Westward Bound: Bryce Canyon NP and Escalante Petrified Forest SP

Posted on July 28, 2012 by Meredith

Thirteen days. Twelve states. Six national parks. Two important monuments. Three state parks. 5,330.2 miles. 2,832 photos. Zero tire flats. Seven nights camping in tents. One glorious lightning-loaded rainstorm. One night spent sleeping in a car. One lovely evening at a farm with friends. Four happy family members. Countless memories.

Driving view in southern Utah We just returned from our 2012 summer vacation, in which the boys and I left Austin and headed west to Utah, north to Grand Teton and Yellowstone (where Michael joined us via airplane), east to the Badlands, south to our friends’ farm in Kansas, and then all the way home again. It was our longest road trip to date. Combine that with our trip to the Everglades in the spring, and we have really managed to tour a big chunk of the United States in this year alone!

Jumping over Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico at the Four Corners Monument

Our first primary destination was the area of Bryce Canyon National Park in southern Utah. But we took a slight detour along the way so that we could stand at the Navajo Nation’s Four Corners Monument, where Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico meet. I decided that jumping over four states at once seemed better than just standing there. Yes, in fact, I am a goddess.

The Fremont River flows red when summer rains wash red silt from the surrounding landscape.

From there, we emerged ourselves fully in the grand beauty that is southern Utah. Just when you get used to one spectacular mountainous view, you drive around a curve and suddenly everything looks completely different, as seen in the top photo of this post.

There’s a reason why this area of Utah is called red rock country.

Our first night in Utah, we camped at Escalante Petrified Forest State Park. It’s a relatively small but scenic state park located along Scenic Byway 12. There’s a lake near the campground, but it’s decidedly swim-at-your-own-risk, and not for the usual reasons. When we arrived at the park, the ranger handed us a detailed info sheet about something that sounded appalling — an aquatic parasite that causes something called swimmer’s itch. It turns out that this parasite is in Escalante’s Wide Hollow reservoir as well as in some of the other lakes in Utah state parks during the summer. No, thank you — we’ll just hike, we said. And hike we did.

Balanced Rock at Escalante Petrified Forest State Park

Pine at Escalante Petrified Forest SP

Petrified wood at Escalante

The park is named for colorful petrified wood logs and thousands of petrified wood bits located within the hiking area.

But we were just as enthralled with the many skinks and other lizards we saw as we walked along the trails. In fact, we got a little competitive about it, seeing who could find the most lizards, some worth two points if they were less common than others. Snakes were worth 15 points, but alas we didn’t find any.

Robber fly

Interesting wildlife like robber flies had their own category.

From Escalante Petrified Forest State Park, we headed west along Scenic Byway 12 to Bryce Canyon National Park. Our first taste of Bryce began with Mossy Cave, a short hike at an area within Bryce Canyon National Park but well before you arrive at the visitor center and park entrance.

View at Mossy Cave trail, Bryce Canyon, UT

Here one can already see the hoodoos for which Bryce is known, and which I’ll explain about shortly, and a scenic waterfall, stream, and small cave add additional beauty.

View from above the waterfall at Mossy Cave, Bryce Canyon, UT

Golden-mantled ground squirrel getting a quick drink

Bryce Canyon National Park really has to be seen in person to be believed. It’s unlike any place I’ve ever traveled. It’s not a true canyon, where a flowing river shapes the landscape. Instead, ice and rainwater have eroded away limestone and other rock to form vast amphitheaters of tall heavy-topped spires called hoodoos.

There are many different scenic viewpoints accessible via a driving tour or by hiking along the rim, and other trails take you down below the rim.

A hoodoo, a tall limestone-topped spire formed by erosion

An arch at Bryce Canyon, though its name is Natural Bridge

I fell in love with Bryce. How could one not?

A Golden-mantled ground squirrel on one of the points of Bryce Canyon, UT

We saw birds and many a squirrel at Bryce. Surprisingly, we didn’t see a single lizard, compared to the dozens we’d counted at Escalante Petrified Forest just a few miles away.

This young squirrel came looking for food, but when we didn’t offer anything, it moved away quickly.

At Sunset Point, we took a trail down below the rim, one called Navajo Loop.

Navajo Loop, Bryce Canyon

Look into the depths, and you’ll get an idea of the downward trek.

View from the bottom of the rim at Bryce Canyon’s Sunset Point

It was worth it.

A tree grows tall in a sunlit nook of the Navajo Loop at Bryce.

Trees appear in sunlit spots within the narrow canyon, and before you know it…

it opens out to a much bigger and colorful scene, where the trail continues.

Pronghorns

As we were leaving, we saw this pronghorn family slowly crossing the road, a park ranger protecting them from moving cars. The young fawns nursed the whole way.

From beautiful Bryce, we headed toward Zion, camping overnight before starting the next day’s adventure.

Spot the Birdie

Posted on July 24, 2012 by Meredith

Birders know how challenging it can be to find that bird they can hear in the trees nearby but it lingers just out of sight. In my case, that seems to happen more often than not. But I had a few lucky glimpses this spring, and I always rate their success on whether I also manage to capture a picture. The better the picture, the better the success of the moment.

Golden-cheeked Warbler, endangered

My biggest prize was getting to see an endangered Golden-cheeked Warbler at the Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge on my birthday. He sang to me, the best birthday song ever.

The red of a Summer Tanager gets it mistaken for a Northern Cardinal quite often. Of course, they are in the same family.

Here’s a Summer Tanager, spotted at a different outing to another area of the refuge. He was far more interested in looking for a mate than paying attention to the humans below.

Painted Bunting, quite hidden

That same morning, I finally got a picture of a Painted Bunting, though obviously I still have room for improvement. That little bird was far, far away. But the real success here was that I actually recognized his voice and tracked him to where he was perched.

Peekaboo, I see you!

Remember that we had our Mama Screech Owl again this spring? This was the only glimpse I got of the fledgling before it officially fledged. That little one was timid!

American White Pelicans

Sometimes you get to see birds you least expect to see at that moment. This giant group of American White Pelicans was flying way out over the Hill Country in late March. The picture don’t show even half of how many pelicans there were.

The black-tipped wings and classic body shape make American White Pelicans easy to ID from the ground.

Can you see the American Raven in this picture? Good luck.

Okay, she’s in a nest. Now go back and find the nest. Then, try to describe its location to someone and see if they can find it. Now you know what it’s like to be a birder!

Here I’ve zoomed in. If you look closely, you can see Mama Raven’s tail, head, and right eye right along the top of the nest. Tough one, yes?

Young barn swallows

Sometimes you have to look up, not into trees, but above your head at a building to find birds. Buildings are a favorite nesting area for many Barn Swallows.

Mama’s home!

After all that, one can start to appreciate how easy the Mockingbird makes it for us mere humans (and his potential mate) to find him. He sits atop the highest perch and sings his little heart out, as loud as can be.

Sometimes for hours and hours. Silly birdie.

Starring Walker and Morse

Posted on July 21, 2012 by Meredith

Our two young pet snakes are just delightful and still growing. Morse, now over 2 feet long, sometimes types with me at the computer, snugly wrapped around my wrist. He might just be the most docile, lazy corn snake in all the docile corn snake world. I don’t want to use the word boring, but he at least makes boring look good. He is just so nonchalant about absolutely everything.

Snake shedding skin Normally when the snakes shed, they do it in the privacy of their habitat. One day I took the snakes out to feed them, and Morse, a motley-patterned corn snake, started rubbing his cute little head all over the towel I had him on.

Next thing we knew, we were watching the full shedding process, something I’d never witnessed before. The shed skin rolled off him like old-style stockings, until toward the tail’s end it reversed and extended as Morse pulled away from it. Shedding done, Morse was quite ready to eat!

Walker, the corn/rat snake hybrid, has all the expected instincts of a snake, and that makes him great to observe, because he is certainly observing you and everything else. I like to wander around with him so that he can safely explore new things. Though we feed our snakes thawed rodents, he attacks his dead prey with all ferocity. We use tongs so that we are not handling the mice directly, and if I hold onto the end of a mouse for a just a couple of seconds after Walker’s latched on, he quickly coils all around the mouse, constricting it just like all good constrictors do. I have got to videotape it sometime.

Walker and Morse are destined to be teaching snakes. They had their first classroom visit of sorts at the Master Naturalist training this past spring. Here my friend Christine tried to take a picture of Walker, but of course Walker had other ideas.

Sssssimply wonderful!

Cactus A’Plenty

Posted on July 18, 2012 by Meredith

If you know me, you know that I’m fond of things with wicked spines and prickles. So whenever hiking, cactus always seem to catch my eye. Here are a few beauties and oddities I spotted over the past few months.

Prickly Pear in a tree

Emerging blooms on Prickly Pear

Big bloom, small pad

Lace Cactus

Mickey Mouse with a Mohawk

Pretty in yellow

Spheres

I just love cactus. They really have a way of getting under my skin. 🙂

Not All Hornworms Eat Tomatoes

Posted on July 15, 2012 by Meredith

Despite the bad reputation of a couple of species, hawk moths generally go unnoticed. I get particularly excited to spot them, because there are some gorgeous species out there, both adult and larval forms. As larvae, they are known as hornworms, with many having a very pronounced horned tip at one end. Tomato gardeners fear the presence of a couple of varieties, the tomato hornworm (Manduca quinquemaculata, adult moth is the Five-Spotted Hawkmoth) and the tobacco hornworm (Manduca sexta, adult is the Carolina Sphinx), and it’s these two species that sometimes can give all hornworms a bad name. But it’s important to realize that hornworms are actually specialists, each species having their own food preferences, so most hornworms won’t care a thing about your tomatoes, and they couldn’t eat them if they tried. So turn a friendly eye toward other hornworms, because there are some very nifty ones out there!

Snowberry Clearwing

If you’ve ever seen a hummingbird-like moth hovering for nectar in the daytime, you’re watching a diurnal hawkmoth. Here in my garden, I’ve seen the Snowberry Clearwing species (Hemaris diffinis). And of course, its larvae are hornworms, beautiful ones at that.

Snowberry Clearwing

This Snowberry Clearwing is munching on our native White Honeysuckle shrub, but sometimes I spot it on our Coral Honeysuckle, also native to our area. I just love the vibrant green color. Once it becomes an adult, it might return to nectar at the very same plant.

The White-Lined Sphinx moth is another beauty. While frog-watching with fellow Master Naturalists, we spotted this one collecting nectar just as it turned dark. That of course presented a bit of a photographic challenge, but thank goodness for a flash.

White-Lined Sphinx Moth (Hyles lineata)

On the wings, you can see the lines for which this moth earned its common name.

White-lined Sphinx, Hyles lineata

You can also see how easily these moths can be mistaken for hummingbirds, because they can hover near a bloom.

Grapes, apples, elms, Evening Primrose — these are all favorites of the White-lined Sphinx– but in full disclosure they will occasionally feed on tomatoes, too. I suppose they are more generalists than some of their cousins. But they don’t have the reputation of Tobacco and Tomato hornworms, which is why I include them here.

Down in South Austin at a Master Naturalist class, we found a White-lined Sphinx caterpillar munching on grapevine.

White-lined Sphinx caterpillar

Another stunning larva.

Last year at the Wildflower Center fall plant sale, a very cool horn-tipped caterpillar was spotted (pun intended, because it itself was also spotted) among a plant (was it Partridge Pea?) in the shade section. My friend Jan bought it, whatever that plant was, simply so we could learn more about the caterpillar. Since I was raising caterpillars in my little caterpillar hotel, I took care of the caterpillar and plant until the caterpillar went to pupa stage, and the pupa overwintered in the backyard hotel. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a chance to take a picture of the caterpillar before it went to cocoon, but I knew that at some point I’d at least see the adult, with luck.

Tersa Sphinx Moth

Sure enough, this past spring, a beautiful moth emerged in the mesh tent, and before I released it, I took a picture. Tersa Sphinxes, by the way, like Pentas, Catalpas, coffee, and other such plants.

The horn tip is a pretty big clue as to what kind of caterpillar you might be looking at — the plant species it is eating is another. Remember, each species has its own food preferences. Do you have any other hornworm favorites?

And I can’t help but point out that though a tomato-eating hornworm is perhaps doomed if you find it in your garden, it’s still a beautiful caterpillar.

Tomato Hornworm, Manduca sexta

Making Ceramic Plant Markers

Posted on July 11, 2012 by Meredith

This spring the Travis Audubon Urban Habitat Committee has been leading the way to design and install a wildlife garden at Elderhaven. This beautiful and historic building houses the headquarters of Travis Audubon, but the primary occupants are member organizations of Austin Groups for the Elderly, which serve older clientele in a variety of ways. For use by the on-site daytime clientele, there is a lovely garden, now made even more so by the addition of wildlife-friendly native plants that have already attracted many birds, butterflies, and other critters for everyone to enjoy.

The habitat committee did, and continues to do, an amazing job with the habitat. While I helped out where I could on the butterfly habitat installation, my schedule didn’t allow me to be fully involved in the design and preparation, but one thing I could do was plan the plant ID markers. At the same time, Elderhaven was looking for an activity that their older clientele could participate in to help beautify the garden. The plant marker project was a perfect fit.

Rather than use traditional metal plant markers, I thought ceramic markers would be both lovely and fun to create. I contacted Firepit Ceramics about the idea, and they were incredibly helpful and supportive. We rolled out slabs of clay that I cut and shaped into small holed squares, and after the squares dried, Firepit staff fired them in the bisque kiln.

The unglazed pottery was then ready to be painted, and a few days later, members of the TAS Urban Habitat Committee, AGE staff, and AGE clientele gathered at Elderhaven for a painting party.

Materials included special paint glazes for ceramics, small-tipped paintbrushes, pencils for sketching, little bowls/cups of water, paper towels, and color images of the plants to be highlighted.

The painting stage of ceramics appears duller in color than the final products will be. The paint doesn’t get its full bold color until it has been clear-glazed and fired in the kiln.

The painting party was a delight, as were each of the participating AGE clientele, and the results are better than we ever imagined. Each marker is hand-painted and unique, making them all very special, but the best part is how heart-warming every part of this project has been.

Making ceramic plant markers would be a fun family project as well as a great way for schools or clubs to help bring art and education to their habitats and gardens. In fact, many schools already have their own kilns for their art classes, and what a way to get all students involved! Not just markers, but handcrafting tiles, saucers for birdbaths, or other works of art would be great, too — the possibilities are endless!

But what about the stakes? you might ask. These are relatively simple to make. I visited my friend Bob of Draco Metalworks and we made them together. It was an easy matter of snipping firm galvanized wire and bending it into shape around something curved. I can’t tell you much about the metal we used, as Bob utilized scrap roofing materials he had on hand. But I imagine you’d be able to find a variety of choices at a building or fencing supply company.

The markers are now all out on display at Elderhaven, and next opportunity I have, I’ll visit to show how the garden has grown. To learn more about the habitat project, please take a moment to read the story of the Elderhaven wildlife garden.

Back at Firepit, my youngest son and I decided to create a few garden markers of our own. As our family seems to have a bit of a zombie focus from time to time, here is our current favorite (players of Plants vs. Zombies might get this one). While the marker might not identify a specific plant, it sure gets an important message out!

Never underestimate the power of plants!

P.S. See those glorious raindrops? How lovely it is to walk upon moistened earth. Thank you, rain.

The New Caterpillar House

Posted on July 8, 2012 by Meredith

After an unintentional hiatus, I’m back. Things got rather hectic in my life as the school year transitioned to summer, and new schedules and projects kept my computer time to a ridiculous all-time low, something to rival the Stone Age. Plus, I didn’t want to blog until I’d migrated my platform away from Movable Type, and of course here I’m having to blog on MT anyway. But that will change soon! The good news is that the garden overall did not suffer for my busy schedule, thank goodness.

We did complete one of my wish-list projects. For some time, I’d been wanting a more permanent structure for raising caterpillars; with the garden and backyard looking so nice, the caterpillar mesh laundry basket just didn’t cut it anymore. Welcome to our new caterpillar house!

Initially I sketched a basic design, and then Michael built it, using primarily leftover materials from projects of old. We did buy window screen and a latch, so the caterpillar house cost us a whopping $5. For the paint, I used leftover environmentally-friendly exterior paint from when we painted our actual house. The caterpillar house is practically a Mini-Me!

Here’s a side view. The sloping roof is for rain, of course. But it doesn’t keep bird poop off the top! The sturdy post means that I no longer do I have to worry about the dogs knocking over the caterpillar tent. We (and by we, I mean Michael) also dug a 2-foot hole into the ground to make sure that post was going to stay good and stable.

Guess what — the house has proven to be wonderful. Caterpillars inside stay nicely protected from wasps and birds, and a simple pot with moist soil is enough to keep leaves relatively fresh and caterpillars safe from drowning. I’m going to be making an exterior-grade cloth rectangle for the bottom so that I can keep the bottom clean from caterpillar frass.

Here’s the little latch. Isn’t it just adorable?

Right now I’m raising Polyphemus moth caterpillars. They are already getting huge.

Fortunately, despite their enormous appetites, they are such easy guests. Among other things, they eat oak leaves, the most plentiful leaves on our property. But they’ll also eat leaves of citrus trees, trees of the Prunus and elm families, and more.

Just look at those itty bitty feet and little hairs. I think these caterpillars are absolutely gorgeous, itty bitty feet, hairs, color, and all.

You might recall the Polyphemus moth that joined us for a rather thrilling car ride home in the spring. Here’s one of the photos from that day. Big caterpillar = big moth! Wing span will be about 6 inches across.

Yep, the caterpillars are doing fine in their new house, though I brought them into our big house during the 107-degree weather we had recently.

In case you are wondering about the strap on the trees in the above pictures, they are used for this: Michael’s new hammock.

I guess he deserves a rest now and then! The mulch below is the remains of the last invasive plants we’d had on the property, two 50-foot Tree of Heavens. We finally were able to hire an arborist to bring them down, and what a relief that was! It’s been wonderful to get to plant new natives in their place. There — that was another big project we took care of during my blogging absence! More to come!

Chorus

Posted on May 11, 2012 by Meredith

There are toads singing at all three ponds these days. Oh, how I love it! Their deep songs are my nighttime lullaby. I believe there’s six males at the moment, and when they really go at it, each singing at a different pitch, it’s almost orchestral.

We also seem to have a sneaky frog that I saw hanging out in the waterfall this evening. But when I went to get the camera, he disappeared. But my return to the pond meant that at least I captured a picture of one of our singing sextet.

It’s funny — the toads were so competitive in their singing that they pretty much ignored the photographer and the flashlight-holder. We took a few pictures and then let them get back to their romantic calling.

Speaking of toads, look at this cute female we found while our tree guys were here last week. All snug as a bug in a rug! I put her near the front pond for safety, away from the commotion.

Garden Firsts

Posted on May 7, 2012 by Meredith

It’s a funny thing how nature works. Last year we had one of the worst droughts in recorded Texas history, and this year we have some of the best wildlife viewing. In fact, 2011 was so empty of caterpillars, butterflies, and other insects that I had great concern for many of our birds, spiders, reptiles, and other wildlife that are dependent on such invertebrates. But this year, after having a reasonable amount of fall and winter rain, we’ve seen an amazing number of caterpillars of all species and with them a tremendous explosion of butterflies and moths. What that means is that we’ll also have lots of baby birds this season, all things considered, and hopefully lots of other creatures. Needless to say, I’m having fun in the wildlife garden – so much to watch!

Yellow Water Lily

This spring has marked a number of firsts for our relatively young garden (I’m going to call it young until it has reached its fifth birthday). Our native Yellow Water Lily is blooming at last. I have waited such a long time for it to do so, though to be fair, it’s certainly possible that it has bloomed without me knowing it. My White Water Lily still hasn’t bloomed yet, as far as I know, but I shall remain hopeful!

Spineless Prickly Pear

We were getting worried that our Spineless Prickly Pear would never bloom, but lo and behold, it’s in bloom right now. Sure enough, bees and flies and other insects are getting drunk on that delicious Opuntia nectar!

Horsemint

Horsemint, Coreopsis, Black-eyed Susan, and Pincushion Daisy are all in bloom in the garden for the first time. Were those in seed mixes I’d spread around? Or did the birds deliver them? I’d think the first, except that Horsemint and Coreopsis also happen to be growing at the entrance to our subdivision. Hmmmm. The other two are probably just all me.

Sleepy Orange caterpillar — I love how it blends with the fuzzy Lindheimer’s Senna leaves

Caterpillars I’ve longed for but hadn’t yet seen munching on the plants we’d planted for them are at last here. With luck, they’ll return as adults to lay more eggs. Pipevine caterpillars, previously present only from eggs brought home on nursery plants, have officially appeared as the result of a visiting female Pipevine Swallowtail. Sleepy Orange caterpillars have been munching on our Lindheimer’s Senna, but with all the other Sulphur butterflies fluttering about, I expect there will be more.

Snowberry Clearwing caterpillar on White Honeysuckle

Butterfly caterpillars aren’t the only ones in great numbers. Snowberry Clearwing caterpillars, complete with the “horns” consistent with their family, have been happily grazing on the White Honeysuckle Shrub. Lots of unnamed but equally welcome moth caterpillars have been seen in trees, on shrubs, on grasses, on veggies, and perennials. That means it should be a good food year for bats and owls and swallows and the like!

The Monarchs and Queens have returned, as have the Black Swallowtails, I report with relief. I’ll feel much better once I see Giant Swallowtails and Tigers again, along with other Swallowtail species of which I am quite fond. And I think we’ve all been impressed by the showing of Red Admirals this year! Painted Ladies, Buckeyes, Question Marks, Checkerspots, Gulf Fritillaries – oh the list goes on.

Downy Woodpecker collecting insects

Our Mama Eastern Screech Owl returned to our backyard, and last night I saw an owlet shyly peering down at me from its nesting box. Baby birds are starting to fledge right and left, and we’re watching parent birds teaching their young how to find food. The toads are singing their nightly mating calls. And today for the first time, I watched a Downy Woodpecker feed insects from an old limb to another Downy Woodpecker on a nearby branch. Cute as can be! It’s a good spring. Thank goodness!

A Visit to the Home of Lindheimer, Father of Texas Botany

Posted on May 3, 2012 by Meredith

In April I had the pleasure of speaking to the Comal Master Gardeners 2012 trainees about wildlife gardening, and it seemed like the perfect opportunity to include a visit to the Lindheimer Home and gardens in New Braunfels.
Ferdinand Lindheimer, an extraordinary naturalist and the first permanent-resident botanist of Texas, is particularly notable in part for his vast contributions in the collecting and categorizing of thousands of Texas native plants but also for his unique role in other aspects of Texas history. In fact, his skilled passion for Texas flora earned Lindheimer an honorary title, the “Father of Texas Botany.”

In preparation for writing this article, I drove downtown to the Austin History Center, which includes in its collection of archived books and documents one copy of the translated letters of Lindheimer to renowned botanist George Engelmann, enclosed in the book A Life Among the Texas Flora, by Minetta Altgelt Goyne (note: this is book is still in print and available for purchase). My goal was not to read the entire book that day but merely to get a feel for the passion behind Lindheimer’s plant collecting, as well as to take a closer look at his personal and family history.

Ferdinand Jacob Lindheimer was born on May 21, 1802 (some sources say 1801), in Frankfurt, Germany. Immigrating to the United States in 1834 during a time of political unrest in Germany, Lindheimer traveled first to Illinois and then to Mexico by way of New Orleans. For a short while, he worked on a couple of plantations in Mexico, collecting plants and insects in his spare time. Upon hearing about the Texas Revolution, however, he returned north to enlist in the army, missing the Battle of San Jacinto by a day. After completing his time in the army, Lindheimer farmed for a short while in the Houston area, all the while studying Texas plants and insects.

Silk Tassel, named after Lindheimer (Garrya ovata ssp. Lindheimeri), growing wild

Beginning in 1839, Lindheimer spent some time with George Engelmann, botanist at the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis, and Harvard botanist Asa Gray, eventually working out an arrangement to collect and send thousands of Texas floral specimens for categorization. This arrangement would last about nine years. Along with the specimens, Lindheimer wrote long detailed letters to Englemann, and much can be learned about Lindheimer, life and culture in the early settlement of Texas, and Texas’ valuable ecology and geography just by reading the translated letters.

Through Lindheimer’s letters, we learn of his fondness for sweet native grapes and how pecans and persimmons were regular food sources. We learn of different wildlife he encountered, his attention to physical fitness and health, his understanding of local Native American tribes, and just how many species of cacti and yucca there really are in Texas.
Often Lindheimer gave detailed accounts of the trials of travel or difficult bouts with illness, and finances were always a necessary topic to discuss with Engelmann, who paid Lindheimer for his plant collections. But sometimes, Lindheimer would add in the most interesting of comments, such as, “Dr. Koester’s medical treatments here are mostly unfortunate, often ghastly. Do let me know [through your contacts in] Frankfurt whether he is competent at all to practice even as a last resort.” [p. 117]

Texas Star (Lindheimera texana), growing wild

Sometimes Lindheimer’s descriptions of the Texas landscape were so poetic that I longed to have been a witness to the Texas that once was. In reference to the area that would become New Braunfels, Lindheimer wrote: “It is sufficient that we are at least here, where the streams flow crystal clear over the rocky beds. The fluid element gleams emerald green, and in its greater depths the fish rush back and forth visibly. Powerful springs cascade down from the rocky hills. They are probably subterranean brooks that have gathered in the caves of the limestone boulders and suddenly come to the surface. Forest, grazing land, and land for cultivated fields of the best quality are available. But what does that matter to me? Palmate yuccas, cactus, and mimosas and the fragrance and blossoms of them all, that’s for me. Here I have seen for the first time the total splendor of the prairies. Flower upon flower, richer than the richest Persian carpet….[p.112] If you are interested in Texas’ natural and cultural history, Goyne’s A Life Among the Texas Flora: Ferdinand Lindheimer’s Letters to George Engelmann is an excellent source of enlightenment.

When Prince Carl of Solms-Braunfels purchased Texas land for a German colony in 1844, Lindheimer served as a guide for the immigrants. He was deeded land in the new German settlement of New Braunfels and built his home on land overlooking the blue Comal River, and from there he continued his plant collecting, got married, and began his family. It is estimated that during his entire lifetime, Lindheimer collected between 80,000 and 100,000 specimens, many of which were discoveries of new species or sub-species.

Lindheimer was known for his mild voice but strong opinions. He was an active supporter of freedom and justice.

As a botanist, he was respected by many Native Americans, and in fact the fierce Kiowa chief Santanta was a regular visitor to Lindheimer’s home. (Note: On the wall in the front room of Lindheimer’s home one can see the painting above of Chief Santana by Ralph Wall; it was added to the home in 1980.)

For 20 years, Lindheimer served as the first editor of the Neu-Braunfelser Zeitung, a bilingual German-English newspaper that lasted more than a century. He published the newspaper from his house and included his own sometimes controversial writings. He was involved in local education and served as the county’s first Justice of the Peace. After his retirement, Lindheimer returned to his passion for Texas plants, until his death on December 2, 1879.

Today the Lindheimer Home is under the care of the New Braunfels Conservation Society. It has been restored to look much as it did during Lindheimer’s lifetime. John Turner, who gave us a tour of the Lindheimer home, was greatly involved in the restoration, which was completed in 1995.

Stucco covers three sides of the main building, with the remaining surface exposing the fachwerk, or half-timbering, technique employed by German settlers, with rocks or brick filling space between the timbers.

The house has a second-story loft, as well as a cellar, and a second building sits where the former outhouse had been.

Inside, one sees much of the original furniture used by Lindheimer and his family.

Original newspapers and plant specimens, as well as photographs and other items, are out on display. The image above is Lindheimer’s granddaughter Sida and her husband.

The Comal Master Gardeners do an exquisite job of maintaining pristine colorful gardens around the quaint Lindheimer house. The gardens are a combination of assorted Texas natives, popular favorites, and a selection of plants specifically named after Lindheimer.

Lindheimer Morning Glory (Ipomoea lindheimeri)

The most notable perhaps was the dainty but beautiful Lindheimer’s Morning Glory, freshly blooming just in time for my visit.

The Master Gardeners visiting with us said they hope to continue increasing the Lindheimer plants, especially those well suited for a garden (for not all of the Lindheimer plants would qualify as being ideal choices). After reading Lindheimer’s letters that accompanied his plant specimen shipments to Engelmann, I’d like to also suggest continuing to add native plant species that Lindheimer particularly loved collecting from the Texas wild – what fun it would be to research those! For it cannot be questioned that Lindheimer’s true passion was Texas flora, not just collecting it but experiencing adventure along the way.
But the Lindheimer garden is truly charming, and I commend the Master Gardeners for their dedication to creating such a lovely setting that is both an array of color and a tribute to Lindheimer. It is a garden that is a pleasure to stroll through. In fact, I was so delighted with the Lindheimer Morning Glory that I made sure to purchase one for my own garden at the Wildflower Center plant sale soon thereafter.

Today, many plant species (and one snake) bear the name Lindheimer in their scientific name. Depending on the source, there are at least 30 such species and possibly more than 40, but with taxonomic changes happening all the time, there is no way for me to confirm an accurate number. But after touring the Lindheimer Home and gardens and knowing that I intended to write this article, I decided to increase my personal collection of plants named for Lindheimer, and so far I am up to at least 7 (there might be others on the property):

· Silk Tassel (Garrya ovata ssp. lindheimeri)

· Lindheimer’s Senna (Senna lindheimeriana)

· Big Muhly (Muhlenbergia lindheimeri)

· Lindheimer’s Morning Glory (Ipomoea lindheimeri)

· Lindheimer’s Beebalm (Monarda lindheimeri)

· Texas Star (Lindheimera texana)

· Devil’s Shoestring (Nolina lindheimeriana)

I’m technically not counting Evergreen Sumac (Rhus virens Lindheimer ex Gray), but some people do — in any case, I have it. With luck, someday I’ll be growing again White Gaura (Gaura lindheimeri), which succumbed to drought, and perhaps I’ll be able to add Balsam Gourd (Ibervillea lindheimeri), Woolly Ironweed (Vernonia lindheimeri), and others to the list.

Thank you to John Turner of the New Braunfels Conservation Society and to the Comal Master Gardeners for sharing a moment in time with Lindheimer with me. The friendliness of my tour guides, my love of Texas botany, and my being a former resident of New Braunfels made my visit just like coming home. Plus I had a great time speaking to the 2012 Master Gardener class. On the way home, I viewed wildflowers in the Texas Hill Country. What a great day!

Note: If you are wanting to visit the Lindheimer Home, you’ll need to contact New Braunfels Conservation Society in advance to arrange a tour. In fact, I hear that the entire NBCS Conservation Plaza is a must-see, and it is a must-see I must see on my next visit!