Category Archives: wildflowers

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Clematis and Milkweeds, welcome to the family…

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One of my favorite “flowers” is the female Clematis drummondii which is most noticeable in the late summer as the achenes turn into cascades of clouds that give it one of its common names, Old Man’s Beard. The actual flower is shown in the first photo following, the achenes in the other two:

Another favorite plant is Matelea reticulata, commonly known as Pearl Milkweed Vine, due to the “pearl” in the middle of its flower. It, too, is native to Central Texas, where I no longer reside, having “pulled up roots” to move a bit further to the North.

I was pleasantly surprised to find, recently, a different Clematis, native to Central Oklahoma. Clematis terniflora, or Autumn Clematis, as it’s commonly known, is smaller than its Texas cousin, but still provides striking clouds of white flowers and achenes along the roadsides and in ditches. In this case, the flowers provide the show, and the achenes are less showy than those of C. drummondii, as seen in the third photo following:

Cynanchum laeve, common name Honey Milkweed Vine, has been observed in several locations around here, notably near the airport and a few miles away. As suggested by the common name, the flowers give off a strong, sweet smell attractive to humans and pollinators alike.

While they’re not the same species one has become accustomed to, the “new” species are familiar enough to provide a sense of a welcoming environment.

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biodiversity,, exotics, invasives, Music, native plants, nature, Parkinson's, Research, Reviews, Singing, wildflowers , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Where have all the (native) flowers gone?

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Prosser, R.S., Brain, R.A. Where have all the flowers gone? A systematic evaluation of factors driving native terrestrial plant decline in North America. Environ Sci Pollut Res (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-024-34349-9 

Prosser and Brain have done the research and  have come up with the following conclusions:

  • Habitat alteration and non-native species are the most important drivers of the decline in native terrestrial plant diversity in North America.
  • No listed species in the U.S. or Canada faced a singular threat. In the recovery plans for all listed species, several threats were identified as contributing to their risk of extirpation or extinction.
  • Pesticides, specifically herbicides, represent a micro-scale contributor to the decline of plant biodiversity in North America relative to other drivers.

(Note: the above three points are taken verbatim from text in the article, although they are not presented as bullets in the subject article. Emphasis using bold and italics has been added).

In their conclusion, they argue that pesticides and herbicides make an easy target for litigation, even though they contribute minimally to the extirpation or extinction of native plants .

On the other hand, Paraquat is an herbicide that not only has been banned in over 50 other nation-states, and has been linked as a probable cause of Parkinson’s Disease in the book Ending Parkinson’s Disease: A Prescription For Action  and in this February 2024 article on the EarthJustice website: This Weed Killer Is Linked to Parkinson’s. Why Isn’t It Banned Yet?

I would suggest that the authors of the article on causes contributing to reduction of native plant species are failing, in their words, to see the forest by focusing on the trees. I am a native plant advocate who also has Parkinson’s Disease. I don’t know whether I have been exposed to Paraquat in the past. Just because pesticides and herbicides are not a major factor in the reduction of native species doesn’t mean I should just ignore the bigger picture of the effect of herbicides like Paraquat on the species Homo sapiens, many of whom, including myself, have displaced other native occupants of this territory, like the Apaches, the Tonkawas, and other tribal groups who are members of the same Genus and species.

This post has covered most of my main interests: scientific research, Parkinson’s Disease, and native plants. All that’s missing is some music:

The Parkinson’s Anthem (We Ain’t Givin’ Up Hope)

#nativeplants  #research #parkinsonsdisease #advocacy

native plants, nature, Seasons, wildflowers , , , , , Leave a comment

Resistance is futile…

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Most folks will recall that line from various Star Trek encounters  with the Borg, as well as the following line “You will be assimilated.” Or was it the preceding line? Doesn’t matter, because the purpose of this post is to “announce” that my other WordPress blog, “Return To The Natives / Native Plants Are The Answer,” has been assimilated into “Bob’s Brain: Living Well With PD and Other Comorbidities.”

With the assimilation comes a couple of new categories in the menu: Native Plants, and Wildflowers. Here’s an example of what one might find under either of those categories.

2016-03-06-Rock-Pink-640pxlw

Rock Pink (Phemeranthus calycinus). The blooms are ephemeral, lasting only one day, although a single plant may have more than one bloom. They grow in limestone soils, in locations where waters flow after rains (in this part of the world). This was captured digitally following recent rains in early May, 2016. Their bloom period is from April through September, which is the latest month in the year that I’ve been able to photograph them.

Now I’ve assimilated the two, there’s only one blog to intermittently post articles about things that interest me. Reduces my guilt in half. Next step is to post the news on RTTN / NPATA with a link to Bob’s Brain, and then deleting the old blog. I’m a cyborg, having had DBS, so it should work out as well as the coders have allowed for such a smooth transition.

We’ll see what happens.

Live long and prosper.

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It might as well be Spring… or Fall

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The long dry Summer was followed by a few showers (about a week, and 6″ of the liquid stuff), and some more warm weather. Some plants, like the Clematis drummondii in the first few frames, decided it was a good time to put out new fowers, even though they had already gone through the yearly cycle of blooms, with the female plants putting out their achenes that have given the plant the common name of Old Man’s Beard.

The vignetted shot towards the sun shows a Cedar Elm (Ulmus crassifolia) with some of its leaves already starting to turn to their Fall golden yellow color. In the tangled web of branches and vines are a few other species, difficult to identify in the photo.

The bottom left shot shows the desiccated remains of a Monarda sp. (hard to tell them apart from just the skeletal remains). Meanwhile, in the lower right is Tetraneuris scaposa or Four-nerve daisy, a perennial that can bloom throughout all four seasons, given the right conditions.

And so it goes…

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Blooming in late May and Early June…

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Here are a few of the flowers and other stuff I managed to capture on digital media recently.

Actually, there are a lot more items in bloom, but these were closest on hand. The front yard also has Four-nerve daisies, Wright’s skullcap, Autumn Sage, Simpson’s rosinweed, Turkscaps, Engelmann daisies, Rock Rose, and White avens in bloom, besides those pictured below.

The South side of the house has Passiflora vines, copious amounts of Gulf Fritillary and other butterflies in varied stages of development, a Texas lantana, a Datura , lots of Blue Curls, a couple of White mistflowers (not blooming until the Fall), Clematis texensis and drummondii, some Asclepias plants for the Monarchs, and that pretty much covers what’s on bloom in June.

Bignonia capreolata (Crossvine), slightly past its glory

(Achillea millifolium) Milfoil

(Salvia farinacea) Mealy blue sage
Rudbeckia hirta – Brown eyed Susans

A surprise on June 1st – two baby Bluebonnets (Lupinus Texensis) blooming in the front yard!
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From my Nextdoor neighborhood group:

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https://nextdoor.com/embed/sxW7MxB4bd-p

Okay, laziness is the mother of invention, so I’m trying to hit two birds with one stone, so to speak. The above is a link to my Nextdoor post this morning showing a few species of plants and animals related to Central Texas.

You might notice that the group there is also named Return To The Natives/Native Plants Are The Answer. If you think that’s a coincidence, you’d be wrong.

Drought resistant, gardening, perennials , , , , , , Leave a comment

In praise of Tetraneuris scaposa

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Last post was nearly 6 months ago, after having gotten elected to my subdivision’s Home Owners Association (HOA). Fortunately for me, the new President has an excellent leadership style and a sense of humor – he’s commented a few times on my lack of love for Crape Myrtle (aka Crepe Myrtle) (Lagerstroemia spp.), and I have made a gavel from the remains of a few branches which had the misfortune of hanging over my property. (I have four longer pieces which I hope will become walking sticks or canes).

But I digress. This year Central Texas faced a drought throughout the Spring and Summer. Then, throughout November, we’ve had plenty of rain to raise our hopes for an abundant crop of wildflowers in the Spring. With the warmest December day we’ve ever had (82º F) this week, however, we should be cautious in making predictions.

So, recently, I’ve stepped outside and found Gulf Fritillary caterpillars still on green Passiflora leaves (photo 1), and further below, bunches of yellow Tetraneuris scaposa flowers taking advantage of the extended growing season.

Gulf Fritillary caterpillar( Dione vanillae) Photo taken December 2, 2022

Photo taken December 2, 2022 of caterpillar.

Four Nerve Daisies (Tetraneuris scaposa)  (photo 2) planted in the “nuisance strip” between the sidewalk and the curb; blooms are still going strong into December.

However, Tetraneuris scaposa can and will bloom throughout the year, here in Central Texas.Four Nerve Daisies Conditions have to be right, of course. They bear up to the heat of 100º F summers, but do need some water. And, as always, rain water seems to be the best for promoting growth in these and in BlackFoot Daisies (Melampodium leucanthum) of which I recently added a small plant and which has responded well to the recent rains.

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On hiatus again…

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unintended selfie

Seems that I went and got elected to my HOA board, which will require me to cut back or off on certain activities until my 3 year term is up, or I have to resign for any of a number of possible reasons that one might imagine. (Health is the most likely culprit). I might post on an even more irregular basis – maybe some of the stuff I do for my HOA, if it proves to be of value.

Therefore, I am once again abandoning this blog, although if you’ve seen one year’s worth of photos here, you’ve probably seen most of what there is to see within 1/2 mile of my home, or in my yard.

I will be posting directly to the Williamson County chapter of the Native Plant Society of Texas (NPSOT-Wilco) Facebook page from time to time.

Hopefully, I can help to improve my community by ensuring that the virtues and benefits of native plants are more than the appeal of  cheap prices and easy availability of common exotics.

So, as parting photos, I present one taken recently by my smartphone when I wasn’t trying to take a photo (above), and another of a volunteer in my backyard (below).

Maximilian Sunflower

Maximilian Sunflower

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annuals, biodiversity,, Drought resistant, groundcovers, perennials, shrubs, Vines , , , , Leave a comment

Back in my own backyard…

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Early June 2022 and the heat is in the “triple digits”as the meteorologists like to say in TV-land. or 39 ° Celsius, as we were told we would have converted to 50 or more years ago. Either system, hot to humans is hot.

But to native plants that evolved in Central Texas for more years than Crepe Myrtle has been here, even these signs of Global Warming haven’t phased them. (Granted, I do some supplemental watering, especially of small trees for the first few years, but other plants like Passiflora incarnata grow like “weeds”).

I’ll  let the plants speak for themselves:

Pavonia lasiopetala – rose pavonia
Echinacea purpurea – Purple Coneflowewr
Hylephila phyleus (male) – Fiery Skipper on Fall Aster
Malvaviscus arboreus – Turks Cap
LILI Nothoscordum bivalve – Crow-Poison
Malvavisus arboreus – Manzanilla
Malpighia glabra – Barbados Cherry
Allium drummondii – Wild Garlic
Clematis drummondi – Old Man’s Beard
white flower 10-29-2012
Aster subulatus possibly
unknown flower at WFC
Clematis drummondi – Old Man’s Beard

Those are just the photos I took on June 8, 2022, mostly in my yard. The Rain Lilies were just past the back fence (the ones in my yard had bloomed and gone to seed after the previous week’s mild spattering of rain drops).

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What’s been blooming?

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It has been a while since I have been able to venture far from my own yard, but here’s what I got to report, mostly from my front, side, and back yards:

Phacelia congesta Blue Curls

Phacelia congesta – Blue Curls (These, like the Bluebonnets, are mostly gone to seed by now).

Salvia farinacea - Mealy Blue Sage

Salvia farinacea – Mealy Blue Sage *These will provide nectar to native Bumble Bees and other pollinators through the Spring, Summer, and into Autumn).

95205D00-11AA-43FF-85AA-744B3377AF42

Clematis texensis – Scarlet leather flower (This plant is endemic to the Edwards Plateau region of Texas. This one is cultivated in its native ecoregion).

C70584BA-2D04-4BE7-9DA5-457C59D7F75F

Callirhoe involucrata var. lineariloba – White winecup or “Williamson County Winecup” (Endemic to just a few counties in Texas, the Williamson County chapter of NPSOT has adopted it and given it their own   common name).

665B8C71-F74B-4BEC-95C0-C8202992C114

Passiflora incarnata – Purple passion flower (Like all Passiflora vines, this is home to and critical to the life cycle of Gulf and Variegated Fritillary butterflies) – (And it grows like a weed, so one can start with one and soon be giving them away as gifts with a little water and root stimulator).

“Vacant” lot - Antelope Horns galore

“Vacant” lot – Antelope Horns galore – The future home of a children’s hospital. I have contacted the Williamson County and Austin chapters of the Native Plant Society of Texas to ask that they make contact and request a plant rescue. These milkweeds have deep tap roots, so one hopes the developer and the hospital will see the benefits to the butterflies and to the good public relations from such an effort. Typically, the plants go to the city or county for use in future projects, with volunteers allowed to take about 10%. And there are a lot more native plants than just Antelope Horns out there. (Call the number on the billboard and let them know that you think a plant rescue before bulldozing the lot bare would be a good thing).

Asclepias asperula - Antelope Horns - one of the several milkweeds that Monarch butterflies need to survive.

Asclepias asperula – Antelope Horns – one of the several milkweeds that Monarch butterflies need to survive.

- Poverty Weed/Roosevelt Weed

Chilopsis linearis – Desert Willow – saw a hummingbird hovering around this one…

Gaillardia pulchella - Indian Blankets

Gaillardia pulchella – Indian Blankets – This the berm behind my house, after three years of removing invasive exotic grasses and Malta Star Thistle. Of course, most of the Gaillardia have gone to seed by now, and the Silver Bluestem, Mexican Hats/Prairie Coneflower will be blooming next, along with others.

Rudbeckia hirta - Black (or Brown) Eyed Susan

Rudbeckia hirta – Black (or Brown) Eyed Susan  growing out of a crack in a limestone landscaping rock. Native plants are tough.

Diospyros texana - Texas Persimmon

Diospyros texana – Texas Persimmon. The fruit will eventually turn black and raccoons, among other wildlife, will take all the fruit if you’re too slow to gather enough for a tasty Texas Persimmon loaf.

Manfreda virginica - Texas False Aloe

Manfreda virginica – Texas False Aloe – Not actually native this far North, but it survived the Winter freezes of 2022, and with global warming,, its range may move further North anyway. Interesting stamens, and a flower that starts pale and turns red as it ages. I like it.

That’s all for this installment.

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