The Rest of the Big Bend Trip

I have a few more things to share with you about our trip to Big Bend in February. The last installment about the trip ("The Big Bend Trip Continues," April 27, 2026) ended with our tour and our attempt at taking pictures of the stars. The tour was great; our star...

The Big Bend Trip Continues

I told you about the trip AJ, Erin, Ben, and I took to Big Bend National Park the other day, "The Big Bend Trip," February 22, 2026. I took so many pictures, and the park is so massive, I didn't want to cram it all into one story, so here is some more about the trip....

Echinopsis Hertrichiana has Beautiful flowers.

I ordered my Echinopsis hertrichiana from Huntington Gardens in 2020. It sort of sat the first couple of years, didn't grow much, finally bloomed a couple of years ago. The last few years it has happily made babies, grown, and bloomed. I took one of the babies off and...

The Big Bend Trip

AJ and I decided it was time for us to visit Big Bend. Neither of us had been there, so I talked to a ranger, made motel reservations, booked a Jeep tour, and it was a done deal. Due to AJ's work schedules and other considerations, we decided to go in the dark of the...

Some Bright Spots in the Greenhouse

Some succulent plants have their growing seasons in our summers, and some have them in our winters, depending on the climates and environments of the geographical locations in which they are indigenous or native. Many sedums are in their growing and blooming seasons...

Ariocarpus Bloom in the Fall

I have fourteen ariocarpus plants, the oldest going back to 2012.. I can remember losing two along the way, but the ones I have now are doing well. Nine of them have bloomed this fall, three have bloomed twice, and it has been fun to go into the greenhouse and be...

This is What Dichotomous Branching Looks Like

Mammillaria nejapesis is a pretty little cacti native to the Oaxaco region of Mexico. It is a bit different from other cacti in that it is prone to do something called dichotomous branching. I have two of them, and both have branched and are blooming on their...

The Melocactus are Developing their Tops

I've told you about my melocactus before, but more is happening with them all of a sudden, and I am having fun watching them bloom and develop their cephalium. These cacti, native to Brazil and the Caribbean, are distinctive because of the cephalium that grows from...

The Alpine Wildlife Weekend

The city of Alpine, Texas, hosted what they called  Wildlife Weekend: Bats, Bears, Bighorns back in January. I am a bit late in telling you about it, but it is worth a story, late or not. On Friday, January 31, I drove to Alpine which took me through Seminole and...