volunteer plant
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Volunteer: Texas Indian Paintbrush
I have seen Texas Indian Paintbrush (Castilleja indivisa) in large groups beside roadways in Central Texas, often alongside Bluebonnets. I hadn’t seen them up close before now, though. In my reading about this plant, I found two interesting facts. First is that the colored structures are actually bracts (a type of modified leaf, not a… Continue reading
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Wildflowers In The Front Lawn Area
Last fall I spread three kinds of wildflower seeds in the center part of the front lawn: Texas Bluebonnet (Lupinus texensis), Indian Blanket aka Firewheel (Gaillardia pulchella), and Spotted Beebalm (Monarda punctata). In addition, apart from thistles and burclovers (which I pull out and discard), I am allowing volunteer plants to stay, and I’m only trimming around the… Continue reading
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Volunteer: Yellow Sweetclover
Burclovers are plentiful here, but I pull them out because they are very invasive and their seeds are annoyingly barbed. In contrast, this is a Yellow Sweetclover (Melilotus officinalis), which is also a volunteer non-native, but I am allowing this one to stay. I only have a few of them, they will help with nitrogen-fixing… Continue reading
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Volunteer: Texas Ragwort
There are few volunteer Texas Ragwort (Senecio ampullaceus) plants here (not to be confused with Ragweed, which can trigger allergic reactions for some). It’s fairly tall (about 2 feet). I didn’t notice until after I uploaded the second photograph in this post that there was something feeding or resting on a flower on the right… Continue reading
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Volunteer: Texas Toadflax
I have several volunteer Texas Toadflax (Nuttallanthus texanus) plants here, especially in the front yard area. From a carpet of leaves that lie close to the ground emerge tall delicate stems with purple flowers that have an interesting shape. Continue reading
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Volunteer: Smallflower Desert-Chicory
At first I thought this Smallflower Desert-Chicory (Pyrrhopappus pauciflorus) was a dandelion. Given that its other common names include Texas Dandelion and False Dandelion, my confusion is perhaps understandable. It seems to be quite abundant here, but if it’s not in the way, I’ll let it stay. Continue reading
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Volunteer: Cutleaf Evening-Primrose
This volunteer is a Cutleaf Evening-Primrose (Oenothera laciniata), which will be invited to stay unless it happens to be crowding out something else that I want (it seems fairly abundant here). Continue reading
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Volunteer: Broadpod Whitlowgrass
Broadpod Whitlowgrass (Tomostima platycarpa) is a volunteer here and will be invited to stay. It’s a member of the mustard family, native to Texas and a few other states. Most of the time, the scientific name for plants is the most reliable way to tell exactly what you’re dealing with. The same plant often has… Continue reading
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Volunteer: Prickly Sowthistle
Note: I originally identified this as a Common Sowthistle, but I have been corrected by others in iNaturalist who know more than I. Various kinds of thistle are common volunteers here, and often invasive (meaning non-native and aggressively populating). My approach differs according to where I find them. In the front yard I pull thistles… Continue reading
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Volunteer: Curvepod Fumewort
This colorful and early blooming plant is a volunteer, but a welcome one so I will allow it to stay and seed. Curvepod Fumewort (Corydalis curvisiliqua) has also been called Scrambled Eggs, although I haven’t been able to find out why that name. You can buy seeds for this plant, but I don’t need to! 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 