Blog
-
Finally, A Monarch Butterfly
I help to maintain a pollinator garden in a Seguin park, and one of the team there is a Community Scientist who monitors sightings and activities of Monarch butterflies in the garden. In that garden, there had been zero evidence of Monarch activity all year until a week ago, when we finally saw a caterpillar… Continue reading
-
Correcting My Huisache Error
In the spring I planted a Huisache tree, because this native plant is resilient and drought-tolerant. I later discovered that Huisache has some significant disadvantages and I regretted that choice. (Not all native plants are ideal for all situations.) So then I condemned the tree to be removed when I had something more polite with… Continue reading
-
Landscaping With Native Plants
When we bought this new development house, the front bed had a number of rather standard landscaping plants. Most of these have already been replaced, or will be. I want to choose plants here that have low water needs, and that offer something useful for wildlife, e.g., food or shelter. Here’s an example of the… Continue reading
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
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 