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What's This?
Click on the pictures outlined in blue to see a bigger
picture
We are using scans and digital photos of plants and other items from our property in Cedar Creek,
Texas.
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June 6, 2007. As our daytime highs reach into the 90's the
coreopsis give way to the Black-eyed Susans, and the hearty, invasive
smartweed thrives along the side of the road. These were all blooming
along our driveway this evening, the three Black-eyed Susan blooms are from
the same plant that was growing underneath on of our junipers (which we all
call cedars around here!). |
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May 5, 2007. As the bluebonnets fade on the roadside, our
property is taken over by the Coreopsis. This year they seem taller
than ever before, and are obscuring the young prickly pear. Walking
down our driveway stirs up the small and medium sized butterflies that are
attracted to the coreopsis, one of which is 'hidden' in the picture!
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I walked into our bathroom one night to find a gecko taking
advantage of the light shining through a frosted window, either hunting,
seeking a bit of warmth, or both. The question is, is it the native
Texas Gecko, or the exotic Mediterranean Gecko? Its transparency makes
me lean towards the exotic gecko, but I'm relying on what I remember from a
class I took in the early 1980's...so, I'll look into our reptile field
guides and see what I can learn.
Let me know what you think it is!
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July 12, 2006. I was surprised to look out our
front door and see two blooms on our prickly pear. We had rain and
cooler weather last week, though, so that means there can always be some
botanical surprises.
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March 3, 2006. Our little patch of fringed
puccoon is back by our front gate, heralding spring. This year though,
I noticed patches of bluebonnets in full bloom before I saw this little
bundle of yellow. While it's tempting to blame the dry hot weather,
it's usually never that simple. This is a low growing wildflower that
occurs in clumps in our yard.
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It's November in Cedar Creek, our record heat has finally
broken, we've had our first freeze, so we look to berries and other things
for color in the landscape. I've always loved the blue-gray color of
the juniper berries on the female juniper, although I'm not real fond of the
pollen producing cones (golden tips, right) that keep our Central Texas
allergists in business. We live in the are where red juniper (Juniperus
virginiana) meets ashe juniper (Juniperus ashei), not so
affectionately called cedar or mountain cedar here. The red juniper
tends to produce a single trunk, while the ashe juniper seems to sprout out
from the ground. To be which is which (and they do hybridize), a
microscope is needed. Ours provide a green barrier been our house and
the road, and provide shade and shelter for songbirds and other wildlife
during the year. Originally found in draws and canyons, they have
invaded prairies and ranchlands due in large part to fire suppression. |
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May 26, 2005. The yellows have it! Our fields
are awash in yellow, predominantly the Coreopsis (top right), but with a few
Black-eyed Susans (lower right, but I haven't checked to make sure my memory
serves recently!), some composites (Texas Dandelion or the dreaded, exotic
Goatweed, I've got some studying to do!) and a legume, from the looks of the
leaves, it may be a sensitive plant. We still have one antelope-horn
milkweed in bloom, but the rest have formed the pods, ready to burst and
spread their seed. |
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April 20, 2005. Promises of things to come! A
winecup ready to bloom, someday when I have more time, I'll figure out which
winecup it is! I remember there is a long-stemmed and short-stemmed
version, and I remember I have some great wildflower identification books,
too! |
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March 9, 2005. Roland Wauer created a book by asking
naturalists and other writers to tell him what they considered their heralds
of spring in Texas. In late February and early March, the fringed
puccoon is my herald of spring, and a melancholy reminder that the cool
winter days I treasure are limited! Every year, we have a small patch
bordering our driveway. The sample I picked for this scan is from the
center part of the drive, so it's been buffeted by our vans and the UPS
truck. According to s low growing wildflower is the |
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February 15, 2005 One bluet on a gray February day is a
standout, a small field of them on a just mowed pathway is a delight.
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February 2005 Henbit Lamium
amplexicaule It's been an odd winter, with record highs followed
by record lows. Henbit is a fall and winter bloomer. A friend of
ours recommends it for salads, as does Delena Tull in her book,
Edible and Useful Plants of Texas and the Southwest. She also
points out that while henbit is a mint (as the square stem testifies ),
its leaves are not aromatic and therefore not suitable for tea. |
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