Wednesday, April 19, 2017

Antelope horns inventory


This year, I got me some smarts and used orange survey markers to flag antelope horns (Asclepias asperula), an important milkweed host plant for monarchs, on our property. In years past, I marked them with tongue depressors. This system worked MUCH better! All I had to do was mark them, take a few photos, then remove and count the flags.
For spring 2017, I counted 15 antelope horns in our Meadow!  
In 2016, I  marked 14 in the Meadow. 
In 2015, I counted 12 TOTAL for our entire property 
(eight in the Meadow). 
We are expanding our numbers every year!  





 Add two in our back yard (one planted, one volunteer)...TOTAL 17 antelope horns on our property!




These last two antelope horns (below) live on our neighbor's property that adjoins the Meadow. Her sweet family puts up with crazy me and doesn't mow them down.


5 comments:

Unknown said...

Great idea?

Melody McMahon said...

Sheryl, yesterday a group of us drove up to Medina Natives Nursery and Camp Verde and we were delighted to see so many antelope horn milkweed on the side of the roads everywhere we drove. Driving up to Bandera on 16 we pulled over to look at the wildflowers closer because we spotted a large yellow flower we didn't recognize. We spent a long time just oohing and aahing at all of the many different varieties of wildflowers and even found some seeds of the big yellow flowers which turned out to be Missouri primrose. If you and James get a chance soon, head over to Medina Natives and see their gardens. I've never seen so many butterflies in one place!

Sheryl Smith-Rodgers said...

I love that place! Did you go to the other native nursery too? What plants did you adopt?

Melody McMahon said...

We only had time for the one nursery since we always spend so long there. Are you thinking of the other native nursery in Kerrville? I bought a double flowering quince, 2 Amistad salvias, and an acourtia wrightii. I'm planting the flowering quince and 1 of the salvias at the Warrior and Family Support Center. Shirley Fox will hopefully post her finds on her blog soon. She took lots of great photos!
Also, what do you use to make your plant ID tags? I need to start doing that since I don't always remember what or where I planted!

Sheryl Smith-Rodgers said...

In and around Medina, there is http://medinagardennursery.com/ and http://www.nativesoftexas.com/.

Melody, blog post to come about my plant tagging. :-)

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