September Blooms

The rains we have received in September certainly pleased our plant environment. The Kidneywood trees (white spiral blossoms) and Cenizo bushes (rosy lavender blooms) have been just waiting for the opportunity to bloom. The pollinators are certainly active now.

In September you will notice 1-3 foot tall white and green plants out in the fields.

These are commonly called Snow on the Mountain. They escape being eaten by the cows and deer because they are poisonous.

Another favorite of mine is Lindheimer Senna. The yellow blossoms are followed by seed pods that resemble pea pods. Both edible peas and Lindheimer Senna are in the legume family. Lindheimer was a famous German botanist who settled in New Braunfels in 1844. He is known as the Father of Texas Botany, with over 20 species of Texas Native plants and one genus bearing his name.

Once again the yellow blossoms of Two Leaf Senna can be seen in sunny local fields. The name describes the fact that the leaves come in pairs. Two Leaf Senna is about a foot tall. It is a native plant with yellow blooms that appear throughout the summer when the conditions provide adequate moisture. It does best on flat land and the deer are not interested in eating it. I have admired one full sun front yard meadow on my morning walk. This lot is periodically mown and has Two Leaf Senna blooming in it from time to time. I am hopeful that if I seeded it in my flat sunny backyard meadow I could continue to mow it now and then and still have Two Leaf Senna flowers periodically. Another plant experiment to try!

Written by Jackie Mattice, Hays County Master Naturalist