Getting Out in the Garden for Good!
Wild onions growing in Tom Bass Park
Hello Little Gardeners! It's Friday so it's time for our gardening time. This week I want to share a fun but important challenge with you. Every year Texans participate in the Texas City Nature Challenge to document the variety of plants and animals found in their cities. The purpose is to document the biodiversity (variety of plants and animals) in states around the country. Usually participants are asked to observe as many places in the city as they can, but this year due to our quarantine you can concentrate on your own front and backyards and nearby parks.
Don't worry if you don't know the names of the plants and animals you see, just snap a picture through the iNaturalist App and the community will help you identify it. Make sure to count the plants (which you may consider weeds) growing in your grass. Many of these "weeds" are native plants that have beneficial uses. For example, I took the picture above on my walk in the park last week. They are wild onions that are in bloom. Wild onions are kind of like chives. If you've ever smelled onions in the air after someone cuts their lawn, that means there were wild onions growing!
Here's a link to Texas Parks and Wildlife that explains everything you need to know to participate in the challenge. The challenge runs April 24th - 27th, so take time now to download the iNaturalist App and get familiar with it so you're ready to make Texas #1 in the nation for biodiversity!!!
On another note, here's a picture of my bean sprouting necklace we made last week. So far the seed coat has split. I expect the sprout to start peeking out soon. I hope your seeds are coming along too and I look forward to seeing your pictures of them.
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