Brooding

Not at my house. Check out this pretty mama. She has two eggs under there. 

Poppy

Center. Up close. 

Another one

Couldn't identify this one either. It was right next to the other unidentifed flower. What an amazing variety this year!

Cute little girl

Found this amongst the grass, thistles and bluebonnets. Haven't identified it yet, but it sure is a cutie. 

Mealy Blue Sage

It was hiding. Hope there's more. 

Allium Lunaioides

Allium Drummondii. Drummonds onion. Prairie onion. Contains inulin which is a non-reducing sugar in humans. Needs to be cooked for a long period of time at high heat for humans to be able to digest. Native Americans used it to flavor meat. They ARE pretty and moths especially love them.

Go Native

Bees. Native bees. It was tough getting a good picture as it was quite windy. Hope I see more of these. 

Morus Alba

White mulberry. Toot in Farsi. The leaves are the main diet of silk worms. The fruit and bark have many medicinal uses. Not a native. The pollen release from the catkins happens at 350 MPH - the fastest known rapid plant movement. This pic is very early fruit. I like how the lighting made it look a bit alien. 

Oenothera specious

Pink Evening primrose. These open in the morning and close at night. Opposite of the yellow. The yellow are on the south side of the house and pink are on the north. 

Kombucha

Glad I got thrust into making this. So delicious and good for you, beautiful to behold, easy and cheap to make and rather fascinating. 

First flowers

Some of the first this year. Three weeks ago. Blackfoot Daisy. I like these a lot. 

Texas Yellow Star

The first blooms. There will be lots more. 

Smilax bona-nox

Also known as chainey brier or greenbrier. The tender shoot at the end of the vine is edible, tastes like asparagus and grows all over the place. The deer around here tend to beat me to it, though. 

Ball gowns

A picture of phlox with rain drops. It occurred to me that this might be where some designer in ancient history got the idea to add jewels to clothing. 

Cylindropuntia imbricata

Cane cactus, Cholla. Apparently lots of varieties. This little guy is actually at Enchanted Rock. 

Phlox drummondii

I love this little stunner! It's a native, although sometimes that gets confusing. The Scotsman, Thomas Drummond collected seeds in Texas in about 1883 and sent them onto Europe where they have been "exotics" in cultivated gardens ever since. This beauty likes shade and moisture which might be why he's ensconced himself under the fig tree. 

Mountain laurel

Sophora secundiflora or mescal bean (no relation to mezcal). Seeds are poisonous. Texas native requiring little water. Contains the alkaloid cytosine, a relative of nicotine. 

Yellow primrose

Oenothera biennis. Also known as sundrop or evening primrose. The flowers are hermaphrodite. Blooms fast in the evening and last only until the following noon. Lots of medicinal uses. Weight loss, upset stomach, hemorrhoids, and to treat bruises. 

Suzy's birthday cake

Even the ants liked it. 

Diabrotica undecimpunctata

AKA cucumber beetle. Spotted this cute guy. Was careful not to squish him. Mistake. His a huge pest. Destroys crops, especially corn. 

Texas Wild Plums

Mexicans, Flatwood or Chicksaw. Will try to figure out which ones these are. Fruit is not yummy right off the tree. Even the chickens don't eat them. Have heard they make good jelly. Blossoms are beautiful and the thorns are some of the longest and sharpest.