http://seeds.sunriseruby.org The Nature & Garden Journal of a Mama in Austin, TX Sun, 05 Sep 2010 19:17:11 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Green June Beetles (Cotinis nitida) have been whizzing over the open spot in our backyard in large numbers this weekend. Nathan took this excellent photo. We IDed the beetle on BugGuide.Net. The beetles came out around 1 pm this afternoon and yesterday afternoon and have stayed out for the warmest part of the ... http://seeds.sunriseruby.org/?p=197 This morning it was cooler outside than in, and the whole Seeds family spent the morning in the backyard.  This will be our first full Fall in this space.  It was about this time last year when I first fell in love with our shady yard's cedar elms and live ... http://seeds.sunriseruby.org/?p=191 Near our new neighborhood, at the corner of Duval Road and Amherst Drive, is the designated wildflower area at Balcones District Park.  I drive past it almost daily.  Yesterday afternoon was sunny and clear, with a temp of more than 80 degrees, and I enjoyed a rare solitary afternoon there ... http://seeds.sunriseruby.org/?p=161 Six months since my last post, and now we have a new garden.  Last October we moved from North Central Austin to Northwest Austin, just south of Duval Road. We moved in search of more space for our growing family and better schools.  We're also within a bike ride's distance ... http://seeds.sunriseruby.org/?p=159 We suffered through a summer with record high temps and one of the worst droughts in Austin's history, and now in the early days of fall we're being rewarded with frequent cool rains.  It rained most of the day yesterday, and by the time I stepped outside yesterday evening, everything ... http://seeds.sunriseruby.org/?p=154 Carrots, which we quickly devoured right after harvesting: and beets, which I'll likely steam with a little salt and pepper, oh yum. Plenty of chard and kale to harvest now, too. http://seeds.sunriseruby.org/?p=148 Last weekend Nathan, my father-in-law and I toured a few of the coops on the first Austin Funky Chicken Coop Tour.  Here are a few photos from the last coop we toured, on Justin Lane in the Crestview neighborhood, just a little south of our house. After seeing the coops on ... http://seeds.sunriseruby.org/?p=139 Our most recent project, a new circular bed in the back yard: The circular design is inspired in part by recent posts on Digging and The Grackle.  The stones for the limestone border are from the cemetery on Hancock Drive.  They dig up a lot of the stuff there at the ... http://seeds.sunriseruby.org/?p=137 In the garden this morning veggies are growing: Detroit Dark Red beets Calabrese broccoli, Dinosaur kale, Red Core Chantenay carrots, and Ruby chard. The redbud tree is blooming, the apple tree is blooming, the loquats are ripening, and the figs are all leafing out. Here's hoping for rain soon, water to sustain this early spring burst. http://seeds.sunriseruby.org/?p=136 I'm thrilled that a few of you are still reading after my nearly four-month hiatus.  I didn't do any gardening or garden blogging from October through December, since those were the last three months of my second pregnancy.  I was on a kind of modified activity for the last trimester ... http://seeds.sunriseruby.org/?p=128