Texas Master Gardeners...

My cover article on the Texas Master Gardener program has been published!

C'mon...it's January?

 I spotted a Gulf fritillary caterpillar yesterday on a passionflower vine! Can you believe it?

And a black-eyed Susan is blooming.

Backyard beekeeping workshop

Early morning guest

Hey, look who wanted to share the bathroom with me this morning! Yes. I know. Most folks would likely grab a towel and smash this guy to smithereens. Not me. The sight of eight legs anywhere always thrills me. So I grabbed a camera and got some shots of this handsome wolf spider. Then I escorted him outside in the glass we keep by our sink. Happy travels, Mister!

Cold temps equal suet balls

This morning, I dug out what was left of our packaged lard and whipped up some suet for the birds. It's our first batch of the season. I shared the recipe I use a few years ago in a post, "Suet day." But here it is again:

Charlotte's No-Melt Suet
1/2 cup lard
1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
1/2 cup flour
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup cornmeal
Melt lard and peanut butter in a glass container on low in the microwave oven. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Chill in refrigerator until firm-ish. Form into balls. Refrigerate leftovers.

Spring in December

Firecracker plant 'St. Elmo's'

What an amazing winter this has been! Temperatures in the 70s, and enough rain to keep the grass growing (James has mowed twice this month). Christmas Eve, I took my camera outside in the back yard and snagged a few shots of BLOOMS. We'll see what this weekend's storm brings.

Plateau goldeneye

Salvia 'Eyelash'

Oxalis

Shrimp plant

Rubeckia

 Lantana 'Lemon'

Fennel

Lantana 'Lemon'

Salvia coccinea

Fragrant mistflower

December 2015 in our Wildscape

 Green green green! We've even got a few flowers blooming.