Pick a peck load of peppers

Our chile pequin (Capsicum annuum) plants are LOADED this year. Not to mention, several of the plants are volunteers planted by birds. On that note, we've seen mockingbirds come through and swallow one little pepper after another. One time we counted at least nine peppers go down one mocker. But no mockingbirds around this year. So I've been picking and sharing peppers with friends. Lots of friends!

Eve's necklace

Just so you know, that's a freebie work T-shirt I found for James.

After seven hours of arduous work, James today got our Eve's necklace (Styphnolobium affine) in the ground. This pretty species was gifted to us by Matt Murrah, who tends his own native gardens in Duncanville. Here and there, I've given him plants from our yard. Anyway, the planting job took extra hours because James also installed fencing around the tree. According to what I read, deer like to nibble on leaves until the tree gets older and well established. Thank you, Matt! THANK YOU, JAMES!!!!!!!!!!!!

Prima Donna helped

 

Crag lilies in bloom

See the bee?

James has been published!

Look! James has been published! The new Peterson Field Guide to North American Bird Nests was recently released by Casey McFarland, Matthew Monjello and David Moskowitz. Turn to page 425 and you'll find two photographs credited to James Hearn. They are images of a nest and eggs made by a golden-cheeked warbler (Setophaga chrysoparia) on our rural land. 

This came about after David Moskowitz found my May 2015 blog post, Another awesome find by James, where I'd posted three photographs that James took. Moskowitz found the post, emailed me in March 2019, and asked if I'd be interested in contributing images to his book project. I put him in touch with James, and the rest is publishing history. What to go, James! So cool!

UPDATE January 3, 2022....The Blanco Library purchased their own copy of the field guide. Right now, they have a nice display that spotlights James and the book!

Cool neighborhood native

Yesterday, we took an evening walk in our neighborhood. You know me, always on the look out for whatever I might spy. So I happened to glance down in a drainage ditch and what should I see? Illinois bundleflower (Desmanthus illinoensis)! I recognized it right away because of the unusual seedpods. Aren't they cool?  

 

O wise cenizo

I can't help it. Last Sunday, I peeked at the cenizo across the street. Sure enough, I spied a few flowers (and took photos). Which meant..... YES, that night around midnight, IT RAINED an inch!

Just now, I walked across the street to get some updated photos (three below). We've got a ton in the forecast for the next day or so. O wise cenizo, you always know!

Notes to myself

I packaged up this selection of seeds for a biology teacher at our local middle school. I'm hoping she can this establish these locally-native species in the school's gardens.

Yesterday, James and I threw these lemon beebalm seedheads (Monarda citriodora) in the Meadow, a wildflower area on the other side of our property and a wildflower area in the back yard. Thank you, Rhonda C.!

"From Trash to Treasure"

In case anyone's interested, here's a link to a presentation that I gave in person September 28 to the Fredericksburg chapter of the Native Plants Society of Texas. You can't see me, but that's me talking. It's about half an hour long. And here's photos of me that James took before everyone arrived... My first in-person presentation since pre-Covid!

Was it windy, Sheryl?