More dianthus

Okay, okay. I know dianthus aren't native. But we're allowed to get a few nonnatives now and then. I LOVE LOVE LOVE dianthus plants that we buy from our dear friends, Pamela and Frank, at their Arnosky at Arnosky Family Farms. This time we bought three 'Amazon Neon Purple' bedding plants. I swear these will live and bloom at least three years. Below is a photo of dianthus that I think we bought in 2017. They may be petering out. But they just got through blooming. And who knows? They may just keep going for another season! 

 

A milkweed surprise!

Yesterday evening, we were walking in the Meadow. I just happened to see a plant I hadn't noticed before growing near a lantana. Then I leaned down and got a CLOSER look. 

Then I SQUEALED.

"It's a ZIZOTES," I hollered at James. "It's a ZIZOTES! I can't believe it! It's a zizotes!" 

Why the zealous happiness and excitement on my part? Because the only pre-existing zizotes milkweed (Asclepias oenotheroides) grows on our neighbor's adjoining land, which has been left native like the Meadow. I was so excited when I found that one freely growing on their property. I staked it and have watched over it through the years. But it's not mine. Someday, it will likely go to plant heaven. 

Which is why I was so thrilled to find one growing on our property. I can't believe I didn't see it before now. I have NO clue how it got there, either. The other zizotes has never produced viable seeds that I know of. From the looks of it, this one is super healthy, well established and obviously very happy living in our Meadow. Yay!

I had to pinch off a leaf to make sure it was really a milkweed. The milky white sap confirmed that it is!

Five for five? YES!

Cenizo's blooming again across the street! You know what that means! Can it be right for the fifth time?

 

UPDATE: YES, FIVE FOR FIVE! 4:35 p.m and it's POURING! 

 

"Meadow Oasis"

I thought I'd share "Meadow Oasis, an essay that I wrote for Texas Co-op Power (September 2020). Readers seem to really appreciate both the story and the beautiful illustration by Andrea Cobb. Enjoy!

Cool critter finds

Signal fly, probably Senopterina genus

So you ready to see some cool critters? Here are a few I've spotted lately in our Wildscape... 

Cardinal jumping spider (Phidippus cardinalis)

 

Our first common spotted whiptail (Aspidoscelis gularis)

Blue dasher (Pachydiplax longipennis)

Fiery searcher beetle (Calosoma scrutator)

Beelzebub bee-killer, a BIG robber fly (Mallophora leschenaulti)

Hadrokolos texanus, a tiny robber fly

GRAND FINALE––My first Sonoran bumble bee (Bombus sonorus). She was GORGEOUS!

American beautyberry beauties

Last night while we were sitting on the patio, James mentioned how he thought the berries on one of our three American beautyberries (Callicarpa americana) were the prettiest he'd seen yet in our yard. Well, I decided, that warranted some photos! So here they are!

Red face over here

Germander leaves

Yes, I am highly embarrassed. I'm about to tell a story on myself. All this summer, I'd assumed that I had an abundant, healthy population of smallspike false nettle (Boehmeria cylindrica) growing in a bed adjoining our rock patio in the back yard. I planted the first one–purchased from Randy Johnson Organics–in September 2015. (I wanted the species in our gardens because it's a host plant for the red admiral, my favorite butterfly.) In the back of my mind, though, I wondered why the "nettles" looked so much like the American germander (Teucrium canadense) that was gifted to me in September 2018 and planted in a back corner of our back yard. Had Randy sold me the wrong plant? (HAHAHA, Sheryl, that's rich!) However, I didn't bother to investigate further. Until last night.

Finally, I Googled images of the leaves of both species. Surprisingly, they look a lot alike! Below are my photos of the germander, which is in the mint family (square stems). Check out this picture of false nettle leaves. The big difference (DUH, Sheryl!) are the blooms. So I made the tough decision to pull all the germander from the patio bed and throw them on our brush pile. (First, I DID cut off the seed heads and put them in a paper sack, which I'll probably burn later on.) I deadheaded the other germanders, too, in the back corner. 

I'm hoping I have one little false nettle left. Heavy sigh......

Germander seed head

Germander stem

Germander on the brush pile!

My one surviving false nettle, I hope