The TACSS Fall Seminar Finally Happened

When the pandemic hit in 2020 and the Austin Cactus and Succulent Society was to be the host club for the Texas Association of Cactus and Succulent Societies, or TACSS as we all refer to it, the event had to be put on hold till the world got well. So after several...

The Praying Mantis Claims this Bush as Its Home

As I was watering the rock rose the other day, Pavonia lasiopetala, something moved in the bush. Imagine my surprise, and delight, to see I was being frowned upon by an indignant praying mantis who didn’t appreciate me disturbing his home! Praying mantis are in the...

Don’t Bring that Prickly Pear in the House!

I received an email from a magazine with an article about using certain succulents for house plants. From the beginning I questioned most of the choices, and eventually the article suggested prickly pear as a house plant. Whaaaat? Are they serious? That’s a terrible...

Learn Those Plants’ Names!

The second of those three college-worthy lessons presented by Rob Wallace, professor at Iowa State University, at the Mid-States Cactus and Succulent Conference was about plant taxonomy, and since I have found that many people don’t  pay much attention to their...