Category: Blogs
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June Bugs, Harbingers of Summer
by M. Kathy Raines June bugs make my heart sing. Sheathed in glossy caramel shells, they zip about within swaths of springtime porch light—with some hapless beetles smashing into bulbs and landing sprawling, legs a-wriggle, onto concrete. To schoolchildren, they are happy harbingers of summer. Groundskeepers and farmers, though, do not share this joy. While…
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Killdeer, Masters of Deception
by M. Kathy Raines A reedy, insistent whine of “Kill-dee!” alerted me to this handsome plover with its roundish head, signature double breast bands and dark, massive eyes ringed with flaming orange. Pacing the shallows of a receding resaca, this plover, a killdeer—so-named for its namesake cry—probed the mud with its pointed beak, then halted,…
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Anita’s Blog — Moths are Important!
Extra! Extra! In honor of National Moth Week — here’s a little extra about the importance of moths and plants to consider for a Moth Garden!
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Anita’s Blog — Anything But Dull
Don’t you often wonder what people must be thinking when they give a name to something? Often there’s great mystery surrounding a name — until you delve into what something does, is or how it behaves — moths are no different . . . . Check out this new blog post and get ready for…
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Nightshades — a family of plants as infamous as it is famous
Published in McAllen Monitor June 19, 2021. From delicious to dangerous — beware the shady side of the local nightshade plants . . . .
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Horridulum — what kind of name is that for a pretty plant?
Published in the McAllen Monitor June 5, 2021 — Wicked jagged dagger-like leaves belie the beauty of the flower to come — check out the benefits . . . .