During the strong winds of winter, I keep my eye on the sky for hawks. I love to see them circling around on high. But, this one was a bit too close for comfort choosing to perch in the tree in my chicken yard. My girls (the chickens) knew he was there and took refuge….
Color in Summer
For me, January is the time to reflect on last year and look forward to the New Year. I have been working on improving the habitat value of my yard since 2003. But in spite of the changes I have made, I see fewer individuals of the species such as thrushes, sparrows, towhees, and kinglets…
The Joy of Master Gardeners
It’s the New Year and January is the start of the yearly Master Gardener training! Previously on the Permian Basin Master Gardener blog we wrote about what it takes to become a Master Gardener. This week on I shared some of the reasons that becoming a Master Gardener enriches my life. So check out my…
On the Permian Basin Master Gardener Blog… How Do We Help?
I think we have all seen changes in our home landscape over the last few years. I w rote about the changes that I have seen in a recent Permian Basin Master Gardener Blog entry.
Writing for the Permian Basin Master Gardeners Blog…Check it Out
Since January 2021, Debbie Roland, a fellow Texas Master Gardener and I have been writing weekly blog articles on a variety of horticulture topics. These articles are published in two local newspapers. The most recent article is on curly mesquite grass. So, get a cup of coffee or tea and check out the blog or…
More on Monarchs
Monarch season is over. The last straggler I spotted in my yard was December 20, 2021, just before the first arctic blast that welcomed in 2022. I started tagging Monarchs in my urban yard in 1997. That year, in the month of October my daughters and I tagged 75 Monarchs. We have not seen numbers…
Monarch Mismatch
Monarchs have been much on my mind lately. It is fall and I live on the western edge of the Monarch Highway. I have tagged Monarchs for Monarch Watch since 1997 but quit buying tags around 2015 when the urban Monarch population became so small. I had the chance to look back at some old…
Thoughts on Second Nature by Michael Pollan
Each year as the days get shorter and the nights longer, I seem to spend more time reading than being outside. And so, I turn to reading a selection of books loosely based on a theme. Starting last fall, I wanted to explore the relationship and responsibility that we in urban areas have to nurture…
Fall Bloomers
Every fall, I look forward to seeing three of my favorite fall bloomers and the pollinators and insects they attract. First to bloom is frostweed, Verbesina virginica. One of my first posts (December 2018) was about frostweed “blooming” in winter but here it is really blooming! Terpentine bush, Ericameria laricifolia, is a late summer, fall…
Blooming Blackberries!
I have been working hard to get my gardens in shape! So today, I went out to prune my blackberries, a prickly job! To my surprise they are blooming already, two to three months early. I don’t know if they will be able to set fruit. Our average last frost date here in Midland is…