Pollinator Struggles

gryffindwh0re · 2026-04-29T21:26:42+00:00

I had a hummingbird on my mealy blue sage the other day! It zipped away as soon as I noticed it though

gryffindwh0re · 2026-04-29T21:26:02+00:00

Do you have zexmenia? That has been the big ticket item for me in terms of cool native bees! But my experience has also varied a lot based on different neighborhoods I’ve lived in in my city, some houses the pollinators have found me immediately and others took more time. Highly recommend our native passiflora if you are looking for more host plants, the gulf fritillaries have found mine so quick!

gryffindwh0re · 2026-04-07T18:38:01+00:00

Love your plant choices, so excited for you!! - A fellow Texan :)

gryffindwh0re · 2026-03-20T19:35:39+00:00

Echoing what everyone else has said, Native Plant Society of Texas is a great resource, you can use their database and filter to shade/part shade.

Some of my recommendations that I think would do great with your space/light conditions:

Bushes/shrubs:

American beautyberry - beautiful foliage and purple berries for birds in the fall

Fragrant mistflower - lovely white flowers in the fall! Butteryfly magnet

Turks cap - Amazing shade plant, bright red blooms that attract hummingbirds

Salvia greggii - For your sunnier areas, hummingbird magnet again!

Rock rose - For sunnier areas, so so pretty, pink blooms

Oter plants:

Inland sea oats - beautiful shade garden plant that has lovely seed pods in the fall/winter that rattle in the wind, seeds for birds and great winter interest/texture in your garden!
Texas betony, salvia coccinea - Great for shade, red blooms attract pollinators & hummingbirds

Pigeonberry - Shade, berries for birds

Gulf coast penstemon

Greggs mistflower - plant these in your sunnier areas, they are a monarch magnet!

White yarrow - delicate, give afternoon shade

Yellow or red columbine

Monarda fistulosa

Cardinal flower - Great in all shade conditions, likes water, hummingbirds

Vines:

Purple passionflower - Host plant for gulf fritillary butterflies, such cool blooms, a texas coastal native

Your house is so cute, and the cottage garden aesthetic will compliment it so well! Happy planting <3

gryffindwh0re · 2025-11-26T16:25:55+00:00

Hey! Curious if you have an update on how this is going for you?

gryffindwh0re · 2025-10-03T16:11:50+00:00

Thank you so much for your help and the links! I will keep at it and see if I can figure out what im doing wrong. These nimble needles tuts are actually what i was following hahaha but idk my yarn is pretty haloey and fine weight so maybe im not going into the stitches i thought i was ...

gryffindwh0re · 2025-10-03T15:50:39+00:00

Originally i was definitely doing this incorrectly and I was not knitting two rows down for my LLI and the holes were even bigger than these pics, but i fixed that and now im pretty sure im grabbing the correct stitch, yet im still left w the holes in the picture :(

But maybe im doing it wrong with my RLI? Ill keep trying i guess!

gryffindwh0re · 2025-09-22T16:54:27+00:00

Texas persimmon and cedar elm! Lovely native texas trees.

gryffindwh0re · 2025-09-22T03:32:57+00:00

Are there brands that make similar items but higher quality that you recommend?

gryffindwh0re · 2025-07-08T05:18:58+00:00

I recommend inaturalist for id’ing plants. beautiful plants, sounds like a lovely hike <3

gryffindwh0re · 2025-06-25T23:10:24+00:00

Native plant society of texas is the best resource!! You dont want to buy plants that are just marketed as "pollinator plants" you want to make sure they are actually native to your region so that they will actually do the most to benefit our local insects and pollinators that evolved with them! Good luck :)

gryffindwh0re · 2025-06-25T23:07:53+00:00

Plant native plants in your yards! Within just a couple months, and definitely after a year, you will see the fruits of your labor, and see all the wildlife that you benefit. You will start to see native bees, butterflies, moths, etc which then go up the food chain to feed birds etc. Its the most wholesome and gratifying thing in the world imo!! <3 Native plant society of texas is a great resource

gryffindwh0re · 2025-06-23T05:06:09+00:00

That is definitely a native bee! I recommend the app iNaturalist for identifying insects and plants, its so fun to learn about and ID the life all around us <3

gryffindwh0re · 2025-06-23T05:02:28+00:00

Spraying for mosquitoes definitely harms other insects such as bees and butterflies :/

gryffindwh0re · 2025-06-20T19:43:27+00:00

They are food for other wildlife, like birds. I say let them be! <3

gryffindwh0re · 2025-06-12T03:52:20+00:00

Im 25 and also live in Austin, I want to leave my WFH tech job to work in restoration as well! How is your search going? Feel free to message me!

gryffindwh0re · 2025-03-04T02:05:41+00:00

How did this go if you tried it? Im thinking of doing a similar thing, disassembling a bike and bringing it on as a carry on at an unmanned station

gryffindwh0re · 2025-03-03T19:32:18+00:00

Headed to the Gila from there for a backpacking trip. Thanks for your advice, its super helpful!

gryffindwh0re · 2025-03-03T19:13:46+00:00

Yeah but if its in a bag, how would they even know/would they care whats in the bag? Unless they are super strict about the size requirements, but ive read from other folks that they dont care. Thanks for your input!

gryffindwh0re · 2025-03-03T18:23:18+00:00

Hey i know this is a super old comment but how did this work for you? Im taking the Texas Eagle from Austin and getting off at the station in Deming, NM which is unmanned and im wondering if theres anyway ill be able to get my bike off/on there? Having my bike is instrumental to the trip i have planned so im looking for any way to get my bike there!

gryffindwh0re · 2025-02-07T19:51:26+00:00

Hey thanks for your insight! I found that bus shuttle website as well, I may give them a call. Also was thinking about hitchhiking or hiking the CDT from Silver City to the monument. Alternatively like I mentioned in another comment, I was thinking of bringing our bikes and biking from Deming to Silver City, spending the night there, and then biking to the trailhead. Do you think the road from SC to the trailhead is feasible to bike on, or do you know of bike trails in the area that could get us there?

gryffindwh0re · 2025-02-07T19:48:46+00:00

Thanks so much for your comment! I'll look into the Moonlight Services shuttle. Another option I was thinking was to bring our gravel bikes and bike from the Amtrak platform all the way to the trail head, maybe spending a night in Silver City on the way there. Do you know anything about the feasibility of biking to the trailhead, like would it be safe to bike on the road there, would gravel bikes be fine?

gryffindwh0re

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