Snow Bird

Just looking out the window this morning.

Signs of Spring

Almost every Saturday morning when we are in town, Cindy and I go to the local Winfield Bistro to have  breakfast. The owner has a small parking lot island filled with perennials and a bird-feeder. It's interesting to follow the progress and results through the year. After braving the bitter cold this morning, loading up on carbs and then arriving at home, I noticed something peeking from the snow in the hell strip.

The tulips have arrived. I had almost forgotten that they had been planted.

Skirting around the garden, signs of life lead to signs of death.

 Agave parryi 'trincata'. No Bueno. 

I think this Agave parryi , it is still turgid. Hopefully I have found a cold hardy variety.

Colorguard Yucca starting to recover I believe.

Now back to my construction projects. Yahoo......

 

In the Winter Doldrums

Much like the sparrow above I'm peeking out of my winter doldrums, but alas I still feel like going back into my hole. I suppose I have been in some form of spring denial, but I know those who are more positive than I have informed me that this too shall pass. And....I know it will.

As you can see snow has been the latest weather event in Kansas, received about 6" over the past 3 days. I have been working hard in my spare time to complete a "Texas" garden room. One of the accents is this bird house designed for finches. It seems the finches could care less but I did notice a chickadee check it out. It will probably become a home for sparrows.

A rusty tulip I received from my late sisters garden.

Bounty of Basil seeds.

A little spiky love in the snow. Yucca gloriosa 'variegata' grouped with Schizachyrium scoparium-Little Bluestem. Farewell from Kansas.

My Favorite Images from 2012

Les with A Tidewater Gardener started a photography meme last year at this time sharing his favorite images of the year. I think it is great to look at the past years activities via ones photographs. Like someone said a picture is worth a thousand words.

I think of last winter and this image of Little Bluegrass, and how  I am blessed to live near the Flint Hills Tallgrass Praire, a rare and beautiful area of the world.

I was able to visit my mother in Wyoming and son in Colorado in June of this year. As many of you probably remember it was the year of the wildfire. This image was taken within an hour of the Waldo Canyon fire igniting.

While in the local micro brewery in Colorado Springs I think we discovered the secret ingrediant to their brew.

Off to Wyoming and a stop at the Cheyenne, Wyoming Botanical Gardens on the way to Casper. (Apache Plume)

Ephedera.

Indian paintbrush with Buffalograss.

On to Casper and Casper Mountain. Freeland Cemetery near Muddy Gap which was near a Mormon junction stop along the Wagon Trails. Notice the smoke in the background.

Loved the headstone and passage carved into this large slab of stone.

On Casper Mountain and Bear Trap Meadow where I spent many weekend and summer  days during my youth, picnicking with the family and also working for the county park system in a summer youth program

This image was taken at the Natrona County Extension office in Caper. And the one person who loves to go with me on garden tours? My mum. She even listens to my descriptions, likes, and botanical names.

On my way back to Kansas I stopped by Professor Roush's(Garden Musings) residence right in the middle of the Flint Hills near Manhattan, Kansas. Roses and more roses. Short and sweet visit, I wished I could have stayed longer.

A nice capture of Datura, moonflower.

The Kansas Native Plant Society meet in Winfield, my hometown, for their annual meeting. The images on my header came from those days. Also this Willowleaf Sunflower-Helianthus salicifolius.

 This digger bee was covered with pollen in this day three photo. (A little editing help on his image from Donna of Garden Walk, Garden Talk).

That's all folks! I leave you with the above image from the Snyder Ranch near Dexter, Kansas. That's what I call real xericsape. How many landscapes look like this during a major drought?

If you would like to look at last year choices, go here.

Merry Christmas-Planting of the Greens

Planting of the Greens, March of this Year.

I was feeling nostalgic as I was reading Facebook and Blog posts today. I wanted to post a Christmas season greeting and preceded to my image files to find a festive holiday photo to commemorate this time of blessings. I started viewing images from a year ago at this time and really didn't find anything to remind me of the blessing of our Christmas celebration: Grace.

I am setting in a easy chair posting this in my oldest sons house in Oklahoma City. My wife and daughter-in-law are driving to pick up my granddaughter at the airport. Soon we will be sharing our blessings with each other. I am sure these times will be as memorable as this scene above: planting of the Greens.

Wildflower Weekend Day Two

On Saturday September 22, day two of the Kansas Native Plant Society Annual Wildflower Weekend (AWW) began at Southwestern University here in Wifield, Kansas. The annual membership meeting began with donuts, coffee, a photography contest, and a silent auction on all sorts of native plant stuff. The emcee of the meeting was the newly elected president Michael J Haddock (author of 'Wildflowers and Grasses of Kansas'). Normal business matters took place, appreciation of those officers who served the previous year and welcoming new officers. Speakers spoke on the current state native grass Little Bluestem and programs/resources available from the society to speak and introduce the prairie to schools or groups. The photo contest winners were presented, followed by our main speaker Jim Mason of the Great Plains Nature Center in Wichita, Kansas. Jim's topic was 'Flying Flowers' which of course is our native butterflies, many images and facts were presented and afterwards we recieved a free copy of his Pocket Guide of Kansas Butterflies. Nice gift.

 We finished our catered lunch and headed south to our second AWW field trip, Chaplin Nature Center. This preserve, owned and operated by the Wichita Audubon Society is situated on 200 acres of diverse native habitat adjacent to the Arkansas River.

Arkansas River near Chaplin Nature Center

To begin we capooled to the Center building located on the upper hills overlooking the river. We hiked throught native hardwoods, a tallgrass praire and them the river itself. Many enjoyed wading in the shallow current and others enjoyed watching butterfly taggers capture Monarchs and adding tag information.

No this doesn't harm the butterfly and provides information for Monarch Watch.

Alien Life Form?

I originally thought the plant above was some variety of Joe Pye Weed (Eupatorium) but I was incorrect.
It is Verbesina virginica  L. - Frostweed or White Crownbeard.
Flowers: July-September
Height: 2-8'
Comments: The common name frostweed comes from the plant's behavior when there is a hard frost. The stem splits near the base and the sap that seeps out freezes in conspicuous ribbons of ice. Helianthemum bicknellii is another Kansas plant that goes by the common name "frostweed".*

 Doesn't it look like Joe Pye here? I didn't take a lot of images at the Center which is disappointing now. However on my way home through a shortcut I happened upon this choice mass of Eriogonum annuum  Nutt.- Annual Buckwheat. Very impressive image of blooms in a very sandy location.

Wow, how impressive for a weed native plant. Surely there are improved varieties of Buckwheat.
Flowers: July-September
Height: 1-3.5 ft.
Comments: Native Americans boiled the plant and used the resulting liquid as a lotion to treat ant bites and mouth sores. They sometimes rubbed the fresh leaves on bison and deer hides to help tan them. The sparse foliage and dense hairs of annual Eriogonum help it tolerate droughts.

Day Three to come.

Annual Wildflower Weekend Day One (continued)

On September 21 of the this year the Kansas Native Plant Society held it's annual wildflower weekend, my previous post explains the agenda: Day One Part One.

This is the second part of the first Day and we 'botanized' the lower area of the first property in the draw which is a dry creek bed. Unknown to me there is a few native Joe Pye weed varieties such as Late Eupatorium (Eupatorium seratinum), which frequented this dry creek bed in mostly full shade as shown below.

Flowers: August-October.
Height: 1.5-6.5 ft.
Uses: Native Americans boiled the flowers and took the tea to treat typhoid fever. *

 We were in the height of Monarch movement as you can see.

While I was there, I found this unique plant shown below, couldn't ID it. Does anyone have an idea? Almost like a persicaria. Yep its dotted smartweed (Polygonum punctatum) also called Water smartweed.

Flowers: July-October

Height: 1-3 ft.

Uses: Native Americans treated stomach pains with a decoction of dotted smartweed leaves and flowers.

Comment: The common name refers to the tiny glandular dots on the perianth. *
That was about it in the draw. Lets move back to the top on the way back to the vehicle.
This is Kansas, so we have to have sunflowers. Willowleaf sunflower (Helianthus salicifolius).

Flowers: September-October
Height: 5-10'
Uses: Quail and prairie chickens consume the seeds.

Plains Coreopsis (Coreopsis tinctoria) below:

F

Flowers: June-September
Height:  2-4 ft.
Uses:  Native Americans made a hot beverage from plains coreopsis, and early settlers placed plants in their mattresses because they believed they repelled fleas and bedbugs.
Later that evening we were treated to a Bluegrass concert at the Southwestern College Auditorium. The Tallgrass Express String Band played original music written about the Tallgrass prairie. 

 Photo(above) and song lyrics (below) courtesy of their website. 
 Big Bluestem:  The King of the Prairie -  Anne B. Wilson 2010

Songnote: In this tune, we sing praises to the economic, cultural and
biological significance of this signature Flint Hills species”the tallest of the
warm season grasses that compose the tallgrass prairie.   The title comes
from the Greenwood County Conservation District King of the
Prairie contest for the tallest Big Bluestem plant (a recent winner was
almost ten feet high!). 
Lyrics:Oh the Big Bluestem grows on the prairie Great Plains
He can handle the heat and a month without rain
He blankets the pastures with tall purple stems
In the warm summer evenings they dance in the wind

In the warm days of April his first blades will show
And start drinking in sun to send carbon below
The roots take that energy to make the grass grow
In the cycle of life the Big Bluestem knows

Hes the King of the Prairie; hes the tallest of all
Hes green in the summer and red in the fall
He grows high on the ridge and in the meadows supreme
The cows and the calves love his kingdom of green

Hes the cattlemans favorite with his bushy green leaves
Those heifers and steers he surely can please
His roots go down twelve feet, his stems reach up nine
When they burn off the prairie, he grows back just fine

He has riches of rhizomes and ligules and blades
And he wears his crown low by the soil for shade
A turkey foot serves as his scepter so high
To carry his seeds for the next summertime     CHORUS

His roots are a far beneath the ground of the plain
They build up the soil and drink up the rain
Those roots grip the ground in the flood and the storm
And hold the grass up to the sunshine so warm      CHORUS
  
Fun time was had by all. Day two to come. 


*All plant data derived from 'Wildflowers and Grasses of Kansas' by Michael J Haddock, current president elect of the Kansas Native Plant Society.