Category: FRIENDS

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07/20/2023 summer continues

Green grasses have broad round seedheads forming. The grass are in front of a wooden fence dappled with sun and shade.
The sea oats that came up a few years ago from purchased seeds. They finally bloomed!
Three pink lily flowers blooming at the end of a long bare green stalk. The weathered wooden fence in the background is draped with a few five-leaved vines called Virginia Creeper.
There are three surprise amaryllis in the yard! They are all this shade of pink. Not native, but obviously tough, and not spreading so it can stay for now.
A brilliant scarlet red flower peels out from behind fuzzy green leaves. The flower petals are folded around a long red-pink flower part whose name I can’t remember.
The Texas mallows have begun to bloom! I love how bright they are in the shade.
A flower bud with a domed greenish center has tiny skinny yellow petals begin to emerge around it.
Rudbeckia lacinata from Abby is very happy this wet summer and has started to bloom.
Pale fingers with a wedding band hold a small sunflower blossom and three pointy green leaves still for the camera. The sunflower has clean yellow petals and a brownish center. There are various green leaves in the background.
Helianthus petiolaris from seeds are starting to bloom! There is a crab spider hiding behind one petal that you can just see their legs.
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06/21/2023 award winning acting

Paula took Briar out on Wednesday night and she found a possum.
The possum says “nobody home! Ignore my tight grip on the bird bath!!” it worked though. Briar wandered off.
After Briar wandered off to drink water and Paula got this lovely picture of the goofy young creature. They were gone by the time we humans checked again for the young friend. A great bit of possum theatre with Briar none the wiser!
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05/16/2023 promising candidates

This seedling is not something I recognize so I’m hoping it could be Bluehearts from Mom. I left other volunteer plants in as that species is hemiparasitic and does better with a host.
Possibly a silverleaf nightshade seedling!
Another possible silverleaf! Looks a lot like its congeneric cousin tomatoes’ babies.
Another baby Arkansas yucca!!! This one is in a bigger pot so hopefully we can keep it watered enough.
Two fern acacia seedlings from last fall came up!!
The winecups are really taking off!! Super pleased.
This adorable sweat bee is the first visitor I’ve seen so far to our Penstemon grandiflorus.
New mystery in the prairie!
Briar being innocent
Guard flamingo
One of our two plastic flamingos has been retired due to its new hobby of breeding mosquitoes. The remaining one has been reassigned to guard two Oklahoma penstemon that the dog keeps laying on.
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05/13/2023 what’s happening at Saxon Park

Maybe a Pediomelium sp blooming? There’s a lot right now! Very cute! Edit: Abby has kindly identified this as Psoralidium tenuiflorum.
Sensitive briars have adorable puffy pink flowers!
Baptisia australis blooming- few weeks ago it was all B. bracteata and this weekend we only saw the blue!
Only a quarter mile in and Briar demanded to lay on the wet earth in the shade.
A rough leaf dogwood starting to bloom.
Three views of a very pale showy evening primrose!
Ooh a dark center in a sun drop primrose—maybe that other less common species??
Nope it’s a flower beetle nestled deeply in the lemon yellow primrose flower!
The trail sides are covered with rabbits tobacco!
Another requested rest break by Briar dog.
Up the hill, Gaillardia suavis and Echinacea angustifolia (I assume) are blooming, starting to bloom, and finishing at various places!
We met a three-toed box turtle going on the path too. Briar has not met many turtles.
We saw a three toed box turtle! It was very intriguing but concerning to briar. She was cautious but also wagged.
Three views of the only wild Solomon’s seal patch I have seen. We saw them at this site last year.
Groundplum milkvetch (Astragalus crassicarpus) is has gone to seed. Some look a bit squished from the trail being mowed.