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Uncovering The Back Bed
Behind the house next to the patio a few months ago the Bermudagrass sod was manually removed. I knew that I wouldn’t be ready to plant things in that bed until the fall so for the summer I covered much of the ground with cardboard. That is also the current location of the Frogfruit “mother… Continue reading
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Ugly Utility Corner
When we moved here in February 2023, the lots on either side of us were vacant. Houses have since been built there and after their new turf was laid, this is what was left of the corner near our water meter. Although it is uneven, like the rest of the lot here, there seems little… Continue reading
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Flame Acanthus
I first became acquainted with Flame Acanthus (Anisacanthus quadrifidus var. wrightii) when I started volunteering in Seguin’s Park West pollinator garden, where they have two of these plants. Once they started blooming (June), they were clearly very popular with hummingbirds, as well as bees and butterflies. So I decided weeks ago that I wanted to… Continue reading
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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 