Category: Plant species

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A neighbor ecosystem

On Tuesday this week, Mom and I visited the Dixon Water Foundation’s property near Leo, TX (north of FM 455). Mom has been blogging it all week! Have a look starting on her Nov. 9th post (opens in new tab) and keep going to the next post through Nov. 12. She took a lot more pictures than me.

An ammonite impression!
Going places
Blurry jumping spider but I liked its colors.
Round hole on rock
Neat tiny fossils
Mom said this is considered Fort Worth Prairie, adjacent to cross timbers. Hence neighbor ecosystem.
Hmm a rock.
Surprise!! Second small rock on a big rock with a spider under it for this trip.
Neoscona crucifera
Buttonbush
The grotto
Snail hiding
Fossil mollusc
A pretty live oak acorn
Native grass and lichen covered rock
Maybe a grape seedling.  I have these come up in my yard, I think, so I guess I better let one grow.  I had been assuming they were trees of some sort.
A sea urchin fossil!  Probably Holaster sp. according to the book Mom has on fossils of North America.
A view of creek leading to grotto.
Neat lichens
More neat lichens
The grotto again. Kept going back to look at it.
A shrike left some frog jerky.
Late fall is Spiranthes season! Commonly known as ladies’ tresses orchid
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New stuff

Read this good book Mom had. “A new garden ethic” by Benjamin Vogt. Definitely recommend it! Arguments for planting native plants and considering all our little friends and neighbors both animals and plants.
Paula, we’re borrowing this.
Seeds from home! Mom collected the common persimmon before I arrived.
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If you can’t tell, I took today off

First saffron crocus of the fall!
Hmm who could be in an attempted flower bed spot?
Nothing is growing there so I guess I will let it pass. Looks cozy.
I love the white avens foliage and flowers, but the seeds have been aggravating me by sticking to my pants. I decided to move a bunch of concrete pavers that got buried by leaves elsewhere to make the path clearer here to compost.
Ran out of energy and obvious pavers to move.
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Peas like the cool weather

Thomas Laxton Peas are thriving. Using the cherry trees as trellises here, and hoping peas will fertilize them with a bit of nitrogen.
The Oregon Giant Pea has not done so well. However, the cherry tree in this planter hasn’t either, so I don’t know if something’s wrong with the planter dirt or it’s just luck.
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Cubist ideal of melon

That’s what some of my coworkers called this moon and stars watermelon.
Dog for scale with the ideal melon and its very cute spotted friend.
I think they didn’t have enough time to ripen before the vine died (not even frost, just sort of browned and died) as they weren’t as sweet as I was expecting or hoping. But definitely not awful. I will try growing again.