Wildflower or weed?

New to both the front and back Wildscapes this spring are a few uninvited Common Sunflowers (Helianthus annuus). Although most people (including most gardeners) across the Rio Grande Valley likely regard the Common Sunflower as a noxious weed – especially because of its ubiquitous presence in fields and along roadsides throughout the spring, summer, and early fall – the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin lists Common Sunflower as a native wildflower. I know of only one other residential landscape locally that includes Common Sunflowers among its wildflowers, and even there I don't know if the gardener did so by design, accident, or neglect. 

One of a couple Common Sunflowers in the front Wildscape.

The only Common Sunflower in the back Wildscape (so far).

The flowers are usually large and showy, and the plant provides beneficial wildlife value for both birds and insects, so I've decided to let ours remain in the Wildscape – at least until they dry up in the summer heat. I'll even welcome more in the future, depending on where they decide to take root, of course. Allowing them to stay put may take us out of the running for a Yard of the Month award, but since I doubt we'd ever get a nomination anyway, I'll take my chances.

Spring preview

I transplanted the Crucita shrub (Chromolaena odorata) in the front Wildscape in January (again); and since it began treating us to a few spring blooms this week, I'll declare the transplant a success. I decided to relocate it from its spot near the front walkway to the far side of the driveway so it can get abundant sunshine year round and be in plain view of passersby. Two other Crucita shrubs in the back Wildscape very likely won't bloom this year because I gave each of them a haircut a couple of weeks ago when they began to grow out of control. 

As I've mentioned before, Crucita is a spectacular fall bloomer. Spring blooms are a bonus. See earlier blog posts on our Crucita shrubs here, here, and here.

Hare today, gone tomorrow?

By Warner Brothers (YouTube screen
capture) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

I spotted a rabbit in our front Wildscape twice this week. The first time was two nights ago (sometime after 10 p.m.) when I saw a rabbit by the small Texas Persimmon tree (Diospyros texana) near the sidewalk. Because it was dark outside and the critter was so still, I wasn't sure at first if it was a rabbit or a cat. As I slowly moved toward it, it hopped away to a neighbor's yard, so then I knew it was a rabbit. I didn't pursue it any further.


I saw another rabbit (or was it the same one?) in broad daylight this evening around 6:30 after I pulled my car into our driveway and I started heading toward the front walkway. As soon as I noticed it sitting by the blue birdbath, I stopped, and then I reached ever so slowly into my pocket to pull out my cell phone to take a photo. The rabbit hopped behind some shrubs in the Wildscape before I could even get the phone out of my pocket.


I don't know that the Wildscape is the attraction, especially since rabbits probably live in the various fields nearby. But if birds, butterflies, bees, and bugs enjoy the native plants and habitat for wildlife that we've created in our Wildscape, then it makes sense that rabbits and other wild creatures will as well. At least I like to think that's the case. 


Maybe someday I'll be able to snap a photo of a visiting rabbit before it hops away.

It's about time

I didn't expect it to take quite this long (almost 10 weeks), but we now have two flowers on our Zexmenia (Wedelia texana).

Earth Day 2012

Photo courtesy of NASA.

"What's the use of a fine house if you haven't got a tolerable planet to put it on?"

 – Henry David Thoreau

Our daughter is visiting us this weekend. Soon after she arrived on Thursday, she mentioned that she was looking forward to spending Earth Day with me this weekend (she proudly holds the distinction of being this blog's first follower). So we went to Quinta Mazatlan yesterday morning to see what was happening at the 2012 Vida Verde Earth Day Festival. We stayed a couple of hours, and we saw several exhibits and a few shows (including the tail end of a reptile show that featured a very impressive alligator snapping turtle). I took the first two photos below at the Live Birds of Prey on display (we missed the show though).

A Crested Caracara with a
Barn Owl in the background.

An American Bald Eagle. This bird
sure knows how to strike a majestic pose.

Vara Dulce, a Rio Grande Valley native shrub.

I also bought a shrub from the Native Plant Project's booth. The shrub I picked out is commonly known as Vara Dulce (Aloysia macrostachya), also known as Sweet Stem or Wooly Beebrush. It should produce fragrant purple flowers from spring through fall, and attract both butterflies and bees. I took the above photo after I planted the new shrub in the Backyard Wildscape late yesterday afternoon.