Wildlife Wednesday June 2019

Observing wildlife in my garden is one of my favorite things and sharing some of my sightings on Wildlife Wednesday is always fun.  Wildlife Wednesday is hosted by Tina at "My gardener says..." on the first Wednesday of each month and we've had quite an array of wildlife visitors in the past month.

Black-chinned hummingbirds are busy at the feeder this time of year.  Staking out the feeder instead of real flowers makes photos easier.  I prefer to see hummers on flowers in the garden but it's also fun to watch from the kitchen so this is my usual view.

Those wings are fast!

Never thought of it but they probably fly through spider webs often as this bit of gleaming web clinging to a beak demonstrates.



Speaking of spiderwebs.  The artist seems to have abandoned her work.



Hummingbirds usually flock to Salvia Amistad but this month the bees have taken charge.  Instead of climbing inside the flower tube they headed for the corolla at the back of the flower.

What's up with this?

After observation it's definitely a pattern.

Research revealed that salvias have a tiny opening in the Corolla tube for nectaring.




Nectar is collected through the proboscis and stored in a honey sac which is returned to the hive for making honey.




Pollen is high in protein and the food source used to nurture bee larvae.  It's important to have both sources.



The "plant formerly known as a weed" is hosting swallowtail caterpillars again this year.  Through posting on native plant websites I have tentatively identified it as Prairie Bishop.

Dill-like foliage supports all stages of larvae growth.  I have made a point of leaving it in the garden since discovering swallowtail caterpillars love it.

The plants are still widely spaced so when the caterpillars reach the end of the line I move them (branch and all) to a new plant which seems to work.

 Not enough info to identify this moth but the angle is cool.

I think this is the same moth.  Usually it's bees on the Monarda citriodora or Beebalm.

While the caterpillars were chowing down there was a trend to faded tattered butterflies in the garden.

Spicebush Swallowtail

Crimson patch butterfly

Bordered patch inside and...

...out.

Faded Gulf Fritillary

Our rainy spring has brought many bugs and insects to the garden.

Young Katydid on a rose.

A green assassin bug stalking a small bee.

 
For the last few years a Whitetail doe has chosen our yard to hide her newborn fawn.  I may have walked past the little fawn several times before I noticed.  They had already moved to the neighbor's yard before I got outside with the camera.

Fawns will immediately drop down and stay quiet when scared.

Mom thinks three's a crowd.

Time to move on.  A bit wobbly, probably less than two days old.

So cute!

Couldn't let the deer have the last word this time!

Tina's blog has fun stories on wildlife in her garden.  You can find more at "My gardener says..." in the comments section.

Memorial Day 2019

Military funerals are a common sight around the Ft. Sam Houston National Cemetery in San Antonio.  Many times the San Antonio Patriot Guard Riders are there to escort both those who have died on active duty and veterans.

Requiem for a Soldier

Mansions of the Lord

The procession is always a special event like having our local version of Rolling Thunder.

 

Forming a wall of flags around the family is part of the service.



As you enjoy your Memorial Day holiday and our freedoms take a few moments to remember the service of so many who sacrificed.

National Wildflower Week 2019

National Wildflower Week (May 5-12) celebrates our native flowering species and I'm thinking about the "wildflowers" in my garden based on a common definition:

"A wildflower is a flower that grows in the wild, meaning it was not intentionally seeded or planted."

With such a narrow definition I wonder if the flowers in my garden qualify as wildflowers.  We'll take a tour while I share my thoughts.

These bluebonnets (Lupinus texensis) were intentionally seeded from seeds I collected in an undeveloped area just over my back fence.

We started with a small patch that struggled during our drought years but has been spreading quickly recently.  Some reseed naturally while we help others along to make sure the patch grows where we can enjoy them.



Then they are not wildflowers?  Not so fast, that also would mean bluebonnets at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center are not technically wildflowers.  As the Texas state flower bluebonnets are intentionally seeded along highways and public areas throughout the state so I think bluebonnets always qualify as wildflowers no matter where they are or how they arrived.



Purple Prairie Verbena (Glandularia bipinnatifida) and bright yellow-orange Greenthreads (Thelesperma filifolum) arrived as volunteers so they qualify as wildflowers.



Or not?  They started out wherever they chose to grow but then I intentionally seed them where I would like more.



The same with Firewheel or Indian Blanket flowers (Gaillardia pulchella).  Here again I intervene by pulling about half of these out each year to keep them under control.



Are these wildflowers or not?

That original narrow definition would indicate this is not a patch of wildflowers even though they are clearly going wild.

Their parents volunteered the garden years ago but then I intentionally seeded them across the path.

Eventually wildflowers will take over the entire back slope with the exception of shady spots.

Wildflowers are filling in the opposite corner where I scattered seeds over the last few years.  Looks like wildflowers to me.

What would I say is not a wildflower?  I'm undecided on larkspur.  While there are a few native larkspur in North America these are likely not.  So even though they grow among my native wildflowers and  Larkspur is a favorite in my garden they don't qualify.  I sure do enjoy them though.

No question about Horsemint (Monarda citriodora), another volunteer and a bee favorite.  No surprise since one of its common names in Bee Balm. 

Bee Balm goes through color stages starting pale then going to deep purple.

Damianita (Chrysactinia mexicana) grows as a wildflower in open areas but these were purchased as landscape plants at a local nursery.  

Texas Gold Columbine (Aquilegia chrysantha ‘Hinckleyana’) is a native wildflower now growing in a garden bed since it was shared by a friend.

Wildflowers by definition or not, I enjoy them all in my landscape.



Just one note.  To have wildflowers you have to be prepared for the browning state.  Those pretty bluebonnets going to seed turn brown (as seen on the lower right) and are not so pretty for a while.  Fortunately, the golds and oranges take over and help out.  If you want flowers next year, there's no getting around the seedy phase which is why most of my wildflowers are in the back yard.

So enjoy the wildflowers and even try a few in your garden since so many have crossed over into landscape favorites.