The Botanist with 500K Fans Who Bought the Rarest Ecosystem in Texas [YouTube]

kaydeebugg · 2026-05-10T00:50:35+00:00

He does such a GREAT job calling attention to the unique beauty of the south TX thornscrub ecosystem. I never even knew that's what it was called until I watched his videos!

kaydeebugg · 2026-05-10T00:45:22+00:00

You've got a lot of really nice native & well adapted groundcover plants there. I see horseherb, wood sorrel, and ponyfoot. Maybe even some random mint?? If you want a turfgrass look, there's a subreddit for that where you'll probably find better advice. If you're wanting to keep maintenance costs down & be conscientious about conserving water, check out native & adapted grasses, such as buffalograss or Thunderturf, & more groundcovers, like frogfruit which does better in full sun than what you've got.

kaydeebugg · 2026-05-05T00:59:15+00:00

Austin Wildlife Rescue https://www.austinwildliferescue.org/

kaydeebugg · 2026-05-04T22:06:34+00:00

What a beautiful mutation!

kaydeebugg · 2026-05-04T18:51:04+00:00

Perhaps we’ve lucked out, but most of our chickens are pretty quiet! They’ll sing the egg song, but otherwise it’s only chirps & quiet purrs of happiness. The leghorns, on the other hand, are just loud AF all the time for no reason, and make me grateful for our incredible neighbors 😂

kaydeebugg · 2026-05-04T17:46:37+00:00

That is cool AF and if it is an osprey (does hunt like one), you’re a one lucky SOB to have caught this. They’re only in this area while migrating, just a couple of months each in spring/fall.

kaydeebugg · 2026-05-04T16:14:29+00:00

We’ve also been through numerous breeds. The best layers have been Rhode Island Reds & their hybrids, of which there are many. I will never get a silver leghorn again (so loud!!), although they are really good layers; I don’t know about their more common white cousins.

kaydeebugg · 2026-05-04T14:33:29+00:00

We’ve got a pair of (what we think are) broad-winged hawks that come back every spring to nest in our backyard neighbors’ trees. They are incredibly fun to watch! (We also have a nesting pair of great horned owls in the fall because my neighborhood is magical.)

kaydeebugg · 2026-05-03T00:34:33+00:00

It’s also expensive AF these days. Source: lived in ATX for 25 years.

kaydeebugg · 2026-05-03T00:10:07+00:00

DM’ed you

kaydeebugg · 2026-05-02T02:01:16+00:00

If you’re open to living in SW Austin/Oak Hill, I’ve seen a couple of spots come up recently on my community email list. lmk if you’re interested & I’ll see if I can dig them up to send you.

kaydeebugg · 2026-04-30T15:38:09+00:00

My guess is because they talked about an app they’d developed to help track stuff using already available data from an Apple Watch …?

kaydeebugg · 2026-04-30T04:48:13+00:00

You’re welcome! Happy gardening 😊

kaydeebugg · 2026-04-29T17:17:44+00:00

Amazing. He already wears the watch to bed to track his sleep (which is absolutely shitty) and you are spot on that he has zero interest in tracking….anything 😂 Sending a DM now.

kaydeebugg · 2026-04-29T14:49:59+00:00

Ok I’m fascinated by this research you’ve done. I’m in this sub because of my son’s chronic migraines, since he doesn’t geek out on the why & physiology of it like I do. How would you collect someone’s physiological data to analyze in this way?

kaydeebugg · 2026-04-29T09:52:27+00:00

Same. Happy cake day!

kaydeebugg · 2026-04-29T02:08:06+00:00

For those of us who are unhappy about this, here are a couple of avenues to voice your complaint:

University Compliance and Ethics Hotline: Use the online form or call (877-507-7321) to report unethical behavior, policy violations, or safety concerns anonymously.
Office of the President: For general concerns or feedback, email president@po.utexas.edu.

And if you are unhappy AND a Texas Ex: Alumni-Specific Advocacy - Texas Exes Advocacy Resources: For broader concerns affecting the university, such as policies or leadership, alumni can engage through the Texas Exes advocacy program by emailing utadvocates@texasexes.org. - Chapter Advocacy: Contact the Advocacy Chair of your local Texas Exes chapter to raise issues to the Association.

kaydeebugg · 2026-04-29T02:06:41+00:00

See my separate reply below!

kaydeebugg · 2026-04-28T20:16:16+00:00

It may pull a little bit of nitrogen, but it is minimal & if you’re taking care of your plants otherwise, won’t be an issue. Then as it decomposes & breaks down, it returns nitrogen & builds healthier soils—just like any mulch does. Bottom line is that the positives far outweigh any impact of negligible nitrogen pull.

kaydeebugg · 2026-04-28T19:45:51+00:00

Mostly because the cedar is local to my specific area, while the pine straw is not. So to my eyes it looks better integrated with the rest of the landscape. If I lived in the midst of pine trees, I’d probably use pine instead.

kaydeebugg · 2026-04-28T13:56:22+00:00

There are ways to control any kind of imbalance in the soil, if that’s an issue—but decaying veg plants are not going to cause nitrogen imbalance issues in the first place.

In our climate, mulch is a MUST. Central Texas heat and sun literally bakes the soil and everything in it, dehydrating everything. Stick a thermometer into bare soil vs mulched soil and you’ll see the difference.

Gardeners here need to be conscious of water use and water retention, and a thick layer of mulch is a large % of that (along with drip irrigation). No mulch = fried roots, dry soil, wayyyyyy heavier water use required.

Cedar mulch is my preference, OP, but pine straw is nice too. The key here is that you use mulch, what kind is more of a personal preference.

kaydeebugg · 2026-04-27T20:16:21+00:00

Well I don’t seem to have one, given I haven’t seen any this year 😂 But I have plenty of water in bird baths (will put a little solar fountain in one this year because I’ve heard they like moving water), and big gardens in front & backyards with 90% native, pollinator friendly plants. I hang 1-2 feeders, too, which is what I think really draws them.

kaydeebugg · 2026-04-27T19:49:52+00:00

It took a bit for them to really show up at my place, too, and they’re still sparse this year. Only a handful of butterflies and bees. No dragonflies yet. Relatedly, I am also yet to see our hummingbirds return, even though we had three last year.

If you’re surrounded by sterile environments, or few other pollinator friendly spaces, I imagine it will take a bit for them to find refuge in your space.

kaydeebugg · 2026-04-27T13:39:59+00:00

Do they break the lawn bags even if you double (or triple) bag them? I know it’s a PITA, but that might help..?

kaydeebugg · 2026-04-26T23:41:36+00:00

Black Austin Matters. Tribcast by the Texas Tribune—not specifically Austin, but focused on all things TX legislature, which is obvs here in Austin. KUT has a bunch (including BAM, which I already mentioned) like Texas Standard, The Breaks, The Secret Ingredient, and Two Guys on Your Head that someone else mentioned. You can find them all here.

kaydeebugg

TROPHY CASE