Does a soul good to get away, even just for a few hours. So off we went yesterday to Fredericksburg with only a picnic basket and no-set schedule in tow. First, we explored Cross Mountain Park, a place I'd passed by on Highway 16 but never stopped to visit. The climb up to see the big cross was fun, but naturally what I enjoyed most was looking at the native plants. (I'm going to share a treasure I found in a separate post.)
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| Sheryl points out a four-nerve daisy. |
Next we mozied over to the Lady Bird Johnson Municipal Park, where we shared a picnic lunch (those are James' nutritious snacks, not mine...har har). That cool wicker basket belonged to my parents.
Our last stop: the Pollinator Garden at the muncipal park. This was James' first visit to the garden, which is really nice. We saw lots of familiar native plants. Many were going to seed. Fun outing!
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P.S. Confession time: I did collect a few seedheads along the way and dropped some in my shorts pockets. When I got home, I emptied out my pockets down to the linty bottoms, which I rarely do. When I did, look what scuttled up and out--a tiny crab spider! I couldn't believe how she survived being scrunched up in my pocket for most of the day! Poor thing. Yes, I let her go in the back yard after a brief photo session.
2 comments:
What a surprising day for that spider... I recall the first time I saw snapdragon vine growing wild out in the hill country. That was nearly the end of our walk because I couldn't quit staring. They are so lovely. If it would have been going to seed I bet I'd have been sorely tempted to take a few.
What are the rules (if any) about collecting seed off wild plants? Are there guidelines those of us with sticky fingers and deep pockets ought to be aware of?
Here's what Cathy Downs wrote in "How to collect milkweed seeds":
Collect only your native or regional seedpods. Leave some pods in the area you are collecting to insure the plants continue to propagate and thrive in that area. A good rule of thumb is to take 1/3 and leave 2/3.
Link to her article: http://npsot.org/wp/story/2014/5885/
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