Spring Is Here!

When Q and I left for Florida in mid-March, Dallas was cold, gray, and rainy. When we returned from Florida, Dallas was cold, gray, and rainy . . . but it was also green.

One of Q’s friends gave him an owl house. We put it up too late in the season last year to attract any screech owls, but early last spring a male starling tried to tempt a female into nesting there with him. It didn’t work, and the owl house remained empty.

This year we have residents.

Two squirrels snuggling together in a bird box in Dallas, TX

Hey, those aren’t birds!

The squirrels are actually pretty cute to watch. Sometimes they peek out of the hole, like they are doing in the picture, but occasionally one of them will be hanging halfway out of the hole, just chilling.

I brought back a bunch of plants with me from Florida and spent a few days potting them up. While I was working, I kept noticing Carolina wrens flitting about on the ground near me.

I see Carolina wrens every day in the backyard, although they are most active at dusk.

Carolina wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus) poses on a stick in Dallas, TX

Carolina wren in the backyard in 2014.

These wrens were out in the middle of the afternoon, and they were tolerating me being fairly close to them. I assumed they were building a nest, but I didn’t know where the nest was located.

Until I saw them flying into the grill.

Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus) peeks its head out of a grill where it is building a nest in Dallas, TX

Hi. This is mine now.

Sure enough, two Carolina wrens were gathering nesting material and depositing it inside the grill. They worked tirelessly for a few days.

Carolina wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus) arrives at a nest inside of a grill with nesting material in Dallas, TX[

Carolina wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus) arrives at a nest inside of a grill with nesting material in Dallas, TX

Carolina wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus) pauses before flying away to look for nesting materials in Dallas, TX

Carolina wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus) holds a piece of nesting material in Dallas, TX

Carolina wrens are infamous for building nests in odd, human-associated places. When I lived in Florida, I watched Carolina wrens build a nest in an open carton of Epsom salts. A pair raised young in an ornamental wreath on my mom’s front door. An old friend ended up with a Carolina wren’s nest inside his garage. Unfortunately, I think the Carolina wrens may have abandoned the nest in the grill. I haven’t seen a bird flying into or out of it since the wrens built the nest. Neither Q nor I have disturbed the grill in case the birds are using it.

A few other backyard birds have posed for me.

Male Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) on a pecan branch in Dallas, TX

Downy woodpecker (Picoides pubescens) scales up a tree in Dallas, TX

The cardinals have learned to get seeds directly from the bird feeder instead of grubbing on the ground below it. Typically the female flies to the feeder first and eats some while the male keeps watch nearby. Then the male hops on another perch on the feeder next to her. Last year I frequently saw downy woodpeckers flying onto the feeder and taking seeds, but that hasn’t happened yet this year.

The best part of spring is watching all the plants start to grow again.

Emerging grape (Vitus) leaves in Dallas, TX

New leaves unfurling on a grapevine.

I have four different rabbiteye blueberry plants. Because the soil here is alkaline clay, I have to grow the blueberries in large pots with acid soil.

Blueberry blossoms (Vaccinium ashei) in Dallas, TX

Blueberry blossoms.

In 2002 I started growing a key lime from seed. I had read online that certain citrus fruits come true-to-type if grown from seed—no grafting needed for edible fruit. That plant is now a tree called Big Ouch. She is almost twelve feet tall, and in the past few years, could be counted on for at least a hundred key limes each season. I have air-layered and detached fruiting branches from her to start new trees, called Ouchlettes. The oldest Ouchlette is almost as tall as Big Ouch herself, although not as wide.

Key limes are the least hardy of the citrus plants I grow. Q used to carry them in and out of the house or the shed to protect them from cold weather, but Big Ouch got too large and heavy. Not only was she too large, but because she was seed grown, she was extremely thorny. Q designed makeshift greenhouses that he erects every fall and disassembles every spring to protect the citrus trees and other tender plants from cold weather.

Key lime (Citrus aurantifolia) blossoms in Dallas, TX

Flowering blossoms on key lime branches.

Orange blossoms on an Everhard navel orange tree in Dallas, TX

Orange blossoms.

Peach blossoms on a "Harvester" peach tree in Dallas, TX

Peach blossoms on the Harvester tree.

Flowering plants mean bees and bugs.

This next bug was one that I learned about in a painful manner. A couple of years ago I was deadheading an old rose blossom with my fingers. Suddenly I felt a sharp, horrible pain in my finger. The sharpness of the pain quickly dulled, but the sensation of pain became stronger. It didn’t feel like a scorpion sting or any insect, bug, or spider bite I’d ever had.

Only when I was hurt again a few months later and managed to capture the bug was I able to identify the culprit. It was an assassin bug.

Assassin bug (Zelus luridus) on a citrus leaf in Dallas, TX

That is such an inflammatory name. I prefer “bug with stabby bits that doesn’t mind using them.”

It uses a beak that it keeps folded underneath its head to stab its prey. Human fingers that are deadheading a rose or pulling weeds are apparently considered to be prey.

Carpenter bee (Xylocopa tabaniformis) on a citrus blossom in Dallas, TX

I won’t sting you, pelicansrulegullsdrool!

Carpenter bees, honeybees, and mason bees were all over the citrus blooms.

Carpenter bee (Xylocopa tabaniformis) on a citrus blossom in Dallas, TX

Good stuff, gimme some of that good stuff.

Carpenter bee (Xylocopa tabaniformis) on a citrus blossom in Dallas, TX

Carpenter bee (Xylocopa tabaniformis) on a citrus blossom in Dallas, TX

Carpenter bee (Xylocopa tabaniformis) on a citrus blossom in Dallas, TX

Honeybee plundering a peach blossom for pollen in Dallas, TX

The next bee is one of my favorites. It’s a blue orchard mason bee. Last year I only saw it in the spring when the citrus flowers were blooming. I’m a little luckier this year; I’ve seen a couple of them hanging around the “Maggie” rose bush. They are leafcutter bees, and they really like rose leaves.

Blue orchard mason bee (Osmia lignaria) pauses on a citrus leaf in Dallas, TX

And I’m a bright, sparkly blue!

The wasps are hanging out, too.

Wasp (Polistes bellicosus) investigating a peach blossom in Dallas, TX

Wasp (Polistes bellicosus) cleaning itself in Dallas, TX

Last year I became intrigued with flies. Q was grossed out: “They’re ugly, and they spread disease,” he said. But he had never seen a Promachus robberfly when he said that, and I had.

Robberfly (Promachus species) at White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX

Seriously, this fly is awesome.

Late last summer when birding was boring and I started watching more bugs, I saw all sorts of different flies. Some of them were mimics, which are my favorites, but they were all fascinating. A few interesting flies have already stopped by this spring.

Syrphid fly (Somula decora) resting on a citrus leaf in Dallas, TX

Syrphid fly (Somula decora) resting on a citrus leaf in Dallas, TX

Unidentified fly on a "Maggie" rose bloom in Dallas, TX

I don’t know what kind of fly this is. Any ideas?

I have always had a soft spot for the next fly because I think it resembles an ant.

Picture-winged fly (Delphinia picta) on a "Maggie" rose leaf in Dallas, TX

The Carolina anoles have returned.

Carolina anole (Anolis carolinensis) relaxing in Dallas, TX

Carolina anole (Anolis carolinensis) relaxing in Dallas, TX

Dragonflies and damselflies are re-emerging. I was surprised to see this damselfly hanging out with honeybees among the blooming arugula. If anyone reading is interested in cultivating plants that attract bees, plant some arugula in the winter. Bees love the flowers, and you will get tons of seed.

Unidentified damselfly (possibly spreadwing) clings to an arugula bloom in Dallas, TX

Digging and turning over leaves and rocks sometimes reveals rough earth snakes. The first time Q and I encountered one, we thought it was a baby snake because it was so small. Eventually Q wrote to a herpetologist who identified the snake as an adult rough earth snake. Adults are typically 7-10 inches long.

Rough earth snake (Virginia striatula) in Dallas, TX

They live in a ho-ho-ho-ho-hole (tiny hole), which is usually empty.

The nicest backyard visit thus far this spring has been from the giant swallowtail butterfly. Giant swallowtails often visit the backyard because they lay their eggs on citrus leaves. One has to be lucky to see them; they only hang around for a few minutes before floating away. This butterfly was only interested in the citrus blossoms.

Giant swallowtail butterfly (Papilio cresphontes) drinking nectar from citrus blooms in Dallas, TX

Giant swallowtail butterfly (Papilio cresphontes) drinking nectar from citrus blooms in Dallas, TX

Giant swallowtail butterfly (Papilio cresphontes) drinking nectar from citrus blooms in Dallas, TX

Giant swallowtail butterfly (Papilio cresphontes) drinking nectar from citrus blooms in Dallas, TX

Giant swallowtail butterfly (Papilio cresphontes) drinking nectar from citrus blooms in Dallas, TX

Giant swallowtail butterfly (Papilio cresphontes) drinking nectar from citrus blooms in Dallas, TX

Coming soon: Q and I had some good birding experiences in Florida, and the rookery at UT Southwestern is currently hopping with great egrets.