More flora and fauna at Walnut Creek

Still plenty of wildflowers on the morning hikes; but now the bluebonnets are going to seed, and yellow is the predominant color.








From the top: firewheels (also called indian blanket), butterflies doing their thing, thistle, white prickly poppy, yarrow, mustang grapes, random blooming shrub, and Lloyd charging out of the cold creek

A lovely day

So, the afternoons lately have been hot (86 degrees right now) but dry, so windows open throughout the house. Wish it could be like this all summer. Butterflies are everywhere these days, and I saw some fireflies out last night. I think this guy below is a checkered white, which I snapped at Shoal Creek this morning.

Another garden tour

So, yesterday was the first annual Austin Community Garden Tour, and I checked out the Blackshear and Alamo community gardens. The first was a fairly new plot (started 2 years ago) on city-owned land over a storm drain; without the garden, it would have been a blank spot right in the middle of a residential block. Instead, lots of veggies for the neighborhood, and even a little cookout spot. Alamo has been around for about 20 years and was 2-3 times the size of Blackshear. Lots of vegetable beds, some herbs and flowers, and a sizeable compost area for both high-heat and worm composting.

Sadly, I was too busy picking up tips to take any pictures. But I did stop by East Side Cafe for a bit to check out the vegetables and chickens.


Chickens on the move

Rock star hair

And a very cool fence & gate on the east side somewhere between Manor and E 6th St.

Monster parsley and garden fauna

This flat leaf parsley planted itself here with a will and was almost four feet across...and going to seed.


Here's the same bed after, with a ruby okra in the new spot.

These little guys will probably miss the parsley, although the swallowtail caterpillar is technically on the pyracantha nearby.

More nature while walking

Poppies at Shoal Creek


Flora and fauna around Turkey Creek this morning

Afternoon veggies

From the top: preparing beets to be roasted; the roughly square foot garden w/basil, strawberries, onions, salad mix, and beets; bush bean emerging; the catch-all bed w/onions, cucumbers, mint, lemon balm, fennel, and parsley; italian and curly parsley; the last of the broccoli

April showers

What a rainy weekend! But so good for the plants. Here's the front bed from a couple of angles: