Oh, Horntoad, that Stachys floridans is lovely! Is it mildly aggressive? I grow S. drummondii and it tries to take over, but the bees love it, so I do too.

Yes they can be aggressive, but the bees do love them. As an added bonus, the roots are edible, they taste like a mild radish.

floridana.....I really do need to get my eyes checked.

I had no idea about the roots being edible! That's interesting. I'm going to look for a start of this plant because I'd like to add it to my Bee Garden!
Thanks for the tip!

Aggressive you ask? Have a look.

Stachys floridana



I must say they put on a gorgeous show early when little else is blooming. It looks like a lavender carpet all over the property. They will disappear in a month or two & you won't see them again until next year.

Oh my, Ann, that's quite a crop! Do YOU eat the roots?

I haven't but I might. Let's just say that I know if things get really tough I can go dig up food from my yard.
I will get around to trying them one day in the hopefully not so distant future. I have some food issues I'm working through at present so don't want to throw anything into the mix that might skew the results.

I hope they taste like kohlrabi! I just love that stuff!

Kohlrabi is good!

I recently read that you can eat sow thistle. That will come in handy if we ever have an EMP event because I've got tons of the stuff!

I just read a book on Kindle with that theme (EMP).

The Indian Blankets are starting to do their thing! I'm fascinated by how many different forms the flowers can take. From a distance they look the same. But up close, each one seems to have a different personality. Maybe they're hybridizing? This field took a while to get going; but once it happened, it's been going on for years. They make me happy!

Those are excellent pics of a very mutable subject.

Thanks, jmorth. Sometimes I think of them as the "zombie" gaillardias.

Oh Char, I love it! I love it! I love it! Excellent job on that field!
Gaillardias really are happy flowers. It's hard not to smile when looking at them.

Those are really wonderful, I love the Indian blanket.

Great pictures! I will have to look more closely at our Indian Blankets.

One of my favorite Texas wildflowers has an unfortunate common name: Cowpen Daisy, which probably makes some people envision feed lots and cow patties, and clouds of buzzing flies. When in truth, Verbesina enceliodes or Golden Crownbeard got the unattractive moniker because it grows in disturbed soils found in pastures and prairies. It is common here on the Edward's Plateau. It's the perfect plant for this area: easy to grow, heat and drought tolerant, long blooming, great nectar source for bees and butterflies, and larval host for Bordered Patch, Silvery Checkerspot and Gold Moth (although I've never seen those last two). Sources claim the plant was used by Indians and early settlers to treat spider bites. I have no way to confirm that. Another source called Cowpen Daisy an "intruder". Granted, it does produce a lot of seed and tends to self-sow; my neighbor might agree with that description as I've noticed some of mine have jumped the fence and are happily thriving in his back pasture. Hopefully he'll like them. Another research article stated that Cowpen Daisies are resistant to grazing because they contain the chemical galegine, which is poisonous to animals like sheep and goats. Maybe so, but it doesn't keep the deer from nibbling on mine. But then, deer will eat just about anything.

I think they are beautiful! I have added them to my list of seed to get.

Yes, Cowpen daisy is a wonderful plant, and I love it too.

When the prickly pear cactus start to bloom, the Pollen Party really gets into high gear!

it is good to see those pollinators active and happy, we surely need them to do their wonderful work for us.