bluebonnet
-
A May View Of The Garden
I did a walk-through of the garden on the morning of May 16, 2026. Here are some things that caught my eye. In the areas where there are massed annual wildflowers, such as the meadow in front of the house, the predominant bloom at the moment is Firewheel aka Indian Blanket (Gaillardia pulchella). Most of… Continue reading
american beautyberry, beebalm, bluebonnet, cenizo, desert willow, firewheel, frogfruit, horsemint, indian blanket, indian paintbrush, kidneywood, lindheimer’s senna, live oak, maximilian sunflower, mealy blue sage, mexican buckeye, mexican plum, prickly pear cactus, rock rose, rue, skeleton-leaf goldeneye, texas sage, turk’s cap, woolly stemodia, zizotes milkweed -
Harvesting Bluebonnet Seeds
I now have a successfully self-seeding population of Texas Bluebonnets (Lupinus texensis) here, and since every plant produces dozens or hundreds of seeds, I can well afford to give away seeds. It is important to let bluebonnet seeds mature on the plant — if they are harvested too soon they will not be viable. Once… Continue reading
-
Some Very Welcome April Rain
In the days between April 18-22, 2026 we received 5.39 inches rain, which is more than we have had in the previous four months combined. This was a soaking that the ground sorely needed and fortunately was not as damaging as the 8.6 inches that fell in four hours last July 5. For the most… Continue reading
-
The Meadow Is Transitioning
In front of the house, the area that would otherwise be a front lawn is instead a seasonal wildflower meadow. It is mown during the winter, but allowed to grow taller from about March to November. During the first few weeks of the meadow emerging in spring, almost all of the blooms were Texas Bluebonnets… Continue reading
-
Unexpected Wildflowers
There is an area on the north side of the house where last year I planted a few shade plants (e.g., Frostweed, Chile Pequin, Pigeonberry, Inland Sea Oats aka Inland Wood Oats, Lyreleaf Sage), and they are doing well. For a year now I have been putting mulch made from shredded plants from other areas… Continue reading
-
Passionflower Cutback
The passionflower that I have (Scarletfruit Passionflower, Passiflora lanuginosa) is not a true native. However, it functions well as a host plant for Gulf Fritillary (Dione vanillae) butterflies, and attracts other nectar-feeding insects. Providing human interest, the flowers are amazingly intricate and the fruits brightly colored. I’ve eaten the fruits, although they are not the same… Continue reading
-
A Pink Bluebonnet
Occasionally I have seen white bluebonnets here. I wrote about that when I saw my first one, but I’ve seen a few more of them now. What I hadn’t seen until now was a pink bluebonnet. This one popped up in my wildflower meadow. Pink blooms result from a normal genetic mutation that sometimes occurs… Continue reading
-
Unintended Companions
In May 2025 I planted a Spineless Prickly Pear (Opuntia ellisiana) that had been propagated from a mature plant in San Antonio. It still has only its two original vertical pads, but they have grown in size since planting. Volunteer Texas Bluebonnets (Lupinus texensis) have taken advantage of open soil beside the Prickly Pear and… Continue reading
-
Defining A New Area Under The Desert Willow
The Desert Willow (Chilopsis linearis) is the second tree that I planted here, in spring 2023, and the one that has grown the fastest. It is currently at least 11 ft tall. As it has grown, I have increased the size of its mulch ring to more or less match the reach of the branches.… Continue reading
-
Bluebonnets And Wildflowers As Early Succession Plants
Secondary ecological succession naturally occurs after land is disturbed in some way. This is when plants and other aspects of nature appear in a somewhat predictable order to repopulate an area that has been disrupted by fire, hurricane, farming, etc. (Primary succession occurs in areas where there has never been soil before, such as at… 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 