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Tree Growth Report, January 2025
It is now an annual tradition (i.e., this is the second year!) that I take note of how my trees and shrubs are doing. Like children, when you see them every day, sometimes you don’t appreciate how much they’re growing. This post addresses trees. There will a separate one to describe the shrubs that I Continue reading
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Shelter For Insects
I quite often see insects wrapping leaves around themselves or constructing cages of leaves to protect their young. When this happens in fall or winter, these may be insects that are trying to stay protected from the weather for a few hours or days, or even preparing to survive the whole winter. This is why Continue reading
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Checking Repair Of An Earlier Tree Split
Back in May 2024, a major wind event caused a significant split in a fork of my young Desert Willow tree. The photo above is from that time. I applied a paste of rooting powder into the split and tied everything together with garden tape and a bandana. Following are photos of the repair first Continue reading
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A Review At The End Of Year Two
My garden “rewilding” project is now almost two years old, and this time of year (December) is a good time to reflect on progress achieved and lessons learned. Planting for the year is finished and projects now largely involve tidying, trimming, or fixing things here and there, and waiting for spring when the garden will Continue reading
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A Bug Just Chilling
Finally (mid-December) we are beginning to get cooler temperatures in Central Texas, but on one unusually warm and sunny afternoon I spotted this bug resting on a rock in the pond. It wasn’t doing anything, just sitting. I couldn’t get close enough for a proper identification, but the shape of the back legs put it Continue reading
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Certified Wildlife Habitat
Until there was a pond here, this property was incomplete as a wildlife habitat because there was no reliable source of water. However, now that piece is in place, this garden is certified with the National Wildlife Federation as a Wildlife Habitat and I have a new sign to show that. To qualify for certification, Continue reading
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Plant List, December 2024
We moved to Seguin, TX in February 2023, and that’s when I started the multi-year process of transforming our bare builder’s lot into a nature garden with priority given to native or adapted plants. We are in Plant Hardiness Zone 9a and our soil (below the builder rubble) is sandy, being part of the Post Continue reading
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A “Plague” Of Grackles
Since the pond was installed in the beginning of November 2024, gradually I have been seeing more bird visitors coming to drink or bathe, although generally only one or two at a time. Then suddenly at dusk on Thanksgiving Day (November 28, 2024), there was a thundering on the roof that sounded like heavy rain Continue reading
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Aquatic Plants
I’ve never had a pond before, so learning how to manage that environment will be a whole new thing for me. My goal is to build an ecosystem that relies as much as possible on biology and the interaction of different organisms to maintain a healthy equilibrium. One part of that ecosystem will be plants, Continue reading
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Adding To The Succulent Collection
There is a small rock pile here, which serves several different purposes. One is to be a distinctive visual feature that is home to succulent plants. Another is to be a habitat for small creatures that might like to shelter in rocky crevices. And perhaps most usefully for me, it is a place to store 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 