Wet Weather

Each year in my backyard wildflower meadow (deer protected) there is a succession of flowers. Red Poppies dominate the scene starting the end of March, along with pink Mexican Primroses. Then the yellow Engelmann Daisies appear and toward the end of April the Gaillardia (Indian blanket) dominate the field. The lavender Monarda (Lemon Beebalm) are the last widespread wildflower before the summer heat sets in. The Monarda are doing better than the Gaillardia (Indian blanket) this year. Most years I need to pull up clumps of Gaillardia to give the Monarda sunlight and space to grow.

As we have noted before, which plants thrive each year depends on the weather conditions. This year we are having unusual wetness. I often need to water my Angel Trumpets (Datura) to get the blooms, but not this year. I try to get at least a few sunflowers started in the meadow area so that I have flowers in the heat of the summer. This year many sunflower seedlings volunteered.

I believe the rains have been responsible for bringing back plants we thought might not have made it through the deep February storm. People have been asking me if I think it is safe to remove the deadwood above the shoots. The general answer is, “Yes it is safe to remove the dead wood.” However, I have this story to tell.

I thought my Palo Verde tree was dead after the storm, but it has come up from the bottom. We have been slow to remove the dead wood above. Yesterday I saw four Ladderback Woodpeckers enjoying the bugs in the dead wood. Since I discovered them we have enjoyed watching the woodpeckers drill holes and poke around on the dead branches. So, we will not be in any hurry to remove the deadwood from the Palo Verde. Natural Beauty comes in many forms.

Written by Jackie Mattice, Hays County Master Naturalist