My husband and I have long wanted to visit Costa Rica. Recently, we were privileged to spend some enchanted time in this stunning Central American country. I know quite a few people who’ve traveled to, or lived in, Costa Rica, and every one has absolutely loved the country and the nice folks who call it home. Costa Ricans are known for their warmth. Each day of our visit, friendly waves and bright smiles greeted us, usually with a polite buenas días, or buenas noches as an added bonus. No transaction or conversation was complete without a gracias and responding mucho gusto! Fisherman returnin ..read more

Two, new-to-my-garden native plants popped up this season, whether gifts from wind or wildlife, I won’t hazard a guess, but I’m pleased nonetheless. I was excited when I spotted the resplendent blooms of a Goldenrod, Solidago gigantea. I then recognized its frothy neighbor, a Poverty Weed, Baccharis neglecta. The plants actually belong to my neighbor and sister-in-law, as they’ve grown up at the base of the remains of her large Arizona Ash, which is now mostly bark, but full of life with insects and perching birds. I had no idea these two were plotting to play a role in the ensemble of the g ..read more

Autumn in Central Texas brings an appreciated dramatic flush of blooms (after the heat and drought of a long summer) but also a generous offering of fruits and seeds from many spring-blooming plants. American Beautyberry, Callicarpa americana, is a hardy shade-to-sun deciduous shrub which provides yummy meals for Blue Jays, Mockingbirds and various mammals. Dainty pink June blooms segue to light green berry clusters in July, which then color-up in August. By mid-September, the berries arrive at their disco-metallic, ready-to-eat form. Critters show up and critters eat. I haven’t snagged a de ..read more

With a fortuitous glance out the window, I saw a Cooper’s Hawk, Accipiter cooperii, glide to and perch on our swing beam. Typically hunters of other birds rather than rodents, the only potential prey that I noticed were a couple of Grey Squirrels running atop the wooden fence behind the swing beam as the hawk landed, and who nearly tied themselves into a knot as they scrambled away from the hawk’s reach. That was a funny sight, but I can’t blame the squirrels for their caution! There are several Cooper’s in our neighborhood and this time of year, I see at least one almost daily. I think this ..read more

Each gardening season, after the first drenching rain in August or September, I’m always surprised to see the Oxblood Lily, Rhodophiala bifida, pop up in varying spots. An introduced plant, the Oxblood Lilies have naturalized in parts of Texas and are common dots of crimson in lawns and gardens here in Austin and other parts of Central Texas. Its stalks, or scapes, rise up from the Earth (overnight as best I can tell!), buds developing atop and flowers opening with a brilliant flourish within a day or so. I have groups of these delights and they will bloom, not all at once, but with a continui ..read more

The glass is half full or the glass is half empty each convey a certain outlook on life, one which welcomes optimism, the other offering a shrug towards pessimism. Those who garden, who work and play in the natural world, live in the present moment while observing, planning, planting, weeding, pruning, and sometimes harvesting. But gardeners also keep their eyes and hearts firmly fixed on the future–from the short-term seasonal process of growing vegetables to the very long-term nurturing of large shade trees, well aware that they will never see the trees in maturity. This Red Spider Lily, Lyc ..read more

There’s yellow, …and then there’s yellow! Autumn migration is in full swing! Year in and year out, a most dependable visitor to my gardens during both spring and autumn migrations are the eponymous Yellow Warbler, Setophaga petechia. Flitty, flighty birds, these little darlings are a treat to see. I nearly always have birds of both genders stop in for a time; sometime they come as couples, often, they visit separately. A female Yellow Warbler bopped around the Rough-leaf Dogwood, Cornus drummondii, growing near the pond. I planted this small native tree in this particular spot to give both r ..read more

Migration season has arrived and the first bird that I’ve identified as a non-resident and stranger to these parts is this handsome Eastern Kingbird, Tyrannus tyrannus. According to Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s map, my area here in Austin, Texas is on the edge of its breeding range, but I’ve never seen an Eastern Kingbird before, though Western Kingbirds are fairly common. This visitor perched in the Red Oak tree near my pond, fluttering occasionally over the pond itself, presumably snacking on insects. A flycatcher, Eastern Kingbirds eat insects, hunting them on the wing. They also enjoy sma ..read more

Huzzah and Cheers all around! Yesterday, clouds gathered, rain fell on a thirsty Earth, and the temperature (at least in North Austin) didn’t pass the century mark! It’s amazing how life looks better with touch of the cool. (Note: it wasn’t really cool, it simply wasn’t oven-like.) I pay no attention to the weather folk this time of year (the ‘hot and dry!’ monotony reigns in weather reports!) so I didn’t know there was a chance of precipitation and would have been skeptical if I’d heard about it before hand. Even with the lovely few hours break from the heat and glaring sun, I’m under no illu ..read more

The garden gnomes aren’t happy. They’re weary of heat and bummed that so many plants are sunburned; they’re annoyed that crispy, baked leaves are drifting into the garden. They’re ready for some rain and cooler temperatures. These gnomes were a Mother’s Day gift from my then three-year-old son, oh so many years ago. We picked a spot for the gnomes to occupy, to keep tabs on the goings-on of the garden. My son liked the two together, he said they were conversating. And so they have, through drought and flood, extreme heat and icy cold. Some plants are sunburned. This currently discolored Pale ..read more