Story and photos by Anita Westervelt, Texas Master Naturalist Believe it or not, April is a good time to think about October. The October butterfly season, that is, when the Rio Grande Valley is a kaleidoscope of colorful butterflies Now is the time to set about making sure your garden will have plenty of nectar…

By Anita Westervelt, Texas Master Naturalist At dusk, white flowers glow with their own special drama. Some seem to float like tiny alien spaceships in a dark, terrestrial sea. During the day, white-flowering plants suspended among a diversity of green leaves generate a cool, peaceful visage in the summer’s heat. In descending order of height,…

By Anita Westervelt, Texas Master Naturalist A wet year in the Rio Grande Valley brings more native plants to flower. The more flowering plants, the more butterflies. Unlike birds, butterflies don’t mind flying close to humans, sometimes landing on a person standing still and often zipping around while one works in the yard, oblivious to…

Story and photos by Anita Westervelt, Texas Master Naturalist It’s tree planting time in the Valley. It’s cooler, the sun not so strong, making November through February the best time to plant trees. During these cooler months, newly-planted trees can concentrate on root growth and getting established, then be ready to prosper with the spring…

Story and photos by Anita Westervelt, Texas Master Naturalist Hosting our resident and winter-visiting birds is always fun here in the Valley. It’s possible to increase the variety of birds coming to your property by planting native trees. You may recognize the mantra, November through February is the ideal time to plant trees in the…

Story and photos by Anita Westervelt It’s the time of year to start thinking about what you want to plant during the Valley’s cooler months. Right now, for butterflies, plant anything that’s blooming. Give them nectar and they will come! Busy nectar plants this month are crucita, scarlet sage, skeleton-leaf golden eye, heliotrope, passion vines,…