Birds with no name..

Americaunas or Easter Eggers? When I can get my kids to focus, I'll give them names. It was a Craigslist thing, finding bantams that lay blue eggs. I couldn't help myself. These are the last ones, I swear..

Foliage follow up- Buffalo grass is established in the xeriscape back. This picture is after weeding and trimming for all of a Sunday afternoon! My Mexican plums are thumbnail sized- what will they taste like? And can I remember what name of Texas sage this is??

Little bits

Glorious to spend the weekend in the garden, despite mosquitos and blazing sun.. I nabbed a few happy zinnias from the yard..

But this is where they really ended up.. typical vignette in my house!

He.will.protect.them.from.the.cats....

Took my eldest for a walk on the new Town Lake (ahem, Lady Bird Lake, not used to that yet!) boardwalk, and managed to get a pic of one of the cute birds that have been hanging around my yard this summer.. (in someone else's yard, of course)..

It's a Texas Ruby Red House finch (PhoCarpodacus mexicanus) and they have an interesting story- they were native to Mexico and the Western US. About 1940 a few dozen House Finches were brought from Los Angeles, CA, to New York City by cage-bird dealers. The dealers released their captives on Long Island, NY, when they feared a raid by federal authorities. The population increased slowly and then began an explosive expansion.. 

Speaking of non-natives, I snapped a pic of a ubiquitous little guy last night while letting the cat in (again and again..)..

Love his vertical eye pupil.. He's a Common House Gecko - Hemidactylus frenatus- they came over on ships and live all over our houses, stalking insects near our porch lights. If he can clear out a few mosquitoes for me I'll be much obliged!

The new hens are settling into their new abode well. Here's a picture showing the run and summer hen house in full.. It's really meant to be used when we leave town so the girls can have room but be safe for a few days, but it is working well as a halfway house for the new ladies..

The older girls need to stop picking on my plumbago plant though! I have moved it out of their main line-of-sight in the hopes it will recover..

A sad plant indeed..

So while weeding, watering and trimming the back madly today, I found the cutest out of place plant- a bluebonnet rosette looking like it was March still..

I love these little surprises..