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A Session Of Spurge-Purging
Spotted Spurge is a common weed here, and I made the mistake of leaving it in the ground when this summer’s drought made weeding difficult. I figured I’d just wait until the soil was softer after rain. However, I failed to account for the fact that after only five weeks of growing, each plant may… Continue reading
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Happy Plant, Happy Bee
The Skeleton-Leaf Goldeneye continues to impress me for its longevity in flowering, and drought resistance — I have not watered it all summer. When I look at it, there is almost always some insect visitor. This time there was a foraging bee. Continue reading
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Leafy Oak Gall Wasp
I had heard about galls before, but didn’t really know anything about them. So when I found three on a branch of one of my Live Oak trees, then of course there had to be research. A plant gall in general is an abnormal swelling of plant tissue, usually caused by some other organism (e.g.,… Continue reading
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Preparing For Fall
I arrived here in February 2023. Spring was designated for planning and the planting of trees and native grasses. Summer was designated for infrastructure projects and more planning. And fall is intended to be a big planting season. It is not my goal to finish planting the garden this year. However, I want at least… Continue reading
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Frogfruit On The Wood Pile
When I first formed the wood pile a few months ago, I filled one cavity with soil and planted a Frogfruit there. It has happily started to ramble over and around the pile. Ants must certainly be living in the wood pile; they are everywhere else. But I have also seen bees fly in and… Continue reading
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Improving Erosion Control?
Since I moved here in February, there have been two significant water events when rain fell hard enough to move soil around. The second event last month allowed me to deduce more precisely how water moves across this property. In short, looking out into the back yard from the house, heavy rainfall moves from back… Continue reading
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American Beautyberry
American Beautyberry prefers to grow in part shade. I planted mine in May 2023 in a bed close to the back of the house. This is indeed a part-shade situation, but the sun it does get is hot afternoon sun and being newly planted and then subject to weeks of blistering heat and drought, it… Continue reading
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My Pollen Baskets Are Full
Usually my first stop in the morning is to visit the native grasses and watch the busy bees for a few minutes. They’re hard to photograph, because once they land on a flimsy grass stem, then everything swings around wildly. Here’s one I managed to catch, though, with bulging yellow pollen baskets. I am not… Continue reading
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The Scourge Of The Spotted Spurge
I consider Spotted Spurge to be a weed here. It thrives in heat and grows as a mat that crowds out other plants. I had noticed that each plant has a long tap root, and the drier the ground, the harder it is to get that root out intact. Consequently, I did less weeding during… Continue reading
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How’s the Texas Mountain Laurel Doing?
A Texas Mountain Laurel tree was the first plant that I bought here and it went in the ground in March 2023. Then in July I noticed that half of the tree was paler than the other half. This photo is from that time. I asked several of my native plant colleagues as to what… 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 