summer – Nature Along the El Camino Real

Things at Donna’s House

July 31, 2021 Sue Ann (Suna) KendallLeave a comment

To follow up on the post about things Suna has been finding on her property recently, here are a few things Donna Lewis has been seeing!

by Donna Lewis

Just look around there are amazing things outside.

The first photo is a Cypress Vine. It only blooms when it is really hot! Perfect for us. The hummers love it. It looks great mixed with other vines.

#2 Photo is a Garden Phlox, an old species that is hard to find now. A Tiger Swallowtail is getting some nectar from it.

#3 is our Passion Vine that we all love. It’s soo easy to grow and is the host plant for the Gulf Coast Fritillary butterfly.

#4 Turk’s Cap: The hummers love this plant also. It likes a little shade and appears late in summer. Very easy to grow.

#5 Fennel Herb: The host plant for the Black Swallowtail butterfly. Its roots are edible for humans. The extreme freeze didn’t phase this guy.

#6 Creeping Cucumber Vine: This is the first time I have seen this plant on our property. The freeze and early rains have brought in some interesting plants to our pastures.

I’ll send a few more blogs showing things I’ve found here.

June in Donna’s Garden

June 18, 2021 Sue Ann (Suna) KendallLeave a comment

by Donna Lewis

It’s heating up.

So here are the June photos of my pollinator garden.

After days of rain, the sun and the humidity have returned in force.

We have gone from too much rain to too much heat. Now I have to actually think about watering my plants. I have to do that while I stay in constant motion so the mosquitoes don’t eat me for lunch.

The first tall plants were beat down by the wind and rains we had. Mostly purple Larkspur. They were really pretty and the Swallowtails liked them alot.

There are so many different flowers that I cannot name them here.

Just know I make sure that every plant or vine has some value to nature.

Zinnias, Indian blanket, black-eyed Susans, etc.

The tall sunflowers really fit the bill because they have both nectar and bugs. The nectar for the pollinators and the bugs for the birds. The cardinals and the wrens go crazy over them. Zinnias are just popping up and just about all the butterflies like them.

Fennel is back and the Black Swallowtail butterflies lay their eggs there.

It’s a wonderful place to be if you are a pollinator or a bird. It’s pretty nice for me too.

Plants for Attracting Butterflies and Hummingbirds in Summer

July 24, 2020 Sue Ann (Suna) KendallLeave a comment

by Donna Lewis

The summer heat and dry conditions make us wonder… what the heck can I plant that will help the hummingbirds and the butterflies? And of course, it has to be something that is easy to take care of.

I have found that the Coral Honeysuckle Vine and the Flame Acanthus bush fit the bill. Both are visited by butterflies and hummers. A two-for-one deal.

The coral honeysuckle is in the back on the fence. In front is our friend the passion vine.

The Coral Honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens) is a climbing vine that can also grow as a ground cover. It is ever blooming in some years. It likes sandy loams, clay, and poor soils.

How much better can it get? You can grow it in the full sun or part shade. It goes great on an arbor or on a fence like I have it.

By the way, this is not the invasive Japanese Honeysuckle.

The flame acanthus is in the rear, on the fence. In front of it are zinnias and Salvia gregii.

The next plant that loves our summers is the Flame Acanthus bush (Anisacanthus quadrifidus). It’s extremely drought tolerant , gets no diseases, and is easy to grow. Again both hummers and butterflies like it.

This bush will die down in the winter. Cut it back in the spring before it starts to green up.

Both of these are great plants for hot and dry conditions. They need no fertilizers and little water once established.

Be adaptable and watch what your garden and wildlife like. Then your garden will be successful in an ever changing world.

I hope you will always see the wonder and beauty in nature.