Nectar/pollen source for: Monarchs, Striated Queen, Swallowtails, Checkerspot Butterflies, Skippers, Painted Ladies, Fritillaries, Sulphur Butterflies, Checkered White Butterfly, Marine Blue Butterfly, Hunts Bumblebee, American Bumblebee, Nevada Bumblebee, Brown-belted Bumblebee, White-shouldered Bumblebee, Green Metallic Bees, Digger Bees, Leaf-cutter Bees, Longhorn Bees, Bee Flies, Gaillardia Flower Moth, Common Buckeye Butterfly, Long Horn Beetles
WILDLIFE RELATIONSHIPS:
Larval host plants for: Checkerspot butterflies, Skipper Butterflies,
Painted Lady Butterflies, Glorious Flower Moth, Blakes Tiger Moth,
Gaillardia Flower Moth, Painted Schinia, Common Buckeye Butterfly
Winter seed forage for: Goldfinches, Dark Eyed Juncos
I got a kit from High Plains Environmental Center and planted it out on a west-facing slope.
This kit contains 32 plants in 2.5" pots of 8 different plant species!
Sun requirements: 6 hours - full sun
Water needs: Low when established
4 each of
Achnatherum hymenoides, Antennaria parvifolia, Artemisia frigida,
Echinacea angustifolia, Gaillardia aristata, Koeleria macrantha,
Liatris punctata, Penstemon strictus
Annoying and 98% my bad. Was so focused on picking out new annuals to replace what I lost over winter that didn't I didn’t see that several of the ones I picked were only hardy to 30 degrees.
Shame on Lowe's for even selling annuals that aren't hardy in Denver's climate. That'll look nice this season I suppose.
Hey, #Denton folks. First day of the year that TAMU/AgriLife is recommending watering your lawn. If you've been doing so already, shame on you. They recommend 0.57in of water this week for Denton County. Better yet, #xeriscape and avoid the whole thing.
They have an app, but you can just get emails, too.
https://agrilifeextension.tamu.edu/asset-local/water-my-yard-program/
First day of volunteering at the #Xeriscape Demonstration Garden today! I got to pet and groom many #NativePlants just waking up for #spring. I also disturbed a sleeping #YellowJacket queen, but she did not sting me. And I moved a tiny #PrayingMantis to a plant that had already been cut back.
Now I have to finish reading In Cold Blood for Classics book group tonight. Two social things in one day! That is too many things. According to the dogs, anyway.
#bookstodon #AmReading
#Today 23: Making headway on planning; protagonist arc is evolving nicely. Need to settle on the crisis dilemma. Stakes are clear, but choices remain fluid. Making lists of important events, of foreshadowing topics and where they become critical. Mapping out three POVs and how they interact to drive each character forward. Exciting! #amWriting #spaceOpera
Can you tell I'm a planner?
A couple of weeks ago when the first snow accumulated, I took these photos of Ericameria nauseosa, Rabbitbrush in the front yard. Until then, I hadn't realized they have pale green stems. Tiny leaves and blossom stems are dried and light brown. Such a contrast! #xeriscape #nativePlants #Colorado
It’s #CES time and that means one thing: bring on the weird. A company named “Aiper” has announced their $400 “IrriSense Smart Irrigation Sprinker” and I don’t care how smart it is as I will not spend $400 to water the lawn I don’t have. #WeirdCES #CES2025 #Xeriscape https://www.theverge.com/2025/1/5/24335014/aiper-irrisense-smart-irrigation-sprinkler-price-ces
I got this Datura wrightii from another Xeriscape Garden volunteer at the beginning of summer. It just started making these two buds at the beginning of October. It looks like at least one is going to open before it freezes!
White prairie aster, Symphyotrichum falcatum. From early spring though August and part of September, this xeriscape plant added stems and foliage. All for this...
My #SidewalkStrip is looking lively!
We got a little rain and a double rainbow.
@jwilker
Yes, this is a wonderful trend in Colorado and other states. Fort Collins has had an incentive program for years that gives generous rebates to homeowners who convert lawn to xeriscape. An additional rebate goes to those who plant 80% natives!
https://www.fcgov.com/utilities/residential/conserve/water-efficiency/xeriscape/incentive-program/
I saw this “ABC’s of Life” poster in a café and found the X entry hilarious. #xeriscape #NeedsMoreXylophone
Mentzelia decapetala, Ten petal mentzelia update. Eleven days after the first few blooms opened, the plant is still displaying white beauties. When the flowers disintegrate, only the seed capsules remain, looking like green-wax-filled cups. #bloomScrolling #xeriscape
Missouri evening primrose, Oenothera macrocarpa. This low xeriscape plant has large, showy, yellow flowers that attract moths and native bees. Yes, that's a green-headed bee sleeping inside one blossom. #bloomScrolling #xeriscape
Ten petal mentzelia, Mentzelia decapetala. Plant was a meter tall until strong winds gave it a 30-degree tilt from horizontal.
Outstanding article about these insect-snuffing plants by Western naturalist Shane Sater.
https://wildwithnature.com/2022/08/04/mentzelia-decapetala/
A nice bloom in the front yard this year. #Bloomscrolling #florespondence #xeriscape
Sulfur flower, Eriogonum umbellatum var. aureum 'Psdowns' are preparing to bloom. What will be many bright yellow blossoms arranged in a globe shape, are now just tight little balls of orange and red.
#xeriscape #bloomScrolling #flowers #colorado
Blue flax, Linum lewisii, are blooming. Plants are heavy with unopened flower buds, causing the tips to droop.
#xeriscape #bloomScrolling #flowers #colorado
