A plantain flowering in the tiered cactus planter. This one was in the soil from Jeanne’s spike-moss. The Hedeoma is blooming in the planter too!Paula noticed this sneaky Prairie Coneflower blooming!Some sunflowers near Leon’s blackberries have wavy edged leaves. We are hoping they might be Helianthus petiolaris.
One of our four new prairie larkspurs has bloomed!!I took several angles as I was excited. Three of four plants tried to bloom but their flower stalks got knocked over or snipped off by something toothy. The showy milkweed in the side yard (north of the rainbow garden) is coming up!Our three kinds of milkweed are growing!! The lower left one is a green milkweed. The two biggest plants are whorled milkweed (A. verticillata) from Abby. The one remaining viridiflora is not in the picture.
05/21/2023. Legume leaves in the backyard, of unknown origin. 05/27/2023. The adult leaves are more triangular than the fuzzybeans in the front yard, but it also gets less sun here.
On the left is this year’s soil to bring the level up. To the right is last year’s winecups!A baby two leaf senna in one of the caliche planters!The guard flamingo is keeping a careful eye on Briar. Gotta keep her from squishing the Oklahoma penstemon. Every night Gram wants to go past Briar in the hall. Every night she waits for her chance to slobber him. This only happens at night. It is now a ritual. She smiles. As soon as he attempts it and she slobbers him, then they saunter into the room together. Photos by Paula.
I flagged my hopeful orchid rosette. It has kept growing into a dayflower instead being a Spiranthes rosette which has a few leaves then dies back for the summer. Ah well! It looks a little different with narrower leaves than the invasive dayflower so I will leave it until it blooms to identify it.
I enjoy how tiny the baby Astragalus leaves are. This is one of two. The other is in the front yard. Sedum nutallii from Jeanne is thriving and considering blooming!This mystery seedling is in a container where I planted silverleaf nightshade. We shall see. One of the rescued Pyrrhopappus tuberosus is blooming!Assorted seedlings from this county. All mixed together so we’ll see what comes up!
Last year’s Datura is pushing up through the leaves!!This Solomon’s seal is considering blooming. The Strophostyles fuzzybeans are growing where I put them in compost pile wall blocks!These wild yellow Oxalis volunteers are really looking good this year en masse. This plantain came with the spike moss from Jeanne’s house in Nc TX. Ratidiba columifera seedlings. Top adult leavesSeed leaves remainingThis second individual isn’t growing as tall. Baptisia probably bracteata seedlings!Possibly green milkweed seedlings in that pot with the Baptisia. In the cactus tiered planter, a mystery seedling. Mystery seedlings in the rose/bluehearts planter. Still hoping for bluehearts!A brome grass. I need to key it. Not one of the common non native ones. Not sure if volunteers or I planted.
We walked Briar at Ruby Grant park today and saw what baby gumweeds (Grindelia) look like. This confirms that we do have some growing at home. These park ones were not sticky, which is why we were dubious about the home ones.
We got 2.75” in less than 24 hours!Missouri Fluttermill primrose baby survived pouring rain even under the rain barrel! Left seedling is Winecup and upper right seedling is Astragalus crassicarpus!Two possible yuccas in the green section. Not a milkweedNot a milkweed?Maybe a milkweed Known milkweed (probably viridiflora)The skinny adult leaves of known milkweed. New book The Gardener’s Guide to Prairie Plants by Diboll and Cox mentions many milkweeds first adult leaves are skinny even if the eventual adult leaves are broad. Either that or I got the species wrong. One of two Blackfoot daisy survived earwigs and is now growing flower buds and a few new leaves!Perennial coreopsis begins!Briar was pretty miffed it rained HARD most of the day. So before our walk she curled up in disgust right on my big Liatris mucronata from home. Thanks. The Mexican Sage from Judy is up!A sedge?Partridge peaOldplainsmanMysteryCaliche planter babiesThe tomatoes have gotten a bit sunburnt from past rain with sunlight after, so this time I flicked water off and put them in a less intensely sunny spot. Trying to get them hardened off for planting. Like Briar, Shacks was disappointed by rain and not being out. Paula brought him some favorite juicy grass and he loved it.