american beautyberry
-
A Mid November Look Around The Garden
It is already mid November, but even for central Texas we still have unusually high temperatures (daytime 80s F). Despite the warmth, the garden is clearly making seasonal changes so I thought it might be interesting to take a look around. I keep the area in front of the house fairly neat. For instance, I Continue reading
american beautyberry, beach sunflower, blackfoot daisy, bluebonnet, common sunflower, cowpen daisy, fall, flame acanthus, food, frogfruit, frostweed, habitat, indiangrass, leaf litter, meadow, mealy blue sage, mexican mint marigold, mexican plum, native grasses, rock rose, season, shelter, shrubby boneset, texas mountain laurel, white mistflower, yellow yucca -
A Color-Changing Treefrog
I was just walking by the American Beautyberry shrub one day when out of the corner of my eye I saw what looked at first like a large white fungal growth. When I looked closer it turned out to be a striking pale colored small frog! I was thrilled to see it because I had Continue reading
-
A Two-Week July Vacation
Vacations are fun, and what is also fun is seeing what the garden did during my time away (without it being watered!). I was recently gone for two weeks in July 2025 and this is what caught my eye when I got back. Sunflowers had grown A LOT. I will need to cut some of Continue reading
-
New Blooms In The Back Garden
The past 2-3 weeks have seen an explosion of growth, color, and activity in the back garden. Here are some highlights. Firewheel aka Indian Blanket (Gaillardia pulchella). For some reason the Firewheels behind the house are much more vigorous and colorful than the ones in front of the house. They are the red and yellow Continue reading
-
More Plants Waking Up For Spring
More new growth in the garden! Texas Mountain Laurel (Sophora secundiflora). This is one of the plants that started to make new growth in February only to have those tender shoots freeze back a couple of weeks later. This time it’s taking off for real, although it looks like there might not be any blooms Continue reading
-
Shrub 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. This post addresses shrubs. Trees are described in a previous post. The measurements and photos were recorded on January 2, 2025. For the older plants, I’ve included photos from a year Continue reading
-
American Beautyberry Is Living Up To Its Name
American Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana) was one of the first plants that I introduced here, in spring 2023. What I didn’t know then was how harsh last summer’s drought/heat would be, nor that there would be a major freeze the following winter. So considering how much recovery this plant has had to do, it is doing Continue reading
-
Interesting Things Happening On An American Beautyberry
There is a young American Beautyberry shrub near the back door, so I see it every time I go outside. A few days ago I noticed a Bordered Patch caterpillar just curled up on a leaf, and the next day there was a chrysalis in that location. That’s the lighter object in the above photo. Continue reading
-
Lady Beetles After Rain
I often walk around my garden just to see if there’s anything interesting going on. One of my favorite times to do that is just after a rainfall — the cooler air is refreshing and the plants look particularly perky. The photo above is of a Lady Beetle on an American Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana) and Continue reading
-
American Beautyberry In Recovery
I bought an American Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana) in the spring of 2023 because of how stunning the purple berries are and I had fond memories of my Houston plant. The Seguin plant has been through a lot of trauma since then, with last summer’s drought and then the January freeze earlier this year. Here’s a 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 