bluebonnet
-
A Breakfast View Of The Front Garden
A few cold nights sent me to the east-facing front porch for breakfast where it’s sunnier in the mornings. So while I was there I took a few photos. I was supervised by our resident Barn Swallows. The female got the cozy nest, the male got to sit outside. They seem fairly accustomed to us Continue reading
-
White Variant Of Bluebonnet
Bluebonnets in the wild are typically blue. However, genetic variations can occasionally occur that cause the flowers to be pale blue, white, or pink. I have so many bluebonnets here this year that it is perhaps not surprising to see one such variant in my collection — this one has white flowers. In general, color Continue reading
-
Firewheels In The Meadow
The stars in the wildflower meadow in front of the house are undoubtedly the Texas Bluebonnets (Lupinus texensis) at the moment, but coming soon is a display of Firewheel aka Indian Blanket (Gaillardia pulchella). I see several buds and a few flowers. This was the first Firewheel bloom that I saw, on March 19. It Continue reading
-
Signs Of Spring
Spring is my favorite time of year. Almost on a daily basis I can see new life forming, either for the first time or emerging from its winter rest. This year, just when we thought we were finished with freezing nights, we had another round in February. So a few things that had already sprouted Continue reading
-
Bluebonnets — Good News and Bad News
I have been looking forward to this year’s display of bluebonnets in the “meadow” in front of the house since there are a much greater number of plants than last year. Last year’s plants produced plenty of seed and I’ve been watching the hundreds of new plants grow since November. They stayed close to the Continue reading
-
Some Bluebonnet History, And An Experiment
This post leans heavily on information from this page about bluebonnet history from the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension. Texas actually has at least five state flowers and they are all bluebonnets. In 1901, the state flower was officially defined by the Texas Legislature as Lupinus subcarnosus (“generally known as buffalo clover or bluebonnet,” according to Continue reading
-
Rain After A Drought Triggered Seed Germination
For two months in September and October we had no rain, and then two inches fell at the beginning of November. That one rainfall triggered a mass germination of seeds that were in the soil here. Some of those seeds may be weedy things that were already in the ground before I got here, but Continue reading
-
Next Year’s Bluebonnets Are Beginning To Emerge
I have not added any new seeds to the wildflower meadow this year, but there are plenty on the ground from natural seeding that occurred earlier. Encouragingly, there are several new Bluebonnet (Lupinus texensis) rosettes that are already appearing. These will stay small through the winter and then grow bigger in the early spring. In Continue reading
-
A Spectrum Of Colors In The Pollinator Garden
Ideally in the pollinator garden in front of the house, there will be blooms from early spring until late fall, and in a variety of colors. Different insects and birds prefer different colors. Sorted by flower color, this is what is currently in the garden (blooming in late July unless stated otherwise). This list doesn’t Continue reading
beebalm, bluebonnet, cenizo, chile pequin, common sunflower, fall aster, flame acanthus, gregg salvia, gregg’s mistflower, gulf muhly, horseherb, lantana, lyreleaf sage, mealy blue sage, pink evening primrose, prairie verbena, scarlet sage, silver ponyfoot, skeleton-leaf goldeneye, sneezeweed, straggler daisy, texas sage, tickseed, yarrow -
New Bluebonnets Popping Up
This was my first year to grow Bluebonnets (Lupinus texensis) and it has been an interesting learning experience. Soon after seeds were sown in the fall of last year, small leaf rosettes formed and they stayed that size through the winter. In early spring, the plants began to grow, and I had blooms from late 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 