Wildflower Wednesday April 2015: Wildflower Walk in the Park

It's Wildflower Wednesday when bloggers are invited by Gail at Clay and Limestone to post on wildflowers in our gardens.  I'm pushing the rules a bit this month with flowers from a local park.  On Monday I joined members of the Gardening Volunteers of South Texas for a wildflower walk in Phil Hardberger Park led by Wendy Leonard, park naturalist for the City of San Antonio.

While the masses of wildflowers lining Texas roadways in the spring are legendary, Wendy focused on the smaller flowers growing in restoration areas of the park.

One crowd favorite was the Pincushion Daisy (Gaillardia suavis).  It's a (mostly) petal-less flower with a wonderfully spicy fragrance that lends it another common name of Perfumeballs.

National Wildflower Week: The Zexmenia Project and a few other wildflowers

It's National Wildflower Week sponsored by the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center and I'm celebrating with a post on the latest wildflower project in my garden.  I call it the "Zexmenia Project".

About two years ago I planted a native Zexmenia in the circle garden.  Zexmenia is quite literally native to my neighborhood and I find it growing in many untended spots within walking distance so it was a natural choice for a native flowering plant in my garden.

Blooming almost non-stop through our hot summers, it was a big success.  It's a drought tough, heat tolerant, flowering plant and the deer do not even nibble on it.  The only deer damage is if they happen to step on it.

Wildflower Wednesday September 2013: Purple wildflowers and Rain Lilies

 It's Wildflower Wednesday sponsored by Gail at Clay and Limestone where she invites bloggers to share stories of wildflowers in our gardens the fourth Wednesday of each month.

For September 2013 I'm featuring purple performers and Rain Lilies in the fall garden.

The much-anticipated Liatris or Gayfeather is blooming this week.  Another plant generously shared by Michael at Plano Prairie Garden last year.  He's not sure exactly which variety this is so he's listed it as Liatris somethingorother in his plant list.  I do know for sure it is a striking color in the fall garden.  The plants have begun to spread out in their second year in my garden and look better this year compared to last year when they were newly planted.

Wildflower Wednesday: April Wildflowers

This week I'm joining Gail at Clay and Limestone for Wildflower Wednesday.  Wildflower Wednesday is a special opportunity to track the progress of the wildflowers I am establishing in my yard.

It's amazing what happens when you put out the welcome mat for native plants and flowers.  For example, these Indian Blanket flowers (Gaillardia pulchella) or Firewheel surprised me by blooming this week.

Our "Outback"

You've seen the creek that runs along my backyard and might be wondering...what's across the creek?  It's a utility easement with a vacant field beyond.  Boring?  Well, that depends on whether you see native plants as wildflowers or weeds.  This area is surprisingly undisturbed given all the development around here and I enjoy searching for and observing native plants back there.  Commercial development is moving this way and soon this spot will be under a parking lot or building.

Here are a few photos of the plants and butterflies I found on a recent walk to see how the plants are rebounding from our long drought.

Black Swallowtail butterfly heading to a small blue flower I can't identify yet

 
Prairie Phlox which I will try to collect seeds from.  This is the first time I remember seeing the phlox here.

  
This Pink Evening Primrose is interesting because a bug apparently bored through the bud and creating round holes in each petal.  Almost looks as if someone used a hole punch on it.

Gulf Fritillary butterfly on Prairie Verbena, the verbena has been especially beautiful this year.

So far things are looking really good back there this year.  I don't remember seeing any swallowtails or fritillaries last year so it was encouraging to see the wildflowers and butterflies returning to this area after two years of really rough weather.