Rainy Season 2023
Rain moved into Central Texas over the last two weeks in the form of downpours and light drizzle. While the rest of the country might receive April showers followed by May flowers, we tend to have wildflowers in March and April, rain in May and early June from tropical storms (if we’re lucky), and then an explosion of heat-loving blooms in June through July. There are also a few tough flowers that hang in there through August and September.
I noticed a quotation recently that reads, “If something isn’t eating your plants, your garden isn’t part of the ecosystem.” I haven’t been able to find a source for the quotation, but I agree with this idea. If we share our garden with insects and birds and still enjoy enough for our own plates, then we’re helping to create and manage an ecosystem. Habitat loss for all wildlife is a real issue, and human pressure is a major cause (just think back to how nature thrived when we stayed at home during the pandemic).
Offering a buffet of delicacies in a diverse garden using permaculture practices gives wildlife a chance to thrive. It’s truly amazing to watch what happens when you plant the correct native host plants for pollinators and birds in your area. Set up a birdbath (with moving water using something like a water wiggler) or a pond for wildlife and watch them arrive by the dozens to take a drink or bathe. Work with nature by observing their patterns, taking notes, watching for seasonal shifts, and sharing the bounty.
“The more deeply connected we are to the natural world, the better placed we are to mimic it, learn from it, and regenerate it.”
-Jade Miles, author of Futuresteading
Birds and pollinators aren’t the only wildlife needed in an ecosystem. Ants, wasps (a pollinator that is sometimes overlooked), snails, worms, and larger mammals are crucial players in a backyard garden ecosystem. It is important not to use pesticides in your backyard and garden, as the birds can ingest them when they eat the insects or plants you’re trying to eliminate.
The key to creating an ecosystem is patience. As the saying goes, anything worth doing takes time. When we moved into our home a little less than two years ago, the soil was in bad shape. After working in compost and mulch each season and adding a variety of plants, I’ve slowly assisted in transforming the soil (along with the worms who do the actual work). Planting native plants this fall gave us our best chance at getting them established in spring before the hot weather hits this summer. Many berry-producing plants may not put on berries until the fall and winter, which is the perfect time for birds to forage during the colder months. Some plants won’t bloom or put on fruit in the first year. Trusting that nature’s own timeline is essential to gardening.
To work on my goal of offering mostly native food for pollinators and birds in our yard, we have several plants, small trees, and shrubs that bear fruit, nuts, or seeds for birds in our garden, including many that will grow in full to part-shade. A few of these plants are host plants for caterpillars which in turn provide food for birds. So far, we have chiltepins, American beautyberry, coralberry, yaupon, American germander, magnolia, elderberry, sunflowers, persimmon, pecan, echinacea or coneflower, Turk’s cap, inland sea oats, live oak, cedar elm, rue, as well as a host of native flowering plants for pollinators including Texas betony, salvia, sage, rock rose, rudbeckia, passion vine, and more in our garden.
(. . . and yes, sometimes birds also enjoy bites of sunflower leaves, Swiss chard, and even tomatoes or citrus when they need extra hydration during the hot summer!)
For a full list of delicious plants and trees for birds and pollinators in your area, search the Audubon website using your zip code or check out this guide for Texas on the Audubon Texas website. The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center has an extensive plant database and recommendations for the United States as well as Canadian Provinces. If you live in Texas, this guide for planting native trees is helpful in deciding which trees to plant to create a healthy diet for wildlife in your garden. If you’re interested in advocacy for birds, you can visit Audubon’s advocacy webpage here.
A couple of new birds visited our bird bath over the last two weeks. On a particularly warm, humid day, a Painted Bunting stopped by. We’ve only seen Painted Buntings one other time living here as they tend to stay hidden in the Greenbelt near our home, which is part of a protected area for wildlife called the Balcones Escarpment.
White-eyed vireos are not usually visible to backyard birders, because they prefer to be out of view. However, I think we are lucky enough to have our little daily “birdbath diver” because we’ve provided a birdbath that has cover in the form of small shrubs and ferns. Summer Tanagers, including a female and a young male, have also been regulars and have started welcoming the day by singing in our backyard.
At the edge of our yard a week or so ago, we spotted a small bird with orange and black coloration, so I did a little research and was surprised to find out it was an American Redstart. It seems this little Warbler was just passing through and headed north for the summer.
If you’re looking to attract more birds to your backyard, check out this article or search Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s vast resources online, including their Bird ID feature to create the perfect habitat for local birds.
I spent Mother’s Day wandering around Zilker Botanical Gardens in the light rain and being treated to a charcuterie plate from Antonelli’s plate and elderberry lemonade at Pretty Cute Coffee. Walking around the gardens was a calming way to connect with nature and celebrate Mother Nature.
I’m happy to report that after all the rains and ample humidity, the butterfly pea flowers have pushed through the soil, and I can’t wait to see how they do in our garden this summer!
To stretch our garden budget, I’m propagating basil, chocolate cosmos, and catmint on the window sills in my office and in the kitchen. We’re also enjoying the bounty of the garden by making salads and dinners with a few things picked right from our garden, including handfuls of cherry tomatoes and nasturtium flowers and leaves.
I hope you find this season’s video relaxing and inspiring as we move into the early summer season.
The music in the video is Moving Clouds by Heath Cantu and The Scent of the Earth after Rain by Ebb & Flod on Epidemic Sound.
WEEKEND READING
This season, if I’m not out in my garden harvesting or admiring new flowers, I’m reading about gardening. I came across My Baba’s Garden recently, and I’m adding it to my TBR list, hoping there might be a copy available at our local library. The love of gardening and nature is something that can be shared and enjoyed between generations.
“To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow.”
I heard about Jade Miles and Black Barn Farms from an Australian author who writes about slow living. The title of this book caught my attention because people can often stay focused on their own lives and habits without recognizing how their daily actions might affect future generations.
Futuresteading: Live Like Tomorrow Matters is an exploration into the way we live and how we can shape the course of our lives in harmony with nature.
“It’s time to accept that we are part of, not in control of, the natural world.”
-Jade Miles, author of Futuresteading
Her podcast, also called Futuresteading, is equally intriguing. I especially loved the episode called Enoughness.
What’s my simple joy this week? Listening to gentle raindrops fall on leaves and birds chirping while I look for what’s new in the garden
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Writing blog posts for 52 Seasons is a creative journey into the expressions that come from my heart: writing, photography, tending a garden, immersing myself in nature, reading stories from voices that need to be heard and sharing them with others, keeping a home, being an advocate and supporter of education and basic human rights, and sharing resources with others.
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