Category: FRIENDS

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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.

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05/10/2023 neighborhood athlete

This series of images shows a magnificent full sized Three-toed Box Turtle pull itself up over a concrete curb. I had no idea they could do this!! Turtle-conscious people have since informed me this is normal but I am still highly impressed. This was a few blocks from our house.
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05/01/2023 planting before rain and checking on growth

Holding a bit of Sherardia bluet by a possible globemallow for comparison.
A plantain blooming
Plantain with spike moss from Jeanne
Silphium radula from a kind plant friend!
Asclepias incarnata too!
Transplanting Asclepias viridiflora (we think) from pot into ground. Long root! It’s still alive almost a week later (05/06/2023).
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05/01/2023 planting before rain and checking on growth

Peppers, tomatoes, and tomatillos getting used to sun.
Holding a bit of Sherardia bluet by a possible globemallow for comparison.
A single stalk. Yucca or grass??
Mystery plant turned out to be non native cornflower.
Skink!!! We have at least four individuals around the yard.
A plantain blooming
Plantain with spike moss from Jeanne
Silphium radula from a kind plant friend!
Asclepias incarnata too!
Transplanting Asclepias viridiflora (we think) from pot into ground. Long root! It’s still alive almost a week later (05/06/2023).