Window on a Texas Wildscape

...and some Canyon Lake fauna, too

noreply@blogger.com (Sheryl Smith-Rodgers) — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 00:06:00 +0000

White-tailed deer at Potter's Creek Park, Canyon Lake

Roadrunner at Potter's Creek Park

Resident rock squirrel on the lakeside of Canyon Dam

I was THRILLED to find several colonies of harvester ants on a service road near the Guadalupe River South Trail at Canyon Dam.

Cattle egret on a limb above the Guadalupe River (photographed from the Guadalupe River South Trail)

Black vulture near entrance to Guadalupe River South Trail, Canyon Dam

Flora around Canyon Lake

noreply@blogger.com (Sheryl Smith-Rodgers) — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 23:45:00 +0000

Agarita

This past week, James and I visited the Canyon Lake area on a magazine assignment. Naturally, I paused here and there to photograph plants and critters. Above, I spotted this beautiful leaf on an agarita at Overlook Park at Canyon Dam above the spillway. Some plants I could identify; others I couldn't. Some are perennials putting out new growth.

Evergreen sumac (Overlook Park)

Texas thistle (Cirsium texanum), photographed at Canyon Lakeview Resort.


Mullein (Verbascum thapsus), a nonnative that's naturalized across Texas. Photographed at Canyon Lakeview Resort.

Lindheimer's senna (Senna lindheimeriana)–The long, dark brown seed pods are barely visible from the old-growth stem. Photographed at Canyon Lakeview Resort.

Black-eyed susans (Rudbeckia hirta) ???? ...This plant and the rest that follow were photographed at the Guadalupe River South Trail below Canyon Dam.

Inland sea oats (Chasmanthium latifolium)

Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) ?????

Help!

Povertyweed (Baccharis neglecta)...on the trail, when I saw adult povertyweeds and young ones beneath them, a light bulb went off in my head. "So THAT'S what we have growing in our yard!" I exclaimed. I'd been letting a mystery volunteer stay in the back yard. Now I know what it is!

Turk's cap...we have lots of these growing in our Wildscape.

Help!

Help! Looks like same species as a photo above

Looks like coreopsis, sort of. Help!

Recycling batteries

noreply@blogger.com (Sheryl Smith-Rodgers) — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 21:24:00 +0000

Last February, as reported here, I purchased an iRecycle Kit 5 from Battery Solutions. My year's up this week for filling up the box so I sealed it up this morning, and James dropped the package off at the post office. Sure, the box cost me $24.95, but I believe the price was well worth it. It's just not environmentally safe or sound to toss used batteries in household garbage!

Please RECYCLE, everyone!

Must be March, right?

noreply@blogger.com (Sheryl Smith-Rodgers) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 21:50:00 +0000

We got outside today. Again. James mowed the dandelions, and I cut back Mexican bush sage, blue mistflower, mealy sage and other plants with dead growth. James spotted a handsome he wolf spider on the front porch. And I found some native lantana BLOOMING! It feels like March, not February, right? And nature seems to agree, too.

The Great Backyard Bird Count's coming

noreply@blogger.com (Sheryl Smith-Rodgers) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:57:00 +0000

This week, Texas Master Naturalist Sue Kersey encouraged her fellow Highland Lakes chapter members to join the Great Backyard Bird Count. I'd heard and read about the citizen-scientist project but never participated. (I do help with the Lost Ladybug Project, which is also run by Cornell University.) So I'm in the process of reading the guidelines and finding out what I need to do to help.

Here's a news release with more info from the Bird Count website:

Anyone can participate in this free event and no registration is needed. Watch and count birds for at least 15 minutes on any day of the count, February 17-20. Enter your results at www.birdcount.org, where you can watch as the tallies grow across the continent. The four-day count typically records more than 10 million observations.

The event is hosted by Audubon, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and Canadian partner Bird Studies Canada. The results provide a snapshot of the whereabouts of more than 600 bird species.

"When thousands of people all tell us what they’re seeing, we can detect patterns in how birds are faring from year to year," said Janis Dickinson, director of Citizen Science at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. "

The Great Backyard Bird Count is a perfect example of Citizen Science," says Audubon Chief Scientist, Gary Langham. "Like Audubon’s Christmas Bird Count, volunteers help us with data year after year, providing scientific support that is the envy of many institutions. It’s also a lot of fun."

"We’re finding that more people are taking part in our bird count programs every year--and the more that take part, the better it is for the birds," says Richard Cannings, Senior Projects Officer for Bird Studies Canada.

The 2011 GBBC brought in more than 92,000 bird checklists submitted by participants from across the United States and Canada. Altogether, bird watchers identified 596 species with 11.4 million bird observations. Results from the 2011 GBBC included:

• Increased reports of Evening Grosbeaks, a species that has been declining;

• A modest seasonal movement of winter finches farther south in their search for food;

• The Eurasian Collared-Dove was reported from Alaska for the first time, more evidence of an introduced species rapidly expanding its range.

Although it’s called the Great “Backyard” Bird Count, the count extends well beyond backyards. Lots of participants choose to head for national parks, nature centers, urban parks, nature trails, or nearby sanctuaries. For more information, including bird-ID tips, instructions, and past results, visit www.birdcount.org.

The count also includes a photo contest and a prize drawing for participants who enter their bird checklists online.

That time again

noreply@blogger.com (Sheryl Smith-Rodgers) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 01:44:00 +0000

Oh, yes. Here we go again. Could THIS be the year that we get our very own purple martins? You gotta give us credit for tenacity. This will be our fourth spring to try.

I was such a big help this year. We couldn't find the bolts that secure the telescoping pole. I even checked inside the martin house, the logical place for them to be stored. Right? So James took off and checked the garage and shed again. I went in the house and looked in a closet. No luck. While he strode off to the shed again, I returned to the martin house and proceeded to do a better compartment check.

Well....you guessed it. Just as James reappeared on the horizon, what should I find in a plastic baggy in a bottom compartment? The bolts! I slunk my head in contrite embarrassment. Thank goodness James is a patient guy who LOVES ME TONS. 'Cause he just smiled, shook his head and said, "Glad you found'em!"

Wish us luck!

Texas Master Naturalist to-be

noreply@blogger.com (Sheryl Smith-Rodgers) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 16:09:00 +0000

For the past year or so, I'd thought how cool it'd be to take the Texas Master Naturalist training and get certified. Why not this year? But by the time I pulled up the website and found a chapter, I saw that I might be too late to apply. By chance, the Highland Lakes chapter had ONE spot left in the 2012 Training Program (limit 20 students). And I MADE IT!

Yesterday, I attended my first advanced training session and monthly meeting in Kingsland. Paul Dorman, hatchery manager at the Inks Dam National Fish Hatchery, gave the presentation. As part of certification, Master Naturalists must put in 40 hours of volunteer service, which many do at the hatchery. As part of our spring training, we'll visit the hatchery in March.

Speaking of which, training consists of at least 40 hours of classroom and field work along with eight hours of advance training, too. We'll meet once a week from March 1 through May 11.

Yesterday, I shared a car ride to Kingsland with master naturalists Ann Cook and Joanne Fischer, both from Blanco. Along the way, we talked about native plants and other nature-related topics. I felt like I was among my people! Bliss!

Dandelions galore

noreply@blogger.com (Sheryl Smith-Rodgers) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 13:29:00 +0000

Taraxacum officinale (left) and Sonchus sp. (foreground)

Thanks very much to the recent rains, our Wildscape continues to green green green. In the back yard, we're producing a very nice crop of dandelions. I've spent several hours, pulling a bunch up by hand. It's very satisfying, mind-calming work. I enjoy it. I've also picked tender, young dandelions with the intention of cooking them. That hasn't happened. Yet. But I have added dandelion leaves to my supper salad the past two nights. They blend right in. No funny taste at all!

Our healthy bumper crop of dandelions led me to start a mini research project. So far, I've ascertained that we have the common dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) growing with jubilation right outside our back door. Alas, the deep green leaved species is non-native and traces its roots to Europe. We may also have some species of sow thistle (Sonchus sp.). Our native Texas dandelion (Pyrrhopappus multicaulis) hasn't yet arrived. It blooms from February through June, according to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

The lowly dandelion gets a lot of press. Years ago, Peter Gail wrote The Dandelion Celebration: A Guide to Unexpected Cuisine. If you want a copy, you'll have to pay the big bucks for it. And who knew that dandelions make great wine? Ray Bradbury wrote that book: Dandelion Wine. You'll find more dandelion books via Amazon.

I guess our resident dandelions now have gotta go. The Texas Invasives database includes Taraxacum officinale on their list of no-nos. One thing's for sure: the bees and other insects love love love the bright yellow flowers!

And speaking of dandelion flowers, I was surprised to learn that....

Dandelions reproduce asexually by seed (agamospermy). They don't need pollinators!

UPDATE FEBRUARY 3, 2012

And one last look at our amazing dandelion crop...James is about to mow....

Wildflower Center free admission January

noreply@blogger.com (Sheryl Smith-Rodgers) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 23:58:00 +0000


Beautiful thoughts by Lady Bird Johnson...

Mexican feathergrass

Warmish temperatures and fairly clear skies created the perfect day for a field trip to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin. Plus, ADMISSION IS FREE UNTIL JANUARY 31! So off we went, James, me, my mother Marcelle Smith and Blanco neighbor Jeri B. I especially wanted to look at native grasses, which I want to plant more of in our Wildscape, and also water features.

Big muhly

Sotol

Pine muhly

Thorn-crested agave

Crossvine ... We have one growing on our chain-link fence. James is worried now.

Gulf muhly

A galvanized trough turned into a water feature!

Lace cactus

Another trough but smaller. We're thinking of adding of these to our Wildscape....

Big muhly

Switchgrass

Bushy bluestem

Indian grass

A pond "in the wild"

Wax myrtle

Elbow bush

Yaupon holly and bushy bluestem

Common bee-bush

Mexican feathergrass....so beautiful!

A Blanco crab apple tree!

Betony-leaf mistflower

Woolly stemodia, a groundcover

Damianita

Mom, me and Jeri

James!

We had a Great Day Out!

After I returned James' camera to him, he shot photos, too....

I liked this rather artistic shot by James Hearn.

Lost Ladybug Project

noreply@blogger.com (Sheryl Smith-Rodgers) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 01:33:00 +0000

Ashy gray lady beetle (Olla v-nigrum)

Even supper time can turn up surprises. This evening, over shrimp Alfredo and fresh roasted asparagus (prepared by chef James), a lady beetle appeared! James spotted it on the ceramic candle holder on the lazy Susan that sits on our dining table. Time for the camera!

I submitted these two images to the Lost Ladybug Project, a citizen scientist project underway at Cornell University. If you visit there, you'll find ladybug photos submitted by me and other volunteers across the country. I've got several pages of contributions: one, two, three.

UPDATE: See yesterday's ladybug contribution here!

Tracks and transplants

noreply@blogger.com (Sheryl Smith-Rodgers) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 23:10:00 +0000

This afternoon, I was on the phone, talking with expert tracker Jonah Evans when I happened to glance out my office window. "THERE GOES THREE DEER!" I exclaimed as they trotted across our Meadow and then ambled north to a neighbors' yard. "Hey, James, come see!"

I apologized to Jonah for yelling in his ear, and he laughed. "Oh, it's OK," he said, "but go out there and check for tracks! They left some, that's for sure." So after we hung up, I did go out later with my camera. The prints weren't that great, but I took one photograph. Then I walked over and took a picture of the four little bluebonnet plants that I transplanted last Monday from another neighbor's yard. They were growing nearly in the street, and Jeri said, yes, I could have them. Here's hoping I can keep them alive and maybe get a patch started in the meadow.

I also saw one of the antelope horn seeds that I anchored across the meadow Monday.

Bluebonnet babies

Antelope horn seed

A tree disease near Boerne

noreply@blogger.com (Sheryl Smith-Rodgers) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 22:02:00 +0000

This week, my mother had several Spanish oaks (Quercus texana) cut down because they were infected with hypoxylon canker (Hypoxylon sp.). She sent photos of the fungus.

According to the Texas Plant Disease Handbook, hypoxylon canker spreads through spores, which enter through injured areas on limbs or the trunk. "Trees which have been damaged by excessive fill soil are often attacked by this organism," states the handbook. "It is also suspected to be a fungus that can invade on oak wilt-infected trees. Control is achieved by maintaining the trees in a healthy condition. Avoid injury to the trunk and limbs and never apply fill soil around the trees. Chemical treatments would not be effective because the fungus is located within the tree."

According to Texas AgriLife Extension Service's East Texas Gardening, "hypoxylon canker has been noted in the death of many oaks in the East Texas area over the last several years. This disease is not rare, but due to the stressful droughts of the last several summers, a large number of trees are being affected."

The Texas Forest Service has more information on hypoxylon canker, too. So does AgriLife Extension.

Mom told me that surviving trees nearby were fertilized, and now she's giving the trees soaking drinks of water for several weeks. Hope they survive!

January 2012 in our Wildscape

noreply@blogger.com (Sheryl Smith-Rodgers) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 22:42:00 +0000

Recent rains continue to brighten and green up our Wildscape. As mentioned before, we've got a LOT of henbit. It's outran the horseherb!

See how thick the henbit is growing?

I'm not sure (yet) what this "weed" is, but it feels soft and acts like a groundcover.

Wish list

noreply@blogger.com (Sheryl Smith-Rodgers) — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 23:05:00 +0000

Hey, I know it's not Christmas any more. But I've been wanting to start a "native plants wish list" for our Wildscape. Wish list meaning both tried-and-true species that we've got growing and also new-to-us plants. I've dug up and potted little turk's caps and rock roses that we can plant in the spring. Some inland sea oats, too. I've ordered a copy of Jill Nokes' copy of How to Grow Native Plants of Texas and the Southwest coming so I can learn how to propagate native grasses and plants from transplants and seeds.

Here goes...this is a post in progress, naturally.

I'd like more:

Chile pequins

Butterfly weed

Cowpen daisy

Goldenrod

Texas betony

Wedilia

New:

Pine muhly

Worms, worms, worms

noreply@blogger.com (Sheryl Smith-Rodgers) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 21:24:00 +0000

Last year, my son gave "worm farming" a shot in his Waco apartment. Suffice it to say that the farm went south. But it's such a cool idea–growing and encouraging worms in your yard. On that note, I just read "Worming his way out of ugly lawn," Roy Bragg's column in Wednesday's San Antonio Express-News, which featured Kyle Harrell and his backyard worm farm. Naturally, Harrell's got a blog: Texas Red Worms. Very interesting venture!

Spring pretend

noreply@blogger.com (Sheryl Smith-Rodgers) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 20:20:00 +0000

With days like yesterday and today, it's easy to wish even more than spring was TOMORROW! Even a pair of frisky red admirals (above) were flitting about this afternoon. With the recent rains, volunteer henbit and other nuisance natives (and nonnatives) are flourishing. Yesterday afternoon, I got out and pulled henbit from our front beds. For now, it can grow elsewhere for the benefit of bees, butterflies and other insects. When she visited Tuesday, my mother asked about henbit. Time to get out the books!

Henbit (Lamium amplexicaule) is the common name for a cool season weed, originally from Europe. It's also called dead nettle and is a member of the mint family (Lamiaceae). Howard Garrett in Howard Garrett's Plants for Texas says he likes the plant, "but if you don't, mow it down." According to Delena Tull's Wildflowers, Trees and Shrubs of Texas, "the young tender plants of both species [Lamium purpureum, East Texas species] are edible raw or cooked; unlike most mints, these do not have aromatic leaves."

And with yet another new year already here, I've decided to wage war against invasives in our Wildscape. The lantana (pictured above) was here before I moved into the Pink House in 2002. It struggled to survive last summer's drought and wasn't as hearty as usual. Though not listed at Texas Invasives, many biologists, native enthusiasts and other experts frown on Lantana camara and consider it to be highly invasive. So out it goes.

Purple martin friend

noreply@blogger.com (Sheryl Smith-Rodgers) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 13:48:00 +0000

Good morning! I just read on Facebook (thanks Louise Chambers!) about martin enthusiast Gardner Sumner in Austin. During last summer's horrific drought and heat, he spent hours, feeding birds and cooling houses at the Virginia Avenue Purple Martin Sanctuary in Travis County. For his dedication, the Austin American-Statesman recognized him as one of their Volunteers of the Year.

It won't be long before the scouts start returning!

Seeds for the new year

noreply@blogger.com (Sheryl Smith-Rodgers) — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 22:19:00 +0000

This afternoon, I took lunch out to James, who's working on our land northwest of town. After our peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches, I ventured off alone and hiked some deer trails. Along the way, I picked three species of grass seed. I would LOVE to establish some native stands in our Wildscape. I also picked up some possumhaw berries in hopes of planting some of those, too. I tried last year with no luck. So I'm just gonna try again!

I've got my copy of Grasses of the Texas Hill Country in my lap (by Brian and Shirley Loflin), trying to ID the three species. I'm guessing the two "sideways" seedheads are a grama species (blue or tall). The long single seedhead may be Lindheimer muhly (Muhlenbergia lindheimeri). Hope so! The delicate, wispy seedheads came from seep muhly (Muhlenbergia reverchonii).

On that note, last weekend I clipped a newspaper article, "150,000 seed balls bound for Bastrop," written by reporter Claire Osborn with the Austin American-Statesman.

"The seeds are from more than 50 varieties of plants found in the Bastrop area, such as little bluestem, black-eyed Susan and Indian blanket. Each ball has nine or 10 seeds and should grow with a little water," the article states. "They will be available to Bastrop residents whose land was damaged by the fires."

Members of the Capital Area Master Naturalists sponsored the project. According to the Statesman, "150,000 marble-size balls of clay, compost and native plant seeds were put together by about 300 groups of children at schools, churches and youth groups in Williamson, Travis, Hays, Caldwell, Milam and Bell counties."

The group raised $1,800 to buy compost, clay and a special seed mix from my friends, Bill and Jan Neiman, at the Native American Seed Co. in Junction. What a wonderful project!!

December 2011 in our Wildscape

noreply@blogger.com (Sheryl Smith-Rodgers) — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 23:44:00 +0000

I'm a bit late this month in posting a December visit around our Wildscape. As you can see, the yard is MUCH greener! Thanks to recent rains, the horseherb, assorted dandelion species and other volunteer natives have sprouted everywhere! We are VERY grateful for the moisture. Of course, many of the natives we planted on purpose are starting to freeze back and go dormant. I can't wait for spring!


I couldn't resist snapping a photo of some dandelions and henbit.

Even after a freeze....

noreply@blogger.com (Sheryl Smith-Rodgers) — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 21:39:00 +0000

......there's still life to be found in our Wildscape!


Our inland sea oats barely went to seed this season....

Most of the purple hearts have frozen back but this shoot survived...

A recent hard freeze didn't faze our 'Purple' spiderwort.....

The coralberry has put on a little fruit....

Ferdinand Lindheimer

noreply@blogger.com (Sheryl Smith-Rodgers) — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 21:06:00 +0000

Framed specimens collected by Ferdinand Lindheimer, housed at the Sophienburg Museum

Last month, my friend Shena and I visited New Braunfels while on a magazine assignment. I'd never seen the home of naturalist Ferdinand Lindheimer–the "father of Texas botany"–so it was a treat to stop by. We didn't have an appointment to tour inside the 1852 house, but we did walk through the gardens, which are maintained by the Comal Master Gardeners. Beautiful!

Native plants abound in the gardens

This was my favorite native there–a new one to me.

The rustic garden gate adds a homey feel.

Woolly ironweed, a native I frequently see around the Hill Country.

They love to use rocks as much as we do in our Wildscape.

Bricks make a nice accent border.

Common buckeye

noreply@blogger.com (Sheryl Smith-Rodgers) — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 19:48:00 +0000

Common buckeye Junonia coenia

Bees back

noreply@blogger.com (Sheryl Smith-Rodgers) — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 14:19:00 +0000

Our fragrant mistflower is blooming in the front yard right now. Beautiful!

November 2011 in our Wildscape

noreply@blogger.com (Sheryl Smith-Rodgers) — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 17:05:00 +0000

Drought Survival Kit

noreply@blogger.com (Sheryl Smith-Rodgers) — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 19:01:00 +0000

Folks, this press release from TPW just hit our news desk here at the Pink House:

In an effort to help, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department this week converted its main water resource website to feature an online Drought Survive Kit. The new online resource comes in three sets of web pages.

The Help Wildlife section explains how Texas critters handle drought and advises when and whether to intervene with Mother Nature. For example, it tells how to help birds and butterflies with native plants, and why people should never feed wildlife such as raccoons, deer and opossums.

The Save Your Yard web section recognizes that trying to keep St. Augustine grass and other non-native “water hogs” alive during the drought can be expensive and frustrating. It suggests how, as weather conditions improve, it’s time to think about replacing drought-stricken yards with native “Wildscapes” that are better suited for surviving Texas weather. These are colorful, require little water or care, and attract birds, butterflies and other native wildlife.

The Cut Your Water Bill section covers a few simple ways to save water and money, and links to more information on the Texas Water Development Board’s Water IQ website.