Fab Foliage

Posted on February 28, 2023 by Tina

I was recently visiting with a neighbor as we stood in front of one of my gardens and she commented that a rosette of American Basket flower, Centaurea americana, looks deliciously edible. (I’m not sure if I’d add Basket flower to my salad greens, but it has been used for traditional medicine purposes.) As we chatted, I realized the particular specimen that was the focus of our conversation also shared close space with several other lovely foliage types.

Basket flower forms a dramatic rosette, but peeking through those glorious leaves are ferny Common Yarrow, Achillea millefolium, rounded, lobed Henbit, Lamium amplexicaule, and palmate-leafed Carolina geranium, Geranium carolinianum. Except for the non-native Henbit–one of our earliest bloomers and welcomed by pollinators–all of these plants are native to Texas and in many parts of the Americas.

A closer look at these luscious leaves shows another in their midst, also wanting attention for its leafy action–Caterpillars or Blue Curls, Phacelia congesta

A different Blue Curls planted itself directly on a Basket flower rosette, both settled in the crack of a cement driveway, no less. They’ll have to battle it out for survival once spring growth and blooming begins. The smart money is on the Basket flower, as it tends to get much larger than the Blue Curls–but I wouldn’t count out the curls, they’re a tough bunch.

Both Henbit and Blue Curls are having a moment this year in my garden. Scads of them have seeded out and are growing in profusion!

Another nice foliage vignette in a different area of the garden features a purposely planted Twistleaf Yucca, Yucca rupicola, overseeing two volunteer annuals (poppies and geraniums) and one volunteer perennial shrub, Rock Rose, Pavonia lasiopetala. All will bloom in spring, two will disappear afterward (poppies and geraniums), but the Rock Rose will be foliaged and floraled through the growing season.

Spring flowers are bursting out of their winter doldrums and the foliage of those bloomers is also revving up for its part in the garden show. Foliage and flowers form a partnership that are the stuff of gardens, each adding their particular beauty and role in a diverse community of plants.

Pond Party

Posted on February 22, 2023 by Tina

It’s time for a party in the pond! At least the Cedar Waxwings, Bombycilla cedrorum, think so.

On a roughly every-other-year cycle, these winter migratory birds swoop into the garden, always as part of a large group. They gab, preen, and fluff in the trees, and splash and sip at the pond.

The second bird from the right looks like it might be sticking out its tongue. In fact, like many birds, waxwings scoop their beaks into water, then lift their heads to swallow. The photo simply captured the scoop-with-tongue-engaged-before swallowing.

Cedar Waxwings are beautiful birds and a joy to observe. Their plumage is soft beige with blue-grey shading, complemented by a buttery yellow tummy. Wing tips are dabbed in brilliant red in one spot and sunny yellow in another. A jaunty black mask completes their avian dress, highlighting bright eyes with a dramatic dash of white eye liner. The mask suggests a mischievous, rakish look. Sociable and flighty, it’s rare to see one waxwing on its own, though it does happen. They usually fly and perch in large groups, singing together with high-pitched calls. I usually hear them before I see them and I love that sound.

The tail feathers of Cedar Waxwings are tipped in bright yellow, except on some birds whose tail tips are orange. If a young waxwing eats enough berries from a non-native honeysuckle species, its tail tip will be orange, rather than the typical yellow. Orange-tipped waxwings were first seen in the 1960s and are fairly common. In the photo below, you can see the tail feather of a bird (or more accurately, part-bird…) to the left. Its companion has the “normal” yellow. I think both are fetching.

Cedar Waxwings will pop in for group visits and splashes in the baths for the next month or so. Then, they’ll wing their way northward to their breeding grounds in northern U.S. and southern Canada. I hope to see Cedar Waxwings in their breeding area one day, but until then, they’re most welcome to enjoy their winter vacations at my home.

Dandy

Posted on February 16, 2023 by Tina

It’s a dandy day when one is privileged to observe an eager pollinator on an early spring flower. On a warm February day in bright sunshine, this Green Sweat Bee (Halictidae) visited a non-native Dandelion, Taraxacum officinale, situated along a pathway in my front garden. It’s not an official flower in my garden, but I welcome it just the same.

I’m a big fan of native plants and avoid using invasive plants in my garden, but I admit to a soft-spot for this weedy thing that so many love to hate. I’m tolerant of dandelions because they offer themselves to pollinators in times when others are not prepared to provide. The common dandelion endures curses, noxious sprays, and physical destruction–but not in my garden. Once the cheery yellow is done, I’ll maybe snip off the seed head–if I notice it. But destroy a flower that’s available to feed a bee or moth or butterfly? That’s a un-dandy thing to do!