Outdoor
Milkweed Feasting More than You Realize
By Norman Winter, Horticulturist, Author and Speaker
North Texas Farm and
Ranch owners most likely
are aware that milkweeds
are the lifeblood of Monarch
butterflies and their cousins the Queen and Soldier are mostly found in central and south Texas.
They are not just important as a larval food source but also as a vital nectar source to other pollinators including hummingbirds.
We love milkweeds because they are extraordinarily beautiful and intricate in their design, making them great plants for the landscape or the backyard wildlife habitat, but if you stop and pay attention, however, you’ll notice milkweeds are like the “pollinator luncheon junction” for an assortment of butterflies. Right now in the hill country of Texas not too far from San Marcos, Wimberley and Dripping Springs, you’ll find the Antelope Horn milkweeds (Asclepias asperula) blooming everywhere.
To read more pick up a copy of the May 2019 NTFR issue. To subscribe call 940-872-5922.
By: Jelly Cocanougher
Delicate microbes buried just beneath the surface. We walk by them, unbeknownst to us. Spores, spawn, and sclerotia, each with distinct characteristics. It is said that these fungi are all connected, speaking to one another as they populate the earth. The interconnectedness of all living things and the decaying world, such beauty lies within these otherworldly alien organisms.
By: Landon Moore
Landon Moore is the Wise County 4-H President and a member of the Wise County 4-H County Council. He is involved in beekeeping, as well as raising rabbits and poultry.
This essay was one that he wrote, and it was named the champion for both the Texas and National chapters of the Foundation For The Preservation of Honey Bees.
Varietal honey is honey that comes from a single source.
This honey has a flavor derived from the source flower and can even have a similar scent. In general, lighter colored honeys have a more subtle taste and dark honeys are more intense. Varietal honey has been compared to wine, in that honeys produced in different years can be distinguished, even if they come from the same flower and location.
This phenomenon is called terroir and is responsible for the individual taste of each honey harvest.
To read more, pick up a copy of the October edition of North Texas Farm & Ranch magazine, available digitally and in print. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
By: Norman Winter | Horticulturist, Author, Speaker
Early in the summer, I was sent a press release that caused one of those holy wow moments. The headline said it all, “Proven Winners ColorChoice Expands Catalog with the Addition of Hollywood Hibiscus.”
I had already become familiar with the Hollywood Hibiscus series and was thrilled that the Proven Winners was adding this to their lineup.
This flower is nothing short of beautiful and exhibits prolific flower production. The flowers show three distinct colors, deep red in the very center, then the majority which is a rich rose pink with lighter pink to white along the margins.
To read more, pick up a copy of the October edition of North Texas Farm & Ranch magazine, available digitally and in print. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
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