Wildlife Wednesday June 2017

With a series of rainy days on the horizon during May I spent a lot of gardening time dividing and transplanting perennials plus adding plants to fill in holes left by too much rain and winter freezes.  With less time behind the camera I still found fun visitors to feature on Wildlife Wednesday which is hosted by Tina at "My Gardener Says..." on the first Wednesday of each month.

I've always enjoyed and featured on Wildlife Wednesday an abundance of butterflies in the spring garden so one of the big surprises this year was the small number of butterfly visitors.  Whether it was the rain or the plants were slow to bloom I can't be sure so I'll wait for the fall migration to bring them back this way.

Hummingbirds have kept me entertained in the interim.  Interesting to note the variety of plants they like.  

Salvia darcyi or Mexican Salvia with its long-lasting bright red tubular blooms is quite popular.

Aniscanthus wrightii or Flame Acanthus is a well-known Hummingbird favorite.  As a native plant it is easy to grow but you'll need plenty of space or be prepared to remove seedlings and give it a major cutback twice a year.

Melochia tomentosa or Pyramid Bush is another irresistible draw for hummingbirds in the garden.  This local native plant loves hot, dry, rocky slopes so it's ridiculously easy for a plant that sports such striking blooms.

GIF for June, frenetic hummer!

Though I have cut way back on feeding birds, they still find plenty of seeds from spring wildflowers or like this female Tufted Titmouse awaiting ripening grapes from the vines climbing the fence.

I was delighted to find Lesser Goldfinches having a field day in the Zexmenia (Wedelia acapulcensis).  You can just see three of them since the plant is at the far back corner of the garden and getting closer would have meant chasing them away.

Good to see the birds have found plenty to eat in the garden without supplemental food.

From time to time Neal joins in with a contribution from the golf course where he spends quite a bit of time.  His idea of wildlife in the "garden" is this hawk taking water from rain runoff on a fairway.  Probably a Broad Winged hawk which is known to frequent our area.

Only 15 feet away....must really want that water!

Amazing how close he could get to this beautiful bird!

Bucks have been kicked out of the herd during fawn season and band together in "bachelor herds" until mating season comes around again.

Deer herds migrate up and down the neighborhood along the creek  During May a small bachelor herd foraged plants filled out by plenty of rain.

This guy has a flea problem.

Got it!

Again!

A couple more bachelors in the herd that visited during May.

Fenced out of the garden for three years now.  It works for me, not so much for the deer.

That's it for Wildlife Wednesday photos from May.  Be sure to check out other blogger's contributions along with Tina's impressive collection of garden birds this month at her Wildlife Wednesday post.

Leap Year

The calendar shows 2012 as a Leap Year.  And in gardening terms, It should also be "leap year" for my garden.  There is a saying among gardeners regarding perennials that the first year they sleep, the second year they creep, and the third year they leap.  In other words, after transplanting perennials, they need to first get established, then they slowly start to take hold, and finally -- beginning with the third year -- they leap into full growth.  If that holds true, the perennials I began planting in 2009 should be "leaping" by early summer.


Of course, the weather has to cooperate and that's sometimes a tall order here in south Texas.  The big freeze in February 2010 and the heat and drought of last summer knocked some of the perennials for a loop.  This creeping germander has been set back by the heat and spent last summer sleeping when it should have been creeping.   It's beginning to creep a bit now so what will it do next spring.  Will it leap or creep?

 The Russian Sage should be taller and fuller by next fall's bloom season

 

 
Perhaps this Blue Hill Salvia will "leap" over the stone edging as planned

The white-blooming lantana, salvia, and plumbago in this bed have definitely slept and crept, so even a little leaping would be appreciated next year.

 
No doubt the Artemsia "Powis Castle" will leap.


This Flame Acanthus has not disappointed so far with its growth and blooms last summer.   I will enjoy seeing it leap and set even more blooms next summer.

Will the Callistemon "Little John" (in the foreground above) recover from last year's deep freeze?

This Firebush (Hamelia patens) is already growing well and setting blooms right through December.  Should I expect even more next year?

Is this the year Pomegranate "Wonderful" will set fruit?

 

This Indigo Spires Salvia has already grown and bloomed beautifully these first two years, how much better will it look when "in-Spired" by leap year?

 Yes, this should be a great "leap year" in the garden.