Easter Lilies and Eggs

Copyright © 2007-2009. Suburban Wildlife Garden. All Rights Reserved.

I hope those of you who celebrate Easter had a very happy day. I'm enjoying the fragrance of the Easter Lily (Lilium longiflorum) on our breakfast table this year. I was wondering if I could plant it in my garden, so I checked and saw the MSS at Zanthan Gardens has written a great deal of information about the lily here. Edit: MSS points out that her entry is actually about "LA hybrids, which are Longiflorum lilies (like the Easter lily) crossed with Asiatic lilies. This hybrid is more hardy in the garden. It does not, however (like the Asiatics) have a scent." Thanks MSS!

The day before Easter, my son and I dyed 8 hardboiled eggs using a PAAS kit. I read the PAAS site and learned that the company has been around for 125 years! PAAS is short for Passen, the Pennsylvania Dutch word for "Easter".

Our dyed eggs turned out pretty well; though a couple were a bit spotty...

Our friends in Scotland sent my son a lovely box of Easter treasures which I put in the basket on the right in the photo below. The rest of the bounty was from our local U.S. Easter Bunny...

My garden surprise this morning was a visit from a uniquely dark Texas Spiny Lizard. I'd never seen one this dark before. Not sure if it's his natural coloring or if he's darker when he's feeling cooler.

Happy Easter!


"I think of the garden after the rain; And hope to my heart comes singing,
'At morn the cherry-blooms will be white,
And the Easter bells be ringing!'" ~Edna Dean Procter, Easter Bells

Copyright © 2007-2009. Suburban Wildlife Garden. All Rights Reserved.

Here be Dragons

Copyright © 2007-2009. Suburban Wildlife Garden. All Rights Reserved.

Well, not dragons exactly, but lizards of respectable size. One frequent visitor to my garden is this Texas Spiny Lizard (Sceloporus olivaceus).


He's a bit longer and plumper around the belly than the anoles that I was accustomed to seeing in Florida. These Texas Spiny Lizards are much faster moving as well. Once I shot the photo below he panicked and took off so quickly I lost him in the bushes.

The weather has been very mild here for Central Texas this time of year. We've had a lot of rain, which I love. Hopefully the Edwards Aquifer and Lake Travis will fill up nicely.

Now that I'm feeling better I'm taking walks again. I've enjoyed the purple blooms of the Vitex (Vitex agnus-castus) trees in my neighborhood.

I'd plant a vitex, but seem to recall someone telling me they are invasive. Must look that up. I'd prefer to add more native plants to my property that will attract the local birds, mammals and even more lizards like my little friend above.

Somehow all this lizard talk makes me think of that silly bumper-sticker..."Meddle not in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy, and taste good with ketchup."

Great Animated Cartoon Postcards

Copyright © 2007-2009. Suburban Wildlife Garden. All Rights Reserved.