Dandy Lion

Yesterday, the kids and I were out walking around, burning energy and eating dewberries fresh off the vine. As we walked through the meadow, I was telling Levi the names of some of the flowers I knew. The dandelions are in full bloom right now and we were blowing the seeds, which is great fun to a 2 and 3 year old. Here was my conversation about the dandelions:

Me: Do you remember what these are called?
L: No
Me: It's a dandelion.
L: Does it roar?
Me: Hahahaha, no.

Spring Wildflowers - Crown Tickseed

While out for an evening walk around the property, I came across this beauty and stopped to take a picture. If you can't stop to smell the flowers while on a walk, you're doing it wrong. The name of this bright flower comes from the brick red markings on the yellow petals that "crown" the center of the flower. The tickseed part derives from somebody who thought the seeds of this flower looked like ticks. This native annual prefers sandy soil and is drought tolerant, which makes it ideal for xeriscaping. And although this particular flower is Texas endemic, the species of coreopsis flowers to which it belongs is actually the state wildflower of Florida due to their extensive plantings of this species along roadways. The Crown Tickseed belongs in the daisy family and is attractive to bees and butterflies, which is always good.

I spy...

Do you see what lurks in the grass?

How about now?

This coral snake was on my walking path the other night but quickly slithered into the grass as I stepped by.

Here's an easier one. Can you spy it?:

The other day while walking to the mailbox, this guy was on the driveway but quickly slithered to the grass as well. After Google searches and picture comparisons, I *think* it's an Eastern hog nosed snake (non-aggresive at least). I did not want to get any closer to it so I zoomed in with my phone camera, so it's a little blurry. If anybody else has a better idea what it is, feel free to let me know!

Summer Wildflowers - Purple Horsemint

This plant has many aliases - Lemon Mint, Lemon Horsemint, Purple Lemon mint, Lemon Beebalm, Horsemint, and more. Basically, it's purple, the leaves produce a lemony scent if crushed, and hummingbirds, bees and butterflies love it. It is native to Texas and grows easily. It can form large colonies and can be aggressive if given optimum growing conditions. The Native Americans used this plant as an antiseptic and in poultices for skin infections and minor wounds. It was also used for headaches, fevers, bronchial ailments and stomach issues including excess flatulence. The leaves can be made into an herbal tea which was then used to treat dental problems like gingivitis. The Native Americans also used it to season wild game, particularly birds. Apparently it tastes like a combination of spearmint, peppermint, and oregano. I may have to test this out - I read that it can be used raw or cooked, so this is tempting to try. Blooms from May to July in sandy loam soil.

First starting to form, appears white:

Starting to turn purple:

Summer Wildflowers - Standing Cypress

This native beauty surprised me when it kept growing and growing and growing. I didn't know what it was but I thought it was beautiful. It attracts hummingbirds to its showy red tubular petals. It can grow to 6 feet and mine certainly achieved that. The flowers then became so heavy that it started dropping and couldn't hold all the weight. Apparently this is a biennial plant, which means it takes two years to complete the flowering cycle. It starts growing the first year but does not flower until the second year and then dies. This bloomed last summer (May-June) so I'm not sure if I'll see it again this year. I may have to buy some seeds and plant this one to keep seeing it! From what I read, it's easy to cultivate but is not deer resistant, so I may have some problems there. It is also called a Red Texas Star.

Brown-Eyed, Brawny Bluebonnet Boy

And now Levi's turn. Mattie was still napping yesterday afternoon so Levi and I went outside to play. As we were walking around putting out bird seed in our feeders, Levi asked if he could get his picture in the bluebonnets. He had seen Mattie's and now wanted his done, of course. So I grabbed the camera and we tried to find a good patch of flowers. Unfortunately, due to all the rain this year, all the other weeds and grass have shot up higher than the bluebonnets, making it really hard to see them. But we did our best!

Blue Eyed Bluebonnet Beauty

As I was out pulling the "pokey" plants (thistle and stinging nettle), Mattie kept me company and followed me around. Levi stayed at the cabin to play with his cars. I turned around at one point and there was Mattie, just sitting and singing in the bluebonnets facing our dog, Bella. Bella was also just laying in the flowers watching Mattie. It was just the perfect picture moment...sun was shining, birds were chirping, my dog and daughter sitting in the flowers together...and I didn't have my camera or phone on me to take a picture. But I promptly ran back to get the camera and Mattie was happy to acquiesce to have her picture taken. Bella ran off and Levi did not want to take pictures. He was building roads and creating traffic jams. Hopefully I will get his bluebonnet pictures later and maybe the two of them together. But for now, Mattie gets the spotlight in this post.

Spring Wildflowers - Arkansas Lazy Daisy

Also just called a Lazy Daisy or a Doze Daisy, this native wildflower blooms March to August. It's name comes from the fact that the blooms close at night and don't open again until mid-day. It prefers full sun in dry, sandy soil and requires little water. Our meadow provides the perfect conditions for this simple beauty! It also an excellent choice for xeriscaping and rock gardens.

This Little Piggy...

These guys came out in the late afternoon last Thursday for a snack. As any good Texan knows, these guys tear up the land, destroy crops, reproduce like crazy, and are a nuisance. So we do our best to keep the population down. I opened our hunting window (we took the screen off one of the windows in the house), grabbed the AR15, made the kids go to their room, and took a shot. And I missed :(. I was really planning on being the one to bring home the bacon that day! I'm sure they'll be back. Until we meet again, little piggies...

Alleluia! It's Easter!

This year we got to celebrate Easter all together! After breakfast and getting dressed, we were ready to begin. It started with seeing what goodies the Easter Bunny left in Levi's and Mattie's baskets.

That was shortly followed by the egg hunt (the Easter bunny had to set his, ahem, her, alarm to hide the eggs at 6:30 this morning):

Of course they had to open their eggs and see their goodies. The Easter Bunny only filled a couple of eggs with some fruit gummy treats just so they could eat them instead of candy before we went to Church.

Then it was off to Church. The kids were invited up front to participate in quite a bit of the sermon and ring bells. They enjoyed all the attention and action.

The service was followed by an egg hunt at the church which I did not get pictures of since we were helping the kids. But Mattie got a golden egg which meant she got to pick out a stuffed bunny to bring home. I was able to get Mother Elizabeth (our awesome volunteer priest) to take a couple of family pictures at the church. Then it was back home and nap time!