Monarchs and other wildlife are welcome to enjoy and pollinate the native plants.

This is one of several greenway areas that were created out of retention ponds. They beautify our area and provide a place for leisure and exercise in addition to helping control floods. Environmental activists funded and developed the areas, and local organizations like Scout troops and churches help maintain and clean them.

Native plants matter, and so do native animals! This is Sketch, part of the local feral colony. Yes, of course he and his siblings been neutered. The hard part is catching them, as I'll bet many of you know.

Mealy blue sage is popular with all sorts of bees and butterflies. It's a lovely addition to any pollinator-friendly garden, and is a native plant for my area.

Beautyberry tree from last year when it was in full fruit. A native plant that the birds love. I tried some of the berries and found them pretty bland. I just love the color, though!

Wow, it's hard to believe it's already the end of April! I was happy to get all my selected actions done, given that bad weather, health issues, and other challenges claimed a lot of time this month.

I FINALLY visited some of the not-too-distant nature areas that I've been planning to check out for years. I have a favorite greenway that's only a mile from my home, but it was good to branch out into new places. I noticed that someone has been putting cat food and water out, presumably for ferals in the area; the empty cans and lids were among the items I cleaned up while I was there.

As always, I shook my head at how many plastic water bottles I saw along the trails. After filling two bags with trash, I was happy to sit on a bench and contemplate the native plants surrounding the waterway. It's refreshing to experience such a serene and natural place in the middle of a huge city. Then it was time to make my way back to the hustle and bustle, collecting more litter on the way.

I hope everyone has had a wonderful Earth Month! It's been a fun adventure working with all of you to save our planet.

Love, Mary

My housemate and I did a trash cleanup this morning, along a road adjacent to a large city retention pond/park/wildlife area. I also found the parts of a small metal table that were hiding in the grass. As we’re trying to introduce more seating and reflection spots among the backyard native garden, this table will serve as a side table for a seat - it simply needs some hardware to put it back together. Reuse instead of buy new.

Selected as the official bird of Houston, the yellow crowned night heron is an interesting water bird. Even though a coastal bird, living on crawfish and other crustaceans, they can live inland and nest in neighborhoods close to water bodies. While exploring the Willow Waterhole Conservancy this morning, I saw a juvenile perched on a phone/power line a few dozen yards from one of the lakes. I do hear them calling from my yard, which is a couple hundred yards from the closest of the Conservancy’s lakes.