Freeze aftermath

Some plants in our Wildscape fared well after recent freezes. Not so for others.....

The real test will be next spring when we find out what survived!

Agatha's back!

This afternoon, I heard a TERRIBLE commotion in the Meadow. Bluejays, wrens, titmice–they were all screaming at the top of their lungs while I sat in front of my computer, trying to write about beetles. Hmm, snake? Owl? Curiosity got the best of me, and I pushed away from my desk. I trekked outside, peered into the live oaks and scanned the branches. Meanwhile, the uproar continued. Some birds gathered near the owl box. Must be an owl, I thought.

This evening after dusk, James went outside with camera in hand. Sure enough, a little eastern screech owl perched in the box. Agatha! It has to be her! She probably returned a week or so ago when I heard the birds mobbing another time but couldn't find anything in the trees when I went outside to investigate.

Our eastern screech owl couple will roost in our two boxes during the winter. Nesting doesn't start up again until next March or so.

Lovely day

Mexican mint marigold

"Lovely day, lovely day, lovely day, LOVELY DAY!" Remember that old song by Bill Withers? Give it a listen, then go outside! The day is truly beautiful. And so are our golden flowers in bloom! The Mexican mint marigold's looks wonderful, and so does our copper canyon daisy. Wow, the butterflies are everywhere on it!




P.S. I asked James if he remembered the song, "Lovely Day," and he just gave me a blank look. Even after I "sang" a few bars. So then I played it for him on the Internet. Nothing, nada. "You don't remember THAT?" I asked, astounded. "You've never heard that song before?"

James shook his head. "Did they play it on AM?" he offered. "I never listened to that kind of stuff. It was ROCK for me."

Alas. We may have gone to high school together back when, but we were definitely on different planets musically speaking. (Pssst, I confess. I loved the Carpenters. James, I'm pretty sure, was a Metallica man.)

Lovely day to you!

Serenity and hope

We've had more rains, which is such a blessing. Tiny red columbine seedlings have sprung up everywhere beneath their "parents." I'm not sure if they'll survive frosts and freezes that are just around the corner. But do they do offer a lot of hope for a beautiful spring. Our Wildscape is so lush now, thanks to all the moisture brought by nature. What a difference rain makes! We barely kept our plants alive through the dry summer with faucet water. Then the rains came, and they seemed to rejoice with growth and GREEN GREEN GREEN! God is Good!

Whaz up right now

Walking in our Wildscape is a wonderful experience since the rains have returned. Oh, my, the plants responded almost immediately to the drenches. Beautiful! As you can see, the blue mistflowers are in full bloom, just in time to welcome queens and an occasional monarch. I spotted a Gulf fritillary on the butterfly bush, too.

What's left of our fall aster (the deer munched on it during the summer) is blooming....

And our new white mistflower is blooming, too.

James spotted this interesting fly. Not sure what it is.....

A back view of that fly.

The Gulf muhly is going to seed. So lovely in the sunlight.....

We also found a ladybug, which I photographed and uploaded to the Lost Ladybug Project.

Always pays to look UP

Beautiful weather out there! I just ate my tortilla and cheese on the patio and happened to look up. Butterflies! Lots of them! Fluttering waaaaay up there, over our house, headed north. North? I ran for my binoculars and tried my best to focus on a few. Looks to me like they might be admirals. They're definitely not monarchs.

I e-mailed my entomologist friend, Mike Quinn, to ask (he lives in Austin) what he thinks. Stay tuned!

Just for fun...

After I lay down in the horseherb, James kept hold of the camera and insisted that I "pose" in front of the Mexican bush sage and gold lantana. So...........sigh.............I did. Believe me, I am NOT photogenic, but these came out fairly well. For one thing, my eyes are open!! Running these pics small small small.