Clematis on Fence, originally uploaded by trekr.
Briefly the Clematis blooms, every day different. In the summer heat the vine void of flowers is nondescript. The winter stalk is dry and brittle; flowers don’t seem possible. The blooms of Spring always surprise me.
Bald Cypress, originally uploaded by trekr.
The delicate leaves of a young Bald Cypress tree holding on to an afternoon rain.
Orange Rose, originally uploaded by trekr.
Although this Easter weekend we had snow and a freeze warning, this Rose celebrated.
Mosquito on Hawthorne, originally uploaded by trekr.
“Anyone who thinks that they are too small to make a difference has never tried to fall asleep with a mosquito in the room. “ — Christie Todd Whitman
I’m not certain that this is a mosquito. They are everywhere. At night, they buzz against the window pane.
Fly, originally uploaded by trekr.
“An optimist is a fellow who believes a housefly is looking for a way to get out” — George Jean Nathan
It snowed today. This housefly was caught cold.
Ginko, originally uploaded by trekr.
One of the oldest living tree species, this Ginko Biloba is only a few years old rising up next to the stump of an oak that succumbed to the drought of ’98.
Japanese Maple, originally uploaded by trekr.
Temporally incongruous,
Fall colors in Spring,
Sanguine first, later green
A lone ant explores the new leaves of a Cardoon, alertly looking over his shoulder at my lens.
A Happy coincidence of bloom and blossom. After two weeks of overcast skies, the color of Spring has arrived.
Iron Cross Vine, originally uploaded by trekr.
The Iron Cross Vine blooms next to the fence pillar where the bees have made their hive. How convenient for the bees! The Red Tip Photinia have grown so thick that the flowers have been obscured from my view until today. The garden has secrets known only to the gardener. I’ll ask her sometime …
The Empress tree is in full bloom this week !
It snowed during the night transforming the landscape.
Another year of fantastic growth on the Empress Tree! You can see the extent of last year’s growth by looking at the interior verticle branches that don’t have any seed pods on them. The tree is 30 feet tall with a girth of 16 inches at 4 1/2 feet, and an average crown of 12 feet. The tree was planted in 2004.
Frost weed (Verbesina virginica) is prized in Texas. At the first frost the water laden stem splits and the released water freezes in delicate patterns around the stem.
Jacqui read the Last Flower post and disagreed 
Apparently this Brugmansia bloomed last night and promptly froze. It wins the title of last bloom of the year.
With the big freeze coming tonight, it was time to bring in the birdhouse gourds. All twenty-three of these are from the same plant, a volunteer that sprouted up just off the back porch.
I planted this herb garden in July. The chili tepin’s did awesome and everything else is filling in nicely.
Its been a long Indian summer in North Texas. The loquat is one of the last bloomers, its flowers are covered with bees, moths, and this lone monarch. Tomorrow the first freeze is on its way ending a beautiful November.
I walked out onto the back porch last night and was surprised to find about a half dozen of these lizards on the walls and ceiling. They were making a quick meal of insects that flew up under the porch and hit the ceiling!
