I love that Purple Paintbrush! That first pic looks like Texas Vervain. I'm not sure about #3, but Death Camas is one possibility. Mine isn't blooming now, so can't look at it.
http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=ZINU
Gardening with Texas Native Plants & Wildflowers, part 17
Now I know why I don't ever try to ID flowers I can't even do it for myself. #1 is Texas vervain.
Here's a pic of my venus' looking glass
Wow!! you girls have been busy while I was gone, we were at Prairie fest for 8 hours and are really tired now, it was a great day, a little windy but no rain, so it worked out just fine.
I think all the plants have been identified except #4 and I can't tell, maybe if you tell us if it is a tree or a vine we might be able to tell.
I am so happy to see a renewed interest in native plants!!!
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CarloInTX , thank you for joining us on this thread I hope you will post more pictures.
Josephine.
Josephine this is the first bloom on a Texas Thistle you gave me at CRSU last year.
How neat!!! My thistles haven't opened yet, but they are close, I hope many butterflies come to visit it.
They love those little tubes and the hummingbird moths do too.
Josephine.
Oh that salvia greggii probably attracts some hummingbirds!! pretty. And that thistle is sure much prettier than my bull thistle. I have a Bull Thistle growing that is now taller than me! It has dozens of buds on it but they aren't as flattering as that Texas thisle.
Did you see many more wonderful flowers yesterday Josephine?
Cloudy today, hoping for rain. But the forecast says tomorrow 50%.
So what kind of leaf/plant is this growing?
The tree in question looks like a Mulberry.
We saw some very pretty flowers yesterday although they were no abundant,
Prairie Celestial lilly
http://wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=NEGE
Engelmann's Daisy
http://wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=ENPE4
Trailing Crameria
http://wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=KRLA
Salvia Texana
http://wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=SATE3
Twoleaf Senna
http://wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=SERO8
Ground Plum
http://wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=ASCR2
White and Yellow Compass Plant
http://wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=SIAL
http://wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=SIAL
Prairie Bishop
http://wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=BIAM2
Echinacea Pallida, this is an unusual one.
http://wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=ECPA
Penstemon cobea
http://wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=PECO4
and many more that I can't think of right now, it was a great day for sure.
Josephine.
Nice finds, Josephine, pretty! I have the first 3 and the last one growing. Have you ever actually seen the Compass Plant bloom? I've seen the plant, but never actually seen the bloom, except in pictures. Isn't Bull Thistle a nonnative plant? I have trouble remembering which are, but I always remember with the worst invasive thistle, the musk thistle and try to kill it whenever I can (not an easy task...and you have to be prepared). There's a park on the Guadalupe that has a lot of trouble with invasives along the river trail. I get the feeling their pathetic state budget doesn't allow them enough time to fight all the invasive species there.
This message was edited Apr 26, 2009 12:52 PM
Those are some really nice wildflowers you got to see Josephine! I really like that compass flower too. I'm surprised you didn't have your camera with you.
Are you talking about this one LindaTX? We had company from Sweden last week and they were just amazed at our Texas size thistle, even had to have a picture with it! LOL It probably is invasive and I know it will have to go.
I am learning what is growing here, my first spring so I am hesitant to cut anything down till I find out what it is. My dh wants to cut EVERYTHING! He wanted to cut trees down this winter! No I won't let him (unless they are already dead) but I know some things are going to have to go.
Wow! that is a big Bull Thistle!!!
I don't know if I should post this here or not, so let me know and I can start a specific thread...
Anyway, I tried to plant a brilliant sunflower garden this spring. It was genius. I had it all planned out, too, and had the seeds to 3 great varieties. It was fool proof. What could go wrong?
Well, the weather and, of all things, my dogs, have conspired against me and I am not having much success in terms of seed germination. I spent several hours over the course of 2 weekends digging 1" - 2" holes throughout a *long* narrow stretch of my yard to plant the seeds according to my master plan (for ex, mammoth in back and maya in front, etc.) I even marked them with toothpicks just to make note of where I was seeding. Yes, it was silly I guess because it turned out to be a fruitless endeavor. At first, I had good germination rates for my autumn beauty mix, but then my pets interfered. I couldn't believe it (I'm a noob of course) because I didn't think *my* good dogs would ever dig into a nice patch of bare soil for no good reason (sarcasm.) But it can't just be the dogs, right? It seems to me that the leaves are stripped bare from some of my seedlings and only the stems remain. Could other critters be at work?
Do squirrels or rabbits eat the leaves of sunflowers?
What can I do to make up for lost time? Should I go the "nuclear" option and just start broadcasting seeds all willy nilly and maybe cover them up with a light application of soil or compost?
I'm pretty frustrated right now...
I would fence off the area where you want to plant the sunflowers, to keep out the dogs. As for the chewing on the leaves it could be a lot of things, I get a lot of damage from squirrels but you just have to keep trying.
Be patient, you still have time for sunflowers this year.
Josephine.
We've been blessed with rain lately...enough to remove almost all of those horrid brown exceptional drought area from the Texas drought map! Here's a happy camper enjoying the moister soils we have. Brown-eyed Susan!
Ratany blooming...Krameria lanceolata, a trailing plant that I never even notice on the front slope until it blooms!
Damianita, blooming all over the place! Chrysactina mexicana, drought tolerant little shrubs that actually seems to LIKE caliche and limestone soils. Blooms ever spring...on occasion there will be a second bloom if they are happy enough.
Love all your blooms LindaTX8 but especially the Brown eyed Susan, Ratany and Diamianita!! LOL How nice that we had some April showers.
Here is a rose bloom from the wild rose bushes.
I think it is Rosa setigera, but I'm not sure. What do you think?
JohnCritchton75, I'm not sure on a rabbits' diet but I know my dogs cannot wait to chase them around here every morning (early before sunrise). Maybe check on the wildlife forum about that. And my dogs are just as bad if not worse about stepping on my garden and plantings. They do not know how to go around plants either! My GSD is the worst and he has already stomped my sunflower seeds and plains coreopsis. I will be totally surprised if anything grows!
Hi John~
I couldn't help but overhear your distress... Josephine's idea with the fence is a great idea for sure, and I really like your nuclear method of broadcasting the Sunflowers.
I have a little theory as well:
When our dog(s) see us digging in the dirt and taking such careful work and attention to the ground it triggers some sort of psychotic Jones (I can dig too, digging is MY thing!!) episode. If we just throw them out and not call a lot of attention to the whole thing, the plants come up and before you know it, you have Sunflowers. If the dogs are looking, wait til they look away and throw them over your back... These guys are very observant, and I think they might actually believe they are helping you. LOL.
Does that make any sense?
As Josephine said, there is plenty of time to get them going. After that they will plant themselves for years to come. Just put the dogs out of site wile you thin out your seedlings, or they will try to "help" again.
Best of luck to ya!
Debnes
I remember when I had two young kitties and a garden. One understood about the garden and loved to eat tomatos and beans. She would come running and stand up to beg to get fresh tomato. She would guard the plants and knew they were mine. When DH went to look at the garden she'd follow along and let him know she was watching him. "Don't touch Mommy's plants!" was the message she'd give him and would act upset if he tried to pick a pepper or something. The other kitty loved to play and would watch me carefully plant the small potted plants in the soil. Later sometimes I'd find one or two dug up (if the "guard" kitty wasn't around), lying on the top of the soil. He just wanted to play and loved to dig! I do think in his mind he was trying to help.
Animals are so funny and interesting, such personalities, just like people.
Here are the sprouts of the Skeleton Plant. (Seeds were from LindaTX..;-)..)
Should I thin them out or leave them and place directly into the ground?
I hear they need a spot with less competition, and they are delicate to transplant. I need to know about thinning mostly, but any advice would be appreciated.
Debnes
They look like they would be easy to separate, but since they are delicate, I would leave them alone,
I have never grown them so maybe Linda could advise.
Josephine.
Debnes, I haven't seen any growing real close to each other, so I assume they need to be separated a bit. I'm afraid my experience with Skeleton Plant has been limited to scattering a few seeds to encourage them to grow in another area. They came with the property and they like it here...I know that much!
Thank you Linda and Josephine, that helped a lot!
I will try to find a place to put them now... We shall see.
I was happy to see this one, which I haven't had coming up in quite a while. Apparently an old seed germinated! Flameflower, Talinum auranticum, isn't it cool? You really have to be outside sometime from 4 to 7 p.m. to see it bloom.
And another one returned, just one Burridge's Greenthread. Kind of sad, because the cute little moth is dead, in the clutches of a little spider. Thelesperma burridgeanum (AKA Cosmidium burridgeanum) is a Texas endemic and a little hard to find in the wild. I just love it but it really prefers sandy soil!
The Prairie Phlox and Blackfoot Daisy together, what a combo!
Great blooms Linda, the Flameflower and all. What a capture on the moth/spider!
Flowers here are coming out like yours, and some going to seed.. like bluebonnets... of course.
Here with Coreopsis grandiflora, trumpet petals...
My favorite Coreopsis grandiflora, Tetra Giant
Ox-eyed Daisies, Bluebonnets, Blackfoot Daisies, and some unmentionables, lol.
Gotta have Milkweed...
A. curassavica, Bloodflower & Silkie Gold
Sawtooth Blackberry Bloom
Sneezeweed Daisy
You girls are really cooking, I am jealous !!!!
Well I don't think I will ever see blooms!!!
This first photo was taken in Feb this year. The plant was identified as a standing cypress. I was excited to have this since I hadn't had one before.
Now in May it is almost 5 foot tall!!! See the shop window behind it for reference. We have had rain for almost two weeks now and we need sunshine or I am afraid I am going to loose it before it blooms. Still have my fingers crossed.
Sheila, I think that unless a squirrel fixes it for you it will bloom, congratulations!!!
Thanks, I sure hope so!
Good job Sheila!! Hope it blooms too. Fresh seeds would be the bomb for next year.
I know where a group of plants are at a house on my citizens patrol. So if I don't get seeds, I am going to stop and ask them if I can get a few from them.