Not the big furry kind. Not even the big-footed kind. But around our yard, we’re seeing some giants and never-before-been-seens that just seemed to appear out of nowhere.

We’d seen evidence of the giant swallowtail visiting our yard –eggs, munched-on leaves — we even enjoyed fostering some bird-poop caterpillars for awhile. But until this weekend, we had never actually set eyes on the giant butterfly itself. When it appeared, I stalked it all over the yard with my camera.

Of course, the best pictures are of it on the invasive Lantana I have yet to pull. Drat that pink-and-yellow Lantana! But between the hyper dogs, curious kids, and unwillingness of the butterfly to rest for even a fraction of a second, I’m lucky I got any shots at all. 

Giant toadstools and other mushrooms are appearing all over my yard. I’m sure they are all deadly. You won’t find me seeking out edible mushrooms anywhere except the wild grocery store. But who can resist letting a sleeping gnome rest under a toadstool of that size?

Even with the gnome there, I don’t think one gets enough of a size comparison. So here’s a shot with my son’s hands as he places the gnome for me.

I absolutely love how mushrooms look underneath. This one was already overturned, presumably by rambunctious wrestling dogs. I guess this is a variety of Amanita mushroom — that definitely means poisonous. I finally decided to order a book on Texas mushrooms. I’d love to be able to ID them better… and then pull them out of the yard with gloves on.

We’ve got two Southern Leopard Frogs living in the big pond. They are so much fun. It’s like a game we play, the humans trying to catch a glimpse of a frog before it dives under the water. The second frog is more skittish than its companion. In fact, it let out the cutest chirp when it decided that at 5 feet away I was way too close — it chirped and zipped underwater with a splash. Not this other guy — he watches me for a long time. I think he secretly likes posing for a camera.

So many plants are beyond huge now. The Common Tree Senna is getting to be 4-5 feet tall and has its first blooms just now appearing.

Texas Poinsettia (Wild Poinsettia, Fire on the Mountain, Euphorbia cyathophora) is making an appearance. However, every spot I found it was not in a spot I originally planted it. I cast narrowed eyes at this potentially naughty spreader. Oh well, it’s native and very pretty.

 And we have a new bloom on the Exotic Love Vine.

Now take a look at where it is on the Cousin Itt of a plant that it has become. Sigh. Where’s Waldo?

Here’s another Waldo hunt. The hummingbird feeders have become buried under the Black-Eyed Susan vines. Good thing I have plenty of others around for the hummingbirds.

Oh, happy big black carpenter bees, always on the blue sage plants. They are so hard for me to get a picture of — always wanting to land on the opposite of the bloom from where I’m standing. This carpenter bee was so heavy that the entire bloom would sag down when the bee landed for a bit of nectar.

Speaking of blue sages, this Salvia plant is one that I bought spur of the moment in the spring. It’s sending forth giant stalks of beautiful violet blooms. Is it Majestic Sage, or a close cousin? I regret not actually writing down the name.

Not to be outdone, Tropical Sage is in bloom. So pretty.

Squatter alert! This squirrel seems to have taken up residence in one of our Screech Owl houses. Not only that, but it’s a thief, taking some of our row cover but not quite getting it inside. Evidence, mister! You are caught red-pawed! There was a rag hanging off one of the lower limbs, too. Little naughty squirrelsy.

The garden never ceases to surprise me. I love hunting for yetis and other whatnots around the garden.
 

There we were, watching an episode of “Jeeves and Wooster” with the kids (I highly recommend it, by the way), when the nightly toad chorus began. It seemed even louder than usual, however, and I realized that there seemed to be a loud froggy croakkkkkkkkkkk coming from the general vicinity of the front door. Yes, it’s official — the new entryway pond is already a setting for amphibian amore. It’s so toadally romantic. (Yes, I went there. Don’t croak.) 

We now have surround-sound toad songs for our ongoing nightly entertainment. Front yard and backyard — makes watching a movie on TV in the livingroom quite… odd.

Checking it out, I found a very handsome Prince Charming singing his heart out for the full-figured object of his desire, who was already busy fluttering all her multi-eyelids at him. Here she is — isn’t she beautiful?

So, funny story. I didn’t realize that the cat had followed me outside when I went to the little pond to take pictures. Apparently I missed a funny scene — when I went to retrieve her just a little while later, I found she was soaking wet, worriedly checking out the pond from across the sidewalk. Both toads were just fine.

Gardening Gone Wild is having another contest, and this month’s theme is Epic, or Your Favorite Frame. Much like others partaking in the contest, I found this to be a tough challenge, as I enjoy taking photographs, and while I have many favorites, could I choose one to be the best of the best? I struggled with that for awhile, culling through photos, and I decided that what the theme really is all about is challenging the photographer to look beyond the subject matter, beyond the straightforward quality of a photo, and discover exactly what it is about the image that gives it potential to become the photographer’s top pick.

Sometimes what draws the viewer in is clear — it might be amazing lighting or composition, or an incredible close-up shot with crisp detail, or a softness to the image that invokes mood or emotion. The image I chose affects me on many different levels, and that is what I wanted. It invokes thought, and it’s my hope that a viewer might find different elements that he or she reacts to. I took the photo while visiting San Miguel de Allende last fall.

For me, I’m drawn to the opposing elements the image presents. The contrast between tall and short, between the softness of colors and blooms to the prickly cactus, between the beauty of the plants and new blooms against the old wall with what looks like bullet holes (I don’t actually think they are bullet holes, but they get the imagination going), and of course between the bare cactus with the vine-covered one. I love the way the muted colors work together, and I love the balance presented. And the setting, Mexico, comes across in the image as well. Lots of different things to think about. At least that what it’s all about for me! Of course, the photograph itself is special to me on a different level — it invokes fond memories of San Miguel and the family wedding that brought me to the area in the first place. After much indecision on what photo to choose for the contest, now that I’ve made my selection, it all seems clear.

The weather in Texas has done it again. We’ve gone from baking hot temperatures and cracking earth to this:

Some areas have already had more than 6 inches. The Guadalupe River in New Braunfels has flooded, and several water rescues have already taken place. Here in Austin, there have been several road closures as well. Our biggest flooding area, as usual, is around Onion Creek.

Central Texas is one of the most flash-flood prone areas in the world. It holds half of the twelve world records in amount of rainfall in 48 hours or less. In 1921 in Thrall, a storm brought 36 inches of rain in 18 hours. In 1935 in D’Hanis another storm brought 22 inches of rain in 2 hours and 45 minutes. Isn’t that info surprising considering how often we are also in drought? One meteorologist said it well — “Flood or drought; and there doesn’t seem to be much in between.” We are quite well positioned geographically to receive a lot of rain, with all our creeks and tributaries, not being too far from the coast, the Balcones Escarpment playing a factor as well, and weather coming in from the north and the Pacific. In particular, between Dallas and San Antonio, with Austin right in the middle, is an area known as Flash Flood Alley.

Now I understand why the meteorologists all talk about heavy rain along the IH-35 corridor, and why so much flooding occurs along the interstate. IH-35 completely follows and is right in the middle of Flash Flood Alley. Brilliant. Check this out: http://floodsafety.com/media/maps/texas/index.htm

Here’s an interesting look at some of the biggest storms to hit the Austin area: http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/watershed/floodhistory.htm

My family and I got caught coming back from Uvalde to Austin during the 1998 floods that wreaked havoc between San Antonio and Austin, especially in San Marcos. Along the way, we saw cars washed away and standing vertically in drainage spots off the highway, and flooding to rooftops along the Guadalupe River. We’d manage to travel between storms, trying to get home to our dogs, but then we found ourselves trapped in traffic on IH-35 in San Marcos, stuck in a small small car in a spot where water was flowing over the highway with yet another storm arriving, and the San Marcos police were forcing everyone to drive through it (yeah, don’t get me started on that one). I can honestly say, it was about as scared as I’ve ever been. Needless to say, we purchased a larger vehicle within 3 months and never traveled that way again without being better aware of pending weather.

Be safe out there, everyone. Stay out of low-water crossings, please. And avoid traveling between San Antonio and Austin until the weather has passed. Take it from me.

Poor Grover was not too keen on having to go out into the rain to go potty. I had to go get soaked with him so he’d do his thing. I don’t mind staying in and being a bit lazy today, but we were scheduled to cover the above concrete slab with flagstone today, creating a much prettier patio. Ah well, I never refuse the rain. Of course, our house is not in an actual flood zone, either.

Well, we’ll have some green happy plants for awhile. I’m not excited about the mosquitoes that will follow in a few days, though!

EDIT: I don’t usually participate in Wordless Wednesday because the only time I’m truly wordless (or silent as the case may be) is when I’m REALLY mad at my husband, but if I could pick a photo for Wordless Wednesday, it might be this:

I’ll say it again — poor Grover!

Ugh, this is how I feel today:

All because of my back. I gardened Saturday morning too long in a flexed position (that would be hours) and moved heavy things I shouldn’t have, and now I’m hobbling around like I’m 90 years old. Completely aggravated my compressed discs. UGH, ugh, ugh.

My poor aching back is as stiff as this guy’s, and yet I bet I feel more pain than he does.

But here’s what I accomplished! A flagstone path to get us back to the A/C unit. Actually I did a lot more weeding and mulching than is evidenced by this single picture. You know how you work in one area and see other places to work on, so you move over there, and then to another spot, and so forth? Yeah, that was me. By the way, that little bit of cattle panel is protecting some Standing Cypress seedlings from the stampeding canines.

And drat, do you see the nutsedge that already poked its head up through the mulch after a single day? Grumble, grumble. Go back to Picture 1.

So what did I get up and do this morning? Climbed ladders and painted more of the outside of the house. No rest for the weary!

Ok, I’m supposed to be painting and doing minimal gardening today, but first I have to show you this fantastic bike rack I saw at the Wild Basin Preserve last night at the Native Plant Society meeting.

I want one. It wouldn’t look strange in my front yard, would it? Sssssimply awesssome. Honestly, given my yard, it would fit right in.

There was a plant sale at the NPSOT meeting — I snagged another Anacua (Sandpaper Tree) and a Mexican Buckthorn, good size and only $10 each. Yay!

I feel I hardly have time to blog, and yet my whole life seems to be related to gardening right now. Alas, my own garden has been neglected despite that!

The schoolyard habitat progresses well. The design is approved pending one final signature, fundraising is beginning, the masonry is scheduled, and parents and kids are getting enthusiastic. Dig Day is March 27, and dedication should occur on Earth Day. We’ll be needing lots of plants, that’s for sure. And lots of springtime rain (after the planting) would be nice! I’m just saying….

I’ve been collecting lots of seeds I’d like to try to grow into plants — for my own garden as well as that of the school, and it seems I’ve got so many that I have no clue how I’m going to manage them all. I suspect that what this will all amount to is me eventually tossing a bunch of seeds into the yard and seeing what happens. But in the meantime, I’m reading about cold stratification, scarification, spring sow, fall sow, do this, do that, keep it dark, keep it warm, give it 4-8 hours of light, wait until last frost, sow before last frost, seed starter mix, sandpaper, moisture, optimum temperatures, and so forth. If there’s an insanity flower, I might have already sowed that in myself when I decided to go seed-happy.

What seeds do I have? Laugh at this list, why don’t you: Passionflower, Lantana, Lemon Mint, Common Sunflower, Maximilian Sunflower, Hairy Vervain, Indian Blanket, Purple Coneflower, Prairie Blue Sage, Dill, Firecracker Penstemon, Lanceleaf Coreopsis, Compass Plant, Green Milkweed, Antelope Horns Milkweed, Pigeonberry, Turk’s Cap, Red Columbine, Gayfeather, Black-Eyed Susan, Standing Cypress, Scarlet Sage, Tahoka Daisy, Fennel, Nasturtium, Spanish Flag Vine, Gaura, Scarlet Globemallow, Fleabane, Allium, Yellow Coneflower, Artemesia, Little Bluestem, Cutleaf Coneflower, Leadplant, Hibiscus, Datura, Pride of Barbados, Esperanza, Marigold, Pipevine, and two unknown sets of seeds that I collected at some point and forgot to label. And of course, there are more vegetable seeds to be planted. Some of these seeds were gifts — the rest I’m guilty of buying.

INSANITY!  Now, will all of these make the final selection? I seriously doubt it. The ones that will be for both my garden and the school habitat get priority. Next come those that are easiest to grow. Ones with wildlife value are right up there. Non-natives come last, except that Spanish Flag Exotic Love Vine — it made it to my must-have-at-all-costs list. Besides, who could resist a name like Exotic Love Vine? Between Exotic Love Vine and Passionflower, it’s going to be a mmmmmmarvelous year.

As my kids and I drove into our subdivision, a red-tailed hawk swooped in from above, landing on a telephone pole. We realized it wasn’t alone — it had captured a tiny rodent and was settling in for its mini-feast. It took about 1.5 seconds for us to decide to rush home for the camera and rush right back.

I have to say that it was a challenge to take photographs without going “Ewwwwww” everytime the hawk pulled out some sort of entrail.