Bromeliads

We've had the green bromeliads (pictured on right side of photo) since we married 20 years ago. It was gifted to us by our sweet neighbor Jeri. Last year, Kelly, another neighbor, gave us the variegated bromeliad, which I added to the green ones. On my blog, I've just always called them bromeliads. But what is their botanical name? I did a little sleuthing and found out that Neoregelia is the genus. They're native to the rain forests of South America. But ours seem to love our Central Texas backyard just fine. 

Another volunteer jimsonweed

We planted our first jimsonweed (Datuna wrightii). For several years, it did well in our front yard. Then the deer and/or drought finally decimated it. Last May, I brought one home from the Festival of Flowers in San Antonio. What should I spy when I went to plant it? A volunteer jimsonweed! Yay! But then, not yay. Once again, the deer interfered and yanked it up. I tried replanting the remains in The Pasture, but I don't know if it's going to return.

In the meantime, guess what I spied in the original location? Yes, another volunteer jimsonweed! This time, I dug it up right away and replanted it in The Pasture. Please grow! P.S. This species has several common names, including moonflower. 

Cenizo child

O Wise Cenizo is in the background

 

If you've read my blog awhile, then you know about O Wise Cenizo. That's the smart cenizo that grows across the street and is pretty good at predicting rain. I've even written about it (check out "Right on Rain," Texas Co-op Power May 2022). Anyway, we were recently walking along the street-side of our front yard when I spotted something interesting on the ground, growing among the asphalt rocks. I crouched down. Rabbit tobacco? No, a baby cenizo! And one descended from O Wise Cenizo across the street! Of course, I had to adopt it! Awhile ago, James dug it up for me, and we put it in a pot. We'll probably plant it in The Meadow. Or maybe The Pasture? 

O Wise Cenizo wih a few purple blooms

On second thought...

So I did a thing, then wished I hadn't. There was a wasp nest over one of our automatic garage door entrances. I happened to be walking past and noticed that the nest was empty. So I popped it off! Not a good place for a nest, I'd been thinking lately. The nest landed on the concrete driveway. I leaned over and picked it up. Upon closer examination, I saw little larva heads (those black things in the hexagon spaces). Babies. Oh, dear. Bad me.

 

When mama came back, she looked and looked for her nest. Meanwhile, I'd put it in a yogurt container. Somehow I managed to get her in it, and she immediately went to feed her brood. She is a Guinea paper wasp (Polistes exclamans). For more info on wasps, check out a short article I wrote for Texas Parks & Wildlife magazine on the fine-backed red paper wasp. 

 

Yes, I interfered, and I doubt she'll be able to establish a nest colony in the container. But I guess we'll see what happens.  

 

UPDATE: She left.  

 

 

Yellows...

Our Missouri foxtail cactus (Escobaria missouriensis)

Green wild indigo (Baptisia sphaerocarpa)

And a resin bee on daminanita...

Bluebonnet season 2026

This is it. You're looking at it. Our entire 2026 bluebonnet season in The Meadow. Well, that's nature!

"Spiders" of a different sort

Hmm. I was walking in our backyard gardens yesterday and noticed that some of my Texas skeleton plants looked sickly. I squatted down for a closer look. What I saw was akin to spider webbing with LOTS of tiny red creepy-crawlies skittering about. Spider mites, likely in the family of Tetranychidae. I should probably do them in. But I'm usually in the mindset of letting nature be nature. Oh, I took a short video of them, too (below).

 

Despite their common name, spider mites are NOT spiders. But they are arachnids because they have eight legs.