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Returning To The Garden After Nine Days Away
I was recently away from home for nine days, right after a week when we had over six inches of rain. I expected to see changes when I got back of course, but I didn’t know exactly what I’d find. Here are some highlights. Some plants had grown a lot. Sunflowers were about a foot Continue reading
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The Three “Thunder Turf” Grasses, And An Extra
Around the perimeter of the back yard is a strip of Thunder Turf, which is a mixture of three short prairie grasses: Buffalograss, Blue Grama, and Curly Mesquite. After two years here, I think I am finally becoming able to recognize the components of Thunder Turf, at least when flower/seed heads are visible. My photos Continue reading
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Bluebonnets Growing In Shredded Mulch
Not long ago, I put some shredded annual plants on ground that is in need of restoration — it’s north-facing, shaded, and eroded from roof runoff. I knew that the material I spread was likely to contain wildflower seeds (especially Bluebonnet and Firewheel aka Indian Blanket) but I don’t mind if they grow for now. Continue reading
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Red Buckeye Recovery
In April 2024 I planted a small Red Buckeye (Aesculus pavia) tree. It was just 14 inches tall at the time. By July 2024 it had lost almost all its leaves. This concerned me, but then I learned that this deciduous tree does lose its leaves early in the year. So I figured it would Continue reading
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A New Bullfrog Sighting
It has been three months since an American Bullfrog was relocated here from a neighbor’s yard. After that first day I didn’t see it again. Then one recent evening there was another sighting (photo above), although I have no idea if it was the same one as before or not. It has been my experience Continue reading
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Interesting Toad Activities
In early spring there was a period of a few weeks when there was a toad chorus around the pond from dusk for two hours or so. Eventually that activity stopped, but then the noise started up again in early May and this time I’ve been able to observe more. Once the chorus starts in Continue reading
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Enhancing Mulch With Mushroom Blocks
At a recent meeting of the Native Plant Society of Texas (NPSOT) Guadalupe Chapter, there was a speaker from the Central Texas Mycological Society, a group dedicated to working with fungi, which are key for the health, stability, and abundance of soil, plants, and fresh water. One of the things that this group does is to Continue reading
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Bee Fly
There’s a lot of Frogfruit (Phyla nodiflora) here and its tiny flowers are popular with little insect visitors. One day I saw this, which at first glance seems to be a bee but it’s actually a fly. (The photos aren’t great but it was moving around a lot!) If my ID is correct, this particular Continue reading
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American Basketflower
American Basketflower (Plectocephalus americanus) is a seed that was included in a few of the wildflower mixes that I have used here. It is therefore no surprise to see it eventually appear, except that the several specimens that I have are not in the area where that seed was scattered! Nevertheless, I am glad for Continue reading
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Shredding A Few Excess Plants
I am limited in what I can compost here because I only have space for a small tumbling composter. That takes care of all of our household kitchen scraps and some of the garden waste. Tumbling composters don’t get hot enough to kill weed seeds, so there are some times when I will discard plant 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 