Frostweed performance

Any one else spot some frostweed (Verbesina virginica) this morning? If you did, then you know how it acquired its common name. We took a short drive in town this morning, and when I saw some white stuff at the bottom of some plants, I blurted out, "Spittle bugs!" THEN I remembered. "No, that's FROSTWEED!" I told James. "And we have some of our own. Can you stop by so I can get some pictures?"

Sure enough, the frostweed that I transplanted from my mother's property in Kendall County was performing, too (frostweed grows in Blanco County). According to Wildflower.org, this species "has soft, fleshy green flanges running longitudinally down its length. When winter weather brings ice, the stems exude water that freezes into fascinating shapes; hence, its common name of frostweed."

Went fishin' UPDATE

Weather forecasters are predicting harshly cold temps for the next few days. So I decided to go fishin' this afternoon. 

After last year's mild winter, most of my gambusia survived. But in years past, I've ended up with hardly any left after winter months. This time, I figured that if the temperatures are going to stay low for several days, I don't want to take the chance of losing my gambusia, especially a couple of old timers.  So I got a net and caught as many as I could. I'll return them to the stock tank probably mid week. I'll be curious to see if the others that got left behind survive. 

We've had our stock tank for five years now, and I've never done this before. So we'll see how it goes!

UPDATE DECEMBER 22, 2016 So I just returned my surviving gambusia to the stock tank. I did lose two in the garage sleepover. But I'm glad I did fish out as many as I did because I'm pretty sure I lost all the ones I left behind. They froze to death. 

Don't laugh (too hard), but I also brought in two thread-legged bugs that live on our screen porch door. I kept them in a plastic critter box next to our bed. Two days ago, I let them back out. Merry Christmas!

 

A gift idea for gardeners

 How special is this? A Bible for gardeners!

Beautiful December day

My young friend (a Texas spiny lizard) who lives on the brick wall in our back yard. We talk.