Hold still, little ant

I was just sitting at our dining room table, innocently sorting puzzle pieces into plastic bowls, when I spotted an ant on one bowl. Hmm, looked like a new ant species to me. I hadn't seen such long antennae and a long stinger on an ant before. Cool! I whipped out my phone and started TRYING to get photos. But the little guy wouldn't hold still. However, with James' help and my macro lens, I finally got some and videos, too.

Turns out that my little friend is NOT an ant! It's some species of ichneumonid wasp (that's often wingless) in the genus Gelis. And that's an ovipositor (tubular structure used for laying eggs), not a stinger. Amazing!

 

A patch-nosed

Yesterday James alerted me, which sent me running for my camera (phone). "I've got a snake for you," he exclaimed.

Wow, a Texas patch-nosed snake (Salvadora grahamiae lineata) was coiled behind our metal plant stand on the front porch. As you can tell, he/she didn't like us much, but I had to get photos and a video, too. The first patch-nosed we met was back in August 2008 in the same location. The second one was in November 2019. They're feisty but harmless.

New bearded irises blooming

After I saw some similar bearded irises blooming in Arkansas in 2022, I had to have some for our yard. In June 2022, we planted five rhizomes called 'Indian Chief.' Today they've begun to bloom! So far, the pink is more purple than the dusty rose ones in Arkansas. Oh, well. Close enough!

Lindheimer senna

This is a Lindheimer's senna (Senna lindheimeriana) that I germinated and grew at least three years ago. I gathered some seeds from a plant on a ranch near Devil's Backbone while my daughter was renting a barndominium there. Yesterday, I finally put my senna in a sunny location in the back yard. I hope she makes it! Last November, she bloomed profusely. 

In April 2013, we planted a Lindheimer's senna that was more in the shade. Sadly, it only lasted a couple of years. I love native sennas.

Tomatoes and peppers

We purchased our "spring garden" yesterday at Ace Hardware. Two tomato varieties: 'Summer Set,' heat tolerant hybrid and 'Husky Cherry Red,' cherry tomato. Two pepper plants, same variety: 'Mammoth' jalapeno.

Major repotting project

 

This is my satsuma mandarin (Citrus unshiu 'Miho') tree. My son gave it to me for Mother's Day in May 2004. It put on fruit for the first time in 2006. It tends to fruit every other year or so. The Good Lord willing, it will fruit again this fall if the current blooms stay on. It was repotted for the first time in August 2008, and I think again a few years later. Last fall, our neighbor Kelly gifted us with a larger pot, which she painted to match our house. Today we decided IS THE DAY. Let's do it!

 

First we gathered up some pebbles and gravel (that came off our old built-up roof) to put in the pot's bottom for drainage. James drilled some drain holes on the bottom, too. THEN came the fun part....it took a LOT of effort to get the tree out of its old pot. James had to use loppers to cut the pot away. I pounded a hammer on the top edge to help loosen the tree ball and get it out. Finally, we used a bag of FoxFarm potting soil, which Kelly had recommended. Voila, mission accomplished!

For my own info: This from a company rep––Consider using our Happy Frog Citrus and Avocado dry fertilizer to fertilize your tree. Happy Frog Citrus and Avocado dry fertilizer contains the right balance of nutrients to promote plant growth and production while also promoting a healthy rhizosphere with mycorrhizae fungi. It is super easy to apply, just sprinkle it around the base of the plant three times a year.

The waiting game

We planted our Blanco crabapple tree in April 2013 as part of my birthday. Needless to say, we've been watch and hoping to see buds this spring. But so far, nada. After all, we've had some rough weather the past few years–ice storms and droughts. But lo and behold, look what I spotted! New growth (photo below)! Yay! So it's going to survive after all. What a blessing.

In the meantime, we're still waiting for signs of life on our possumhaw (below), which we planted in September 2015. It's well established so it just HAS to be still alive. Stay tuned.