Rocky’s Visit

Posted on July 13, 2023 by Tina

Austin is home to many (some say too many!) Eastern Fox Squirrels, Sciurus niger. These natives are both charming and annoying, adding comedic energy to the garden; there’s never a dull moment with these fuzzy-tailed characters. While some (occasionally including yours truly) find these cute critters irritating, squirrels play an important role in the dissemination of native plants by their consumption of seeds and disposal afterwards. In short, squirrels plant a lot of trees.

Recently, I looked out my kitchen window and saw a Rock Squirrel, Otospermophilus variegatus, nosing around in the garden, which was quite a surprise. I know Rock Squirrels are native in parts of Texas, but I’ve never seen one in my garden or anywhere else in Austin.

Austin (Travis County) lies at the eastern edge of these squirrels’ range; they’re more common in the Hill Country areas. Apparently, Rock Squirrels here in Central Texas tend to be brownish in coloring, though those further west are black to grey. This fella is definitely a westerner and I wonder if he’s a sub-species, Otospermophilus v. buckleyi. He’s quite a handsome fella, too–look at that fluffy tail! He’s also a little bigger than my pet-like Fox Squirrels.

True to what I read about Rock Squirrels, he helped himself to some greens, in this case, the leaves, stems (and seeds?) of a Yellow Columbine. Rocky also likes to munch on other seeds and foliage, as well as insects.

After his snack, a nice, cool drink of water finished his meal.

I moved on to other adventures that day and never saw Rocky again. I hope he returns; it would be interesting, maybe fun, and no doubt exasperating to host two squirrel species in the garden.

I suppose I should be careful what I wish for, after all, they are squirrels!

Summertime Dream

Posted on June 15, 2023 by Tina

With an appreciative nod to the great Gordon Lightfoot, the garden is a Summertime Dream. Yes, there’s twittering in the trees, but there’s also plenty of buzzing and fluttering in and around the blooms. Currently, some of the premier buzzy/fluttery magnets are the prolific American Basket-flower, Centaurea americana.

Whether at the beginning of the bloom cycle,

…or toward the end,

…these pink-to-lavender beauties host a myriad of pollinators–day in and day out. Big or small, bee or butterfly (or hummingbird),

Native bee, perhaps Striped Abdomen bee, *Melittidae*

…active pollinators fill the air space of the garden, alighting on many blooms, especially nosing in on these fringed flowers.

This is the third year I’ve grown this wildflower. Last year, each individual stalk was tall, but in the drought, not nearly as tall as this year’s crop of baskets. Plenty of rain in April and May encouraged Jack-in-the-Beanstalk growth of the basket flowers and I was remiss in pruning the reach-for-the-stars flower stalks.

I managed to prune this bunch below and I’m happy with their height and bushy character.

Next year (next year, I always say next year!), I’m removing 95% of the seedlings (this year, it was a mere 85%) and pruning 100% of those that remain. The tall growth is fascinating to observe, but these plants simply get too, too tall for this garden. I cut down five or six of the tallest because they tipped over in heavy rain and wind.

I’m fond of these flowers and welcome them as annual visitors. The color, form, and size of the blooms are glorious, but their most important contribution is that they provide so much to so many: pollinators partake of the luscious blooms and at the end of that cycle, songbirds snarf the seeds.

This next week, June 19-25, is National Pollinator Week celebrating all things about pollinators. Check out the Pollinator Partnership for information on how you can help heal your part of the world by partnering with pollinators. Even a small garden of native plants and trees that provide food and protection for larvae and nectar and pollen for adults will benefit pollinators and the wider ecosystem.

Additionally, it will add beauty and joy to your everyday life.

Small Minor bee and Green Sweat bee on American Basket-flower

Resting Hairstreak

Posted on June 8, 2023 by Tina

This Gray Hairstreak, Strymon melinus, perched with its well-worn wings open wide, rests after a morning of visiting flowers. This might be a male, as they rest on foliage of shrubs and trees, waiting for a female to show interest in a liaison.

This beauty thrives throughout the continental US and northern Mexico and is common in my garden. I grow some of its host plants, namely several species of mallows. These are small skippers, about an inch in width and length.

Remaining on the leaf of my Mexican Orchid tree for a time, it eventually vacated the leaf for other parts of the garden, no doubt in search of flowers and a mate.

In a busy garden with buzzing bees, fluttering wings, and birdsong, the contemplative moment was a gift.