First Spring Wildflower

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Riffing on first Texas wildflower blooms profiled at Portraits of Wildflowers, I noticed that my garden’s first wildflower is abloom. This wildflower is a common weed according to some, but I love the pretty, purple, pollinator magnet and so do the bees and butterflies. Insects were tucked in this morning, owing to the chill and clouds, but they’ll find this rich source of nectar and pollen when the sun returns and the temperatures warm.

This Spiderwort, Tradescantia, sp., has popped up from last years’ roots at the base of a winter-tawny Big Muhly, Muhlenbergia lindheimeri. That splash of green has been a colorful companion to the muted grass since early December. Now, the green will be topped by rich purple to augment its beauty.

The spiderworts couldn’t have chosen a tougher place to plant themselves. Facing west, these two clusters sit at the curb, not even in the garden-proper. I never water this area, it only receives what bounty the sky delivers. There will be more spiderwort blooms in the coming months–from these two and many others throughout my garden–then the foliage will disappear, the roots in hiding from the long, hot summer. The muhly will provide some coverage, as new growth drapes over the curb and spiderworts’ spot, but this area is hot and dry most of the year.

It has begun, this renewal of life. Birds and squirrels chase their potential partners and rivals; flirtation as the rule of the first kind of chase, establishing territory the point of the second. The main winter clean-up work in my garden is finished, or nearly so, and change in the garden will be a daily, if not hourly, occurrence. Game-on, Spring!

February Backyard Birds

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Temperatures are mild, days are lengthening, and February is nearly half over. My back garden birds have increased in number and appetite as they await and anticipate Spring’s renewal.

This lovely Pine Warbler, Setophaga pinus, is a regular in the garden this winter. Austin is just barely in this warbler species’ nonbreeding range and it’s only in the past couple of years that I’ve enjoyed their company during winter’s dormancy. This year, two of these warblers hang in the garden, though I typically see just one at a time, mostly this pretty boy.

He’s easy to spot in trees and shrubs as he present himself as a dash of rich yellow, foraging busily for insects. In my garden, he favors peanuts, offered from a feeder and hopefully a decent substitute for Pine Warblers’ preference for pine seeds, which my garden lacks. Pine guy works the branches, the peanut and suet feeders, but also spends time on the ground, hopping through fall planted iris straps and December fallen oak leaves.

There’s usually a lucky piece of peanut found among the leaves, twigs, and ceramic armadillos, and this little bird is good at finding the nummies.

Downie and Red-bellied Woodpeckers are year-round daily visitors, but a new-to-my-garden bird is this Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Dryobates scalaris. Austin is clearly in the nonbreeding range for this handsome guy, but I’ve only seen him visit my garden in recent months.

I’ve noticed in walks around my neighborhood that I’ve seen him, or another of his kind, flitting around Live Oak trees, so clearly there’s probably more than one Ladder-backed bro. I don’t know if this is a new population, but I’m chuffed he’s joined the bird gang that includes my garden as their place to dine and socialize.

I like this patient Northern Mockingbird, Mimus polyglottos, who perched, surveilling his realm, while I snapped some shots. I’ve noticed territorial chasing between birds; it’s that time of year, I suppose. The Red Bud tree where he perched grows in a garden with evergreen shrubs and where Mocks have previously built nests and raised chicks. I hope this site will host another family or two of these cheeky, charming birds.

I couldn’t resist the bum shot of this cute Carolina Wren, Thryothorus ludovicianus. I’m seeing more action from the couple that lives in this area and enjoying the male’s song, always the early-bird first of each morning.

Another bum shot, but of the Carolina’s cousin, a Bewick’s Wren, Thryomanes bewickii.

Last Spring and for the first time ever, my garden hosted a darling Bewick’s couple and they fledged three equally darling chicks, which you can read about here. In recent days, the two adults are once again checking our their birdhouse and chastising me if I’m lingering too close. I look forward to more beautiful songs, some annoyed-at-me chittering from mom and dad, and observing the remarkably devoted parents as they raise a new family later in April and May.

I’m deep in winter pruning, the garden transforming from the remains of a year’s growth, full and lush, to a decidedly minimalist look. Spring wildflowers have emerged and will act as colorful, pollinator feeders until the perennials rise up again, to settle into their important roles in the garden as food sources and protection for wildlife, as well as aesthetic sustenance for the gardener.

Frosty Photos

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Along with much of the continental United States, my garden has been stuck in freezer mode since Saturday morning. There hasn’t been snow, per se, but instead, the wintry mix weather folk like to talk about. The sleet started over night Saturday into Sunday, the thin blanket of ice covering everything, everywhere, all at once (with apologies to that worthy Academy Award winner of a few years ago).

Here in Austin, we’d experienced one light freeze before this deeper, longer one, prompting my check for the swirly ice sculptures which give native plant Frostweed, Verbesina virginica, its name. No ice capades appeared in my garden during that first freeze, but this deeper freeze delivered a dramatic frost show–but on only one of my Frostweed plants. Usually each plant produces its own icy artwork–ranging from bombastic to minimalist–but this winter, one of my largest and oldest specimens was the sole artist-in-residence.

The beauty of the ice, fragile and ephemeral, belies the rather violent nature of the super frozen moisture as it bursts through the plant’s stem structure, destroying limbs of the now-ended growing season. Frostweed is done; I will prune the remains to the ground soon. In a matter of weeks, spring will beckon, fresh growth will emerge, and the cycle for a new year of foliage, blooms, seeds, and ice flowers will commence.

The ice sculptures are called many names: ice flowers, ice ribbons, frost flowers, and more; my favorite of the nicknames is ice beards.

On less swirly–though still slippery–ice, this this Fox Squirrel, enjoyed some scattered seeds and peanuts for breakfast these past mornings.

Birds are also busy at the seeds, though this White-winged Dove, Zenaida asiatica, was content to chill in the chill.

One of the winter warblers hanging out in my garden, a darling Yellow-rumped Warbler, Setophaga coronata, is unfazed by the cold. He bopped around the garden, nibbling on this-n-that, dashing to shrubs and trees for protection.

Once this freeze is history, I’ll assess the damage to the garden. I don’t expect any permanent problems, as I choose tough plants to grow. But winter pruning must begin this week and the next 6 to 8 weeks are my busiest time in the garden. The goal of pruning completion is the first week of March; wish me good luck with that!

Winter has left its impression the garden.