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Large Dragonfly
This may be one of the largest dragonflies I’ve seen. It was resting on a Live Oak tree, but flew away before I could get closer for an identification. I often find dragonflies hard to photograph because they can be fast moving and transparent, but this one happened to catch the morning sun for a… Continue reading
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Making Hay While The Sun Shines
The Bermudagrass in my front and side yards is not dead, but during the summer drought it turned brown and stopped growing. Most of the grass is short from being mown at the beginning of the summer, but there was one area where sunflowers had been growing beside the house and I hadn’t mown there… Continue reading
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Look At Feathers But Don’t Pick Them Up! (It’s Illegal)
The possession of feathers and other parts of native North American birds without a permit is prohibited by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA). I found this feather on the ground in my back yard, so of course I wanted to know who used to wear it. It’s 12 cm long. First, I reached out… Continue reading
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Tidying Up The Patio
At one point I thought I’d put a shed in the back yard to keep garden tools and equipment, in order to make more space in the garage. For various reasons, that idea is off the table. So then the situation morphed into the garage being used for big and rarely used garden items, and… Continue reading
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When Wings Look Weird
When I first saw this butterfly on a Sunflower, I thought it was odd that it seemed to have an extra set of wings. A companion on the same plant looked the same, so I concluded that it’s supposed to be that way. iNaturalist told me that this was a “grass” Skipper of some sort… Continue reading
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How Can Sunflowers Be So Sturdy?
Volunteer sunflowers were a welcome gift to this new and barren lot. I’ve written about them before, here and here. At the time of writing this (end of August 2023), I’ve had to remove most of the sunflowers to make way for other things that needed to happen. However, one glorious plant remains and stands… Continue reading
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Southern Skipperling
Since I first noticed a bee visiting the biggest clump of native grasses that I have so far, I have deduced that most of the bee activity in this region is from about dawn to 10am. I have seen — and heard! — as many as 20 bees visiting this small patch at one time.… Continue reading
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Planting A Huisache Tree May Have Been A Mistake
I chose to plant a Huisache tree here because is it a very hardy and drought-tolerant native, and a good host plant for birds and insects. However, after I arrived here, I encountered many gardeners and ranchers who do not like this tree AT ALL. Ranchers in particular consider it a weed because it spreads… Continue reading
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Ant Architecture
I’ve written before about how ants have caused me to change my attire for gardening, but they benefit the soil. In these early days of developing this lot, they really are my chief helpers in aerating, mixing, and feeding the soil. Many times I have found that a deeply rooted weed also coincides with significant… 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 