Lady Bird Johnson Reprise

December 7, 2019

I seldom come to the Austin area without visiting the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. When I lived in the area, I both visited often and volunteered there, taking care of the plants we grew to sell at the huge, semi annual native plant sales, and donating my extra babies to them.

This year was no exception, and I enjoyed an early visit on one of the two days members can arrive at 7:30 A.M. Getting to visit early two days a week is is but icing on the membership cake.  This provides the best time to take pictures while encountering very few people. I enjoy getting to support this place that is so important to the survival of native plants,  while being able to use my membership cards to get in free at Botanical Gardens across the country.

At this time of year, the plants are mostly sleeping, but I found a few flowers hanging on. Even so, I enjoyed the long hikes I took, the sound of the two huge wind chimes, and finding a whole new set of play stations for kids in the Arboretum.

The entrance with the Christmas floods still on

These common but enchanting seed pods were everywhere  

One of the late bloomers

Inland sea oats is one of my favorite grasses both because it grows in part shade and because it has herringbone seed heads. 

The water tower is beautiful from all directions - and all the luminaries reminded me of the year I almost melted away while dancing with kids in my Frosty costume at the Christmas festival

I caught this Turk's cap backlit by the early sun

This is the main part of the family area addition done a few years ago

One of the few mistflowers, so loved by monarchs and gulf coast fritillaries 

I think this was a species of penstemon - only found one plant in bloom

Beauty berry had lost it leaves but had lots of berries for the birds

Most of the leaves were off the trees but this was a remarkable leaf all by itself

I found several clusters of these flowers

Asters were still blooming in large numbers

I enjoyed the ball moss and thought of the northern parula that nests in it

Lots of these interesting seed pods

Another set of lovely, empty seed pods 

Spiders must be still finding some insects to catch

A lovely tree still holding on to its gold and red leaves

I found a milkweed pod laying on the ground with its seeds departing on the light wind

I had to check new growth of the scions of Texas historic trees, found in the arboretum - there is a large circle of them started from acorns from their famous parents. 

This oak supervised an art installation and a picnic table

There are several new-to-me installations - this is one.  When I peeked into the little "cone" on the far left,
I found a child hiding inside

I think of endurance when I visit this tree. You are seeing the root end of the trunk, mostly out of the ground. But the tree continues to grow and this time was part of the installations for kids

Another installation - part of Fort Landia - all places for kids to enjoy - the signs are for the historical tree children

Yet another new installation for kids to enjoy

Just as the light got too bright for pictures, and I started to leave, I found more activity in the parking lot plantings.

Butterfly on lantana

I think this is a syrphid fly

Gulf Coast Fritillary on Rock Rose 

I have a few other blogs of visits at different times of years. For a spring visit, click here. For a slightly earlier fall visit, click here.


On a personal note, I am writing this while visiting friends in Louisiana. By the time this comes out, I will have been to Alabama to give my deposition for the trial on my car wreck and met up with another friend and gotten back to Texas to begin a several day of birding and camping, sometimes with only my guest friend, and sometimes with added friends.

I visited at the quietest time of the year.  But the garden only sleeps for a few months before it will begin an awakening and then have lots of flowers and butterflies until next November.


Hope your holidays are happy.  As this blog publishes, I'm having a wonderful holiday trip with a friend to photograph birds down the Texas coast, through the Rio Grande Valley, and back up into the Hill Country.