A stunning Mountain sage. Likes dry, hot areas and blooms in fall. The plant is loved by hummingbirds but they left for Mexico before this thing was blooming. Sad to say – they missed out. Mine is only 3 feet tall, but that is because of the crappy soil I have it in and the fact that we had very little rain this year. Hopefully with some tender loving care it will grow bigger next year. More rain would be nice too!!

Mexican bush sage – part of the Mint family:

Mexican Bush sage

Isn’t it pretty?  Grows in dry sunny places and flowers mostly in fall. Mine blessed me with flowers all summer long, but after the rain it just exploded. It’s hardy in zone 8, but I am not sure if it will survive a cold winter here so I’m taking pictures to remember it by.

Glorious Texas sage in bloom. It typically only blooms when a low pressure system comes through. The bees love it! I have 3 Texas sages. The other 2 have been blooming when a low comes around, which was about 3 times this summer. This lazy Texas sage decided that this last rain was the one to do a “all or nothing for” – and here he is in all his glory for the first time. And the bees are buzzing around….

Can you spot the Lynx spider in the Zinnia?

With the big rain we had today (about 3 inches) and the trace amounts we got a week earlier our tanks are now filled with 4500 gallons of water. I am so impressed! Plus I have more water stored in my tubs which I placed on the other side of the house (which we did not gutter yet) and that is worth another 100 gallons or so. I will be watering with rain water for quite some time to come.

So what does a very beautiful, chilly morning (for Texas, 53 degrees) bring to me? A spectacular site of a committee of vultures roosting in a huge dead tree. They all had their backs facing east so that they could absorb as much warmth from the sun on their black backs as possible. Incredible! Some even had they’re wings spread open to provide even more surface area to heat up.  They must have been the chilly ones. I would not have noticed this spectacular site had it not been for 3 deer browsing in my perennial garden. Or more correctly – what’s left of my perennial garden! (It’s been a tough drought.) I was chasing the deer off into the ranch at the back of my property when I looked up, and there they were! All hanging out in the vulture motel. The picture doesn’t do it justice, but the site took my breath away.

I have great respect for vultures. They are such an important part of the ecosystem. They break down, digest and transform carrion into a form that can be used by bugs and the earth to ultimately recreate life. They eat what few other animals will and in so doing aid in the continuous recycling process of the earth. They are the cleanup crew. They are also one of the few animals actually doing well at the moment due to the high death rate of all the other wildlife. Such is life though. One man’s death is another man’s bread.

How hot is it in Central Texas? So hot that a Cooper’s Hawk will sit IN the water fountain for 20 minutes right by the back porch. And after taking several swigs of water and a relieving poop he’s off.

It was a lovely, hot (102 degree) afternoon. I was looking out the window wondering where all the birds had gone to. Usually we have at least 15 or so flitting around in the brush, flowers, or in the water fountain. There was nothing. Then I took a glance around to the water fountain and saw the reason why:  A lovely (apparently overheated and thirsty) hawk was wading in the fountain. It was amusing to watch the other birds yelling at him to move on from very safe distances! And then they all came back after he left. Right back into the bird bath and the thistle feeder. No time to waste – hurry hurry!

Hmmm... Is it deep enough for me to dive in? Is that a bug in there??

Ahhh that feels so cool on my hot toes.....