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Conjoined Flowers
This conjoined flower caught my eye, and of course I had questions. Is this common? What causes it? First, the plant is a volunteer sunflower, I believe perhaps a Cucumberleaf Sunflower (Helianthus debilis). I have several of them here, and they grow to about 3-4 feet tall. They are also called Beach Sunflowers, and although… Continue reading
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A Wildflower Meadow In An Urban Environment
I have only a small piece of land. I am trying to “wildscape” that as much as possible, but I also need to bear in mind that I am in the middle of a housing development where many of my neighbors (and the HOA!) have expectations as to what an urban lot should look like.… Continue reading
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“Will You Share?”
In my opinion, the little guy here would be better off moving to another stem, if not another plant entirely. I believe these are both Ermine Moth (Genus Estigmene) caterpillars (although I could be wrong there), and they are demolishing a dandelion flower. When I went to look later in the day, that entire stem had… Continue reading
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Three Sisters Garden #3: Beans
See this earlier post for a general summary of the Three Sisters Garden and preparation of the growing mounds. On March 17, 2024, each of my five Three Sisters mounds received four corn seeds of the variety Ambrosia (Zea mays hybrid), and I marked the location of the seeds. The seeds were lightly watered daily. All of the corn… Continue reading
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A Hungry Caterpillar
I see a lot of these dark fuzzy caterpillars here. They grow into Salt Marsh Moths (Estigmene acrea). They seem to feed on a variety of plants, which I don’t mind, unless they happen to visit a tiny plant that I am nurturing. If I spot that, then they get hurled to a different part… Continue reading
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Three Visitors On One Flower
As I wander around, or sit in, my little developing nature garden, I get to watch abundant life. I can’t always identify or photograph what I see, so the things I share here represent just a small portion of my enjoyment. On this occasion, I happened to spot three separate visitors on one Smallflower Desert-Chicory… Continue reading
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Identifying A Few More Volunteer Plants
I am slowly gathering a list of plants that have volunteered here, usually using iNaturalist as a guide to get the identifications. Here are some more of my favorites (loved by bees and butterflies, too). Plains Fleabane (Erigeron modestus)This has volunteered in both front and back gardens. Apparently if I cut the plant back, there… Continue reading
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Lyreleaf Sage
I had some Lyreleaf Sage (Salvia lyrata) plants in Houston, and was glad to see that they do well in Seguin also. The leaves have interesting markings, it is hardy in a variety of conditions (wet, dry, sun, shade!), and it spreads gently. It can even function as an evergreen ground cover. The Lyreleaf Sage… Continue reading
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Native Milkweeds
Milkweeds are the only plant that Monarch butterflies will use to lay their eggs and host their caterpillar larvae. I intentionally did not plant any Milkweeds last year — I was more focused on initially building a more generally wildlife-friendly environment. However, I knew that eventually I would want to include Milkweed plants here. There… Continue reading
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Red Yucca Bloom Is Beginning To Open
At a current height of 55 inches, the single bloom spike that I have on my Red Yucca plants is beginning to open. I first saw the spike emerging on March 6, and this photograph was taken April 1. That’s 55 inches in 27 days = 2 inches per day. 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 