wildflowers – Page 12 – Nature Along the El Camino Real

Looking for Signs of Spring

March 8, 2022March 7, 2022 Sue Ann (Suna) Kendall1 Comment

by Linda Jo Conn

Is it just me or is spring behaving erratically this year? I am so ready for some consistently warm days and swaths of colorful wildflowers brightening the roadsides!

I did find some pleasant surprises during the past week. On Monday, I had to go to Giddings, so I drove the back roads to check if the plum trees were in bloom. No, but instead, I was delighted to find a couple of Drummond’s Phlox (Phlox drummondii).

Tuesday, I observed the swelling flower buds of the volunteer Eastern Redbud trees (Cercis canadensis) near my house.

While leaving the herbarium at College Station on Wednesday, I finally spotted several specimens of Carolina Crane’s-Bill (Geranium carolinianum) I have been monitoring in the “lawn” area in bloom.

Carolina Crane’s-Bill (*Geranium carolinianum*)

Thursday evening before the new student’s class at the Episcopal Church, I did a little “belly botany” and found a large patch of Bird’s-eye Speedwell (Veronica persica) nearby.

Bird’s-eye Speedwell (*Veronica persica*)

While in Cameron on Friday helping fellow Texas Master Gardeners arrange and display the native plant offerings for the annual plant sale, I noticed non-native Redstem Stork’s-Bills (Erodium cicutarium) blooming in the cracks in the sidewalk.

Redstem Stork’s-Bills (*Erodium cicutarium*)

When I arrived home from Cameron on Saturday afternoon after the plant sale, I was elated to see my first bloom of Texas Baby Blue Eyes (Nemophila phacelioides) for the year.

Texas Baby Blue Eyes (*Nemophila phacelioides*)

Sunday afternoon, I again drove to Cameron watch my eldest grandson perform at the Milam County Community Theatre. After the play, among other tiny blooms in the lawn, I found Field Madder (Sherardia arvensis).

My “Let’s Get Outside! Challenge” for last week was to enjoy the approaching spring. Despite my misgivings, I did, and am looking forward to seeing more pops of color appearing in the countryside.

Signs of Spring

March 7, 2022 Sue Ann (Suna) Kendall1 Comment

by Donna Lewis

Hi there,

I took a little stroll around the front five acres and saw all of these signs of Spring.

There are many wildflowers, a budding tree, and even some bluebonnets.

Of course, if you get too excited and start planting stuff…you know what is still lurking in the coming weeks, a freeze!!!!!

Happy trails to you. (Roy Rogers sang that).

When a Four-Year-Old Takes Hold of Your Camera

November 23, 2021 Sue Ann (Suna) KendallLeave a comment

by Carolyn Henderson

On Sunday, November 21, I discovered that four-year-olds have a natural eye for photographing nature. It started on the Saturday evening before when a friend asked me what I was going to do on Sunday, and I said I was going to go “iNating” at Wilson-Ledbetter Park in Cameron. And she said she and her daughter (the 4-year-old), would like to go with me.

Around noon on Sunday, we met at the park. Spring (the friend) had printed a nature scavenger hunt for Vivi (the 4-year-old). The idea was to keep Vivi occupied while learning about nature. It didn’t take Vivi long to find everything pictured except two with the help of Spring. A pinecone was not going to be found at Wilson-Ledbetter, because there is no pine tree there. We didn’t see a squirrel either.

She had been interested in me taking pictures of Birds-eye Speedwells, Straggler Daisies, Santa Maria Feverfew, Docks, and a Black Willow sporting yellow fall leaves. She asked me what each one was, and luckily I knew them – so far. This is when she decided to help me take pictures. Spring tried to divert her by offering her cell phone, but Vivi wanted the camera, and I was willing to share. It’s old and I need a new one, anyway.

After a few times reminding her to keep her fingers from in front of the lens, she had it down. She took a particular interest in holes in the ground, anything that had a “V” shape, because she knows that’s the first letter of her name (and the other letters, too), the blue seeds on an Eastern Cedar (which we had to dissuade her from tasting), Carolina Snailseed, Frostweed (which was still blooming), dandelions, and Lady Beetles, which she could also catch. She had as difficult a time as I do trying to get some little yellow butterflies to be still for a minute.

All the pictures shown except for her holding the Seven-spotted Lady Beetle were taken by Vivi. She asked me to tell Santa Claus that she wants a camera for Christmas. I quickly sent the message to Santa. ; )

Can you spot the letter “V”? Holes? Anything else?

Donna’s November Garden

November 18, 2021 Sue Ann (Suna) Kendall1 Comment

by Donna Lewis

Hello everyone,

As promised, I am showing you photos of my pollinator garden through all 12 months of 2021. You can get an idea of what changes take place.

My garden is 95% native plants and trees. That fact has made it more resilient to temperature and other factors making it easier to manage. Even now I have a few Monarchs, Fritillaries, Swallowtails, Sulphurs, and a host of other butterflies.

It is pretty warm in the garden so many plants like Salvia and Blue Mist Flower still have nectar to provide. Today it is cloudy and windy, not a good day for the butterflies to be out and about. The garden also has more shade now because of the location of the sun. Butterflies need sun to warm their bodies. They cannot regulate their own temperature.

The leaves are starting to cover the open areas and the plants. This provides the needed cover to protect living things from chilly weather. I have tree frogs moving around under the vines. You can find chrysalis of several butterfly species under branches and along the fencing. Yes, it might look messy, but not for the wild things.

As I like to remind all of us who love nature… you must remember who you are gardening for? Look at the garden from the bird and butterflies’ point of view.

Soon it will be time for the winter nap.

Mystery Flower Revealed

November 15, 2021 Sue Ann (Suna) KendallLeave a comment

By Carolyn Henderson

The mystery flower at the El Camino Real Texas Master Naturalist Wildscape that we shared a picture of a few days ago revealed itself one week later at the second weekend of club members working very hard to spread native Texas wildflowers. It is a Purple Coneflower.

This particular Purple Coneflower is somewhat unique in that it is a very late bloomer, its bloom is unusually large, and no one knows how it got there. It has several other buds that I hope get to open up before a hard freeze.

If you’d like to see the mystery (now revealed) flower, the ERCTMN members will be holding one more weekend of giving free native Texas Wildflowers to anyone who’d like some. Pots to put them in when they are dug up ran out last weekend, so bring something to put them in to take home. The Wildscape is on County Road 334 at the Bird and Bee Farm.

The only plant that doesn’t have extras is the Purple Coneflower. Cultivator Catherine Johnson hopes to collect seeds from it to share next spring.