Bluebonnets

More every year. 

Rock Pile

We love rocks. The big snail fossil was found at Slaughter Creek park disc golf while playing a round with Suz, Paul, Retta and Cliff. The petrified wood was found with that same awesome group at a secret spot in Missouri last year. These rocks, and many more, sit atop an old cedar stump. The whole arrangement gives protection to the local lizards. 

Lantana

Voluntary. Rarely watered. Bird bath. Water for critters. Food for butterflies. Hummingbirds like Lantana, too. Simple. Perfect. 

Cactus

Suz painted this little clay pot a long time ago. Perfect for this little guy. 

Bauhinia Lunarioides

Anacacho orchid tree. Beautiful little orchid like blossoms. Very fragrant. Bees love the nectar. Texas native and it loves growing in limestone. Perfect. 

Apple Rose

Apple and puff pastry. Magic. Yummy. 

Praying Mantis

There were 8 of these guys in close proximity of each other, but a photo of all eight wouldn't have done any of them justice. They are ambush predators. I wish I would have had time to get a picture of them catching something. One web site states that their closest relatives are termites and cockroaches. WTF??!! Have to do more research. 

Bombus

Bumblebees are "buzz" pollinators. It's difficult to capture a good picture of one of these guys. Bumblebees start the day earlier and stay out later than honey bees. They buzz faster than honey bees which makes them more effective pollinators for many plants. 

Polygonia Comma

Eastern Comma Butterfly. 

Ratibida Columnifera

Mexican Hat is one name for this flower and it is a cone flower. Cone flowers are in the Aster family This was a late bloomer.  These came up after everything else was tired of the heat. Self sowing, not much water and not picky about the soil.

Sisyrinchium

Blue Eyed Grass. Not a grass, this beauty is in the iris family. This is another freebie in my yard. It grows almost anywhere and any soil. Digging it up and moving it has worked too. It's a little guy that makes me smile when I find the first one each spring. 

Lindheimera Texana

Texas Yellow Star. Very hardy little girls. They come up early, grow in almost anything, don't need much water, can tolerate full sun.... and they self sow. Love. 

Coccinellidae

Ladybug. In Britain, Ladybirds. Not a "true bug". When someone on the neighborhood group said she wanted ladybugs TODAY, I wanted to post this picture and tell her I was working on it. I bet they would have kicked me off. In any case, there was a lot of love/lust in my yard this summer. 

Melampodium Leucantham

AKA Blackfoot Daisy or Plains Daisy. I love these little flowers. The deer rarely eat them, they grow in the rocky soil - heck, they grow out of rock, and they don't need much water. Perennials, they have nectar for the bees and butterflies and seeds for birds. 

Spider's dessert

This honey bee was digging the milkweed. Who knew this spider was lurking. 

Antelope horn milkweed

Scientific name: Asclepias Asperula

This lovely plant showed up in my yard all by itself. Monarchs love it. Deer do not. It doesn't taste good. When the Monarchs eat it,

they don't either and are much less likely to be eaten by predators. It's also toxic to humans as it is allied to digitalins. 

Catclaw Acacia

This is a native beauty that can grow to 35 feet. The roots and seeds are medicinal. Apparently you can make a paste from the seeds to stop minor bleeding. Going to give it a try. 

Ghost spider

A bit of rain. The camera flash produced an interesting shot of this spider. Kind of like a glamour shot. 

Commelina Erecta

Otherwise known as Whitemouth Dayflower, this striking blue flower is in the spiderwort family. They open in the morning and stay until the sun hits them. The deer love them too. The leaves are long and slender and a beautiful vibrant green.

Grill prep

Waiting for the grills to go on sale. 

Night lights

I love my solar lights at night. 

Fungus

Cute little mushroom. Found an x-rated one a few months ago. I'll post tomorrow. 

Bougainvillea up close

They aren't flowers. But they sure are pretty. 

The little things

Crystals in my windows. Sunny mornings. Rainbows until at least noon. 

Trellis and light

Was never going to get this chair reupholstered. Hope to post pictures when this vine covers it more.