Blog
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Gulf Fritillary Eggs & Tiny Caterpillars
When a butterfly visits a plant it is usually for one of two reasons: (male or female) to feed from flowers or (female) to lay eggs on leaves of host plants. It’s usually quite easy to tell which is happening by watching which parts of the plant are visited, for how long, and by whom. Continue reading
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A Color-Changing Treefrog
I was just walking by the American Beautyberry shrub one day when out of the corner of my eye I saw what looked at first like a large white fungal growth. When I looked closer it turned out to be a striking pale colored small frog! I was thrilled to see it because I had Continue reading
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Grackle Fledgling Drama
While eating lunch on the back patio one day I noticed some odd activity among sunflowers near our Texas Mountain Laurel tree. With the aid of binoculars, I was able to see that there was a dark-colored baby bird sitting about halfway up a sunflower stem, apparently unable to fly. Nearby on the fence was Continue reading
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Mexican Olive Has Now Exceeded Last Year’s Height
Long-time readers may remember that my Mexican Olive tree has had a tough beginning getting established here. This is a tree that does very well in heat and drought, but is more prone to freeze damage than I realized. During its first winter (2023-2024) some growing tips were lost during the one freeze we had, Continue reading
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Planting Powderpuff That Was Foraged From Houston
A few weeks ago when I was in Houston I spotted a plant growing wild that I wanted for my garden — Powderpuff aka Sunshine Mimosa (Mimosa strigillosa). I dug up some root and stem pieces and brought them to Seguin, but because I was travelling I didn’t have a chance to get them into Continue reading
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Finch Nest Update
Unfortunately, this post does not have a happy ending. Since the House Finch eggs hatched on June 24-28, 2025 I was periodically observing them with a stick mirror. On July 3 I caught my first glimpse of a baby chick from the ground without the mirror. There was one little beak visible at the front Continue reading
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A Two-Week July Vacation
Vacations are fun, and what is also fun is seeing what the garden did during my time away (without it being watered!). I was recently gone for two weeks in July 2025 and this is what caught my eye when I got back. Sunflowers had grown A LOT. I will need to cut some of Continue reading
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Pond Volunteer
In the pond are two pots of Aquatic Milkweed (Asclepias perennis). At some point volunteers arrived in each of the pots — I don’t see them in older photos of the milkweeds, so I don’t think they were original passengers. One is blooming and one is not, but they look like the same thing. Both Continue reading
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More Happy Signs Of Fungal Activity
I know very little about fungi, and I don’t have a good way to identify what I find. However, as long as it is not destroying a valued plant, my general assumption is that fungal activity in the garden is a good thing. Mushrooms and their companions are part of the decay process that converts Continue reading
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Prickly Pear Is Growing Well
On May 16, 2025 I planted a young Prickly Pear cactus, grown from a mature plant that is in San Antonio. I think this might be a Spineless Prickly Pear (Opuntia ellisiana), which has been derived by cultivation (so not a true native), but I may have to study it more as it grows to confirm 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 