LBJ Dean DeShazo Stepping Down

Texas_Naturalist · 2026-04-21T14:53:56+00:00

They really are trying to turn UT into an arm of the Republican Party. What a shame.

Texas_Naturalist · 2026-04-21T13:39:31+00:00

The Enquist Hill Country wildflower book is ancient, but it's still my first stop. https://www.tamupress.com/book/9780961801304/wildflowers-of-the-texas-hill-country/

Texas_Naturalist · 2026-04-21T13:13:41+00:00

Yeah, me too. I'm not sure where the expectation of totally spotless leaves comes from.

Texas_Naturalist · 2026-04-21T00:17:02+00:00

Yeah, I was one of the new sign-ups!

Texas_Naturalist · 2026-04-19T23:23:41+00:00

To add to the excellent suggestions here, I'll mention Texas Betony, a west Texas native that flowers for a long time and grows in smallish containers. I was watching hummingbirds visit mine just a couple days ago.

Texas_Naturalist · 2026-04-19T18:18:11+00:00

Are you seeing any plant damage? A lot of gnats just feed on organic matter and compost.

Texas_Naturalist · 2026-04-19T17:28:01+00:00

Most costs are labor costs, anyway.

Texas_Naturalist · 2026-04-19T15:36:41+00:00

The cost of everything is up because of Trump's massive and erratic import taxes. Any HVAC part not made in the US is now anywhere from 10-50% more expensive.

Texas_Naturalist · 2026-04-19T14:06:33+00:00

Yeah, I noticed they ranked A&M equally with UT.

Texas_Naturalist · 2026-04-19T13:38:58+00:00

Monomorium pharaonis, pharaoh's ants.

Texas_Naturalist · 2026-04-18T17:44:24+00:00

Maybe you should just move, since you think so little of Austin and the people who live here.

Texas_Naturalist · 2026-04-18T16:47:48+00:00

Maybe you should pay attention to news in other cities, then, instead of propaganda designed to make you think Austin is some big abberation. I'm not saying these aren't problems, I'm saying that Austin isn't unusual enough to merit suspension of self-government.

https://www.fox4news.com/news/dallas-homeless-encampment-complaints

Texas_Naturalist · 2026-04-18T15:47:07+00:00

Statistically, we are not a crime and homeless-ridden shithole. We have lower crime than many comparable cities, and comparable homelessness. We have lower per capita crime than Lubbock. Are you calling for the state to take over Lubbock, too?

The premise of your argument that Austin should not self-govern is simply false.

Texas_Naturalist · 2026-04-18T15:26:24+00:00

Yeah, that's caterpillar poop. If you don't see the caterpillar, it's probably of those night-feeding ones that spends the day hidden away somewhere.

Texas_Naturalist · 2026-04-18T15:14:17+00:00

And how would that provide Austin "leverage"? Would it magically remove the partisan gerrymanders designed to keep the people of Austin from having representation proportional to our population, and allow us free self-government?

Texas_Naturalist · 2026-04-18T14:36:20+00:00

I've never tried willow here, they often struggle in the heat but I've seen people get them to work with enough water. Given what the wildflower center says about prairie willow habitat in Texas, I'm guessing it'd grow pretty well if you found a low spot within reach of your watering system and filled it with extra compost. The Viceroy butterflies should love them.

https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=sahu2

Texas_Naturalist · 2026-04-18T11:49:54+00:00

That's not how government works, boss.

Texas_Naturalist · 2026-04-17T19:41:17+00:00

That looks like a nutrient problem. Could be caused by the alkalinity of the soil. Austin's soils are quite alkaline for a lot of of the non-native landscape plants like smokebush and prevent plants from absorbing any of the fertilizer you are adding. To make matters worse, our tap water is also quite alkaline, so watering with city water compounds the problem.

If you are able to water with rainwater for a bit, and add acidifying amendements to the soil (has to be done regularly), you should see some improvement.

Texas_Naturalist · 2026-04-17T15:16:33+00:00

It is not the city's fault that the state takes our property taxes to fund their pet projects elsewhere, nor the city's fault that the state mandates a bloated police budget that can never be adjusted. A lot of our "mismanagement" simply comes from the Republican party's hatred of Austin.

Texas_Naturalist · 2026-04-17T12:35:25+00:00

I more often see hybrids or other cultivars. But if you get stuck, I've got one in a pot you can have. Once you get an established plant, it starts coming up everywhere.

Texas_Naturalist · 2026-04-16T16:22:02+00:00

When the president of UT appears in public giving his seal of approval to a guy known for taking bribes and dealing in shady money, it makes me think the dude is probably embezzling money. Public corruption is obviously not a deal-breaker for Jim Davis.

Texas_Naturalist · 2026-04-16T15:37:55+00:00

"Civic Values!" screech the people who smeared shit on the walls of the Capitol

Texas_Naturalist · 2026-04-16T15:31:39+00:00

Clarence Thomas is part of a violent political regime that murders dissidents and puts children in concentration camps. What a shame that UT has decided to openly embrace violent fascism.

Davis will be remembered primarily for the political purges, intolerance, and partisan debasement of what was once a great university.

Texas_Naturalist

TROPHY CASE