ants must certainly be living in the wood pile; they are everywhere else. But I have also seen bees fly in and… Continue reading
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Improving Erosion Control?
Since I moved here in February, there have been two significant water events when rain fell hard enough to move soil around. The second event last month allowed me to deduce more precisely how water moves across this property. In short, looking out into the back yard from the house, heavy rainfall moves from back… 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 