desert willow
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Stung While Helping A Tree
I am very fond of my Desert Willow (Chilopsis linearis) tree that was planted in spring 2023. It thrives in our awful soil and has grown several feet in width and height since it went in the ground here. Desert Willows are often irregularly shaped, which I think gives them more character. So the fact Continue reading
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Paper Wasps
In my Desert Willow tree, not doing any harm, there is a nest of Apache Paper Wasps (Polistes apachus). It is fairly low down in the tree, just below the green tape. Paper Wasps are interesting and useful, and since they are not bothering me then I will not interfere with them. Paper Wasps are Continue reading
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Desert Willow Has A Seed Pod
Desert Willow (Chilopsis linearis) is the feature tree of the back yard. It is, and will probably always be, the largest tree behind the house (although it is currently only about 8ft tall, so still a baby!). It was also the first tree to establish, in terms of blooming and overall growth. Another recent milestone Continue reading
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How Is The Damaged Desert Willow Tree Doing?
The Desert Willow (Chilopsis linearis) was one of the first trees planted here, and eventually will be the tallest in the back yard. (It is the tallest tree, but not the tallest plant, yet.) In a recent storm that brought extremely strong winds, this tree split at a fork in the main trunk. I wrapped Continue reading
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Wind Damage To The Desert Willow
Last week we had a few hours of extremely high winds (our local newspaper said 70mph), which was apparently enough to tear a split in a fork near the top of my Desert Willow tree. This tree does move more than others in the wind (one of the reasons I like it), and it must Continue reading
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A Hungry Caterpillar
I see a lot of these dark fuzzy caterpillars here. They grow into Salt Marsh Moths (Estigmene acrea). They seem to feed on a variety of plants, which I don’t mind, unless they happen to visit a tiny plant that I am nurturing. If I spot that, then they get hurled to a different part Continue reading
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A Non-Specific Spring Update
I have several projects in process at the moment and I’ll post about them when I have something to report. So today I thought I’d just include some photos of what I see when I’m outside enjoying breakfast/lunch/tea/whatever. These photos were taken on the morning of March 22, 2024. The first round of spring blooms Continue reading
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New Spring Growth: Desert Willow
A Desert Willow (Chilopsis linearis) tree was planted here last spring and it seems to be the perfect tree for my particular situation because it thrives in poor soil and dry conditions. It moves gracefully in the wind, and the blooms last summer attracted not only insects but also hummingbirds, which was a bonus I Continue reading
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Short-Term Effects Of The Freeze
In the past week we have had five nights of below freezing temperatures, with the lowest recorded here of 16.0 F. I expected to see some wilting, blackness, or loss of leaves and we certainly had that. With native plants, that is almost never a concern, and it’s just a part of nature cleaning up. Continue reading
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Tree & Shrub Growth Report, January 2024
I think that about once a year I will take approximate measurements of the trees and shrubs that I have here. Like children, when you see them every day, sometimes you don’t appreciate how much they’re growing (or not). The measurements were recorded on January 6, 2024 and the photos were taken a day or 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 