Rescued rare native plants can thrive in cultivation By Anita Westervelt, Texas Master Naturalist Bailey’s ball moss is one of those dream plants that absolutely takes care of itself. It’s so self-sufficient it can be tossed into the crook of a tree and forgotten. The scientific name for Bailey’s ball moss is Tillandsia baileyi. The…

Succulents are popular and for good reasons! Story and photos by Anita Westervelt, Texas Master Naturalist Succulents are fun, nearly care free and reproduce relatively easily on their own. They can make an excellent ground cover and are just as interesting and easy to care for in pots and containers. For the xeriscape gardener, native…

Be kind to the palm trees; be kind to beneficial bats By Anita Westervelt, Texas Master Naturalist Torrents of rain come to the Rio Grande Valley once or twice a year. After a few days, hordes of mosquitoes emerge. There’s no escaping except to run screaming into a building swatting at bare skin. Nighttime comes;…

Sound the trumpets for Alamo Vine By Anita Westervelt, Texas Master Naturalist If you pass by irrigation ditches in your travels around the Lower Valley, you’re probably familiar with seeing a wash of white dotting the slopes that taper to the road. Chances are, you’re seeing Alamo vine flowers. Alamo vine (Merremia dissecta) is often…

But, they’re so cute . . . . By Anita Westervelt, Texas Master Naturalist Looking much like a koala bear at first glance, these cute and cuddly-looking critters might be seen along the banks of resacas or irrigation ditches in the Rio Grande Valley. They are nutria (Myocastor coypus). Native to South America, they are…