April 28, 2025
A great horned owl has been nesting at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center for 15 years, laying usually two eggs each spring in a planter niche high on a wall, sheltered by a spiny Wheeler’s sotol. See her up there on the right, under the blue-green plant?
She’s found the perfect spot, protected by walls and the sotol and high out of reach. The Wildflower Center has named her Athena after the Greek goddess of wisdom, traditionally represented by an owl.
Athena is tending to two white-feathered owlets that hatched earlier this month. I caught glimpses of their fuzzy heads when I was there on Saturday, but they didn’t fully show themselves. According to a sign, they’ll stay in the nest for another few weeks, until they’re big enough to flutter into the trees, or to the ground, where Athena will continue watching over them until they’re fully grown.
I was happy to see her again. I’ve been coming to the Wildflower Center to photograph Athena and her owlets since 2011 — 14 years!
You can find all my posts about the Wildflower Center here; scroll down to “Texas” and then “Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.”
She’s a majestic creature. It’s wonderful how tolerant Athena is about humans gawking at her all day long. She must find the protected niche worth the tradeoff of paparazzi.
The cameras never stop, actually. A live-action owl cam with night vision is up on the wall, allowing you to watch Athena and her owlets day or night. The Wildflower Center partnered with Cornell Lab to set it up. It even has sound, so you can listen to their vocalizations.
Red dragonfly on the sotol
The pond garden’s waterfall makes a pretty scene nearby.
No doubt the pond provides a source of prey for the owls — fish, snakes, and other creatures coming for a drink.
Obedient plant is flowering along the marshy edge.
Trained up the stone wall, scarlet clematis (Clematis texensis), aka scarlet leatherflower, is a delicate charmer, with blossoms that resemble strawberries.
So sweet
I’ve tried this vine before with no success but should give it another go.
A mass planting of Texas tuberose (Manfreda maculosa) is flowering by the auditorium door.
The alien-looking flowers bob up and down on long stems.
It’s blooming in my own garden right now too, but I don’t have a mass of it like this. It’s spectacular.
Crossvine still has a few flowers high on the wall.
A cardinal on the roof was singing his heart out.
A funny-looking twistleaf yucca, with a head of foliage atop what looks like a bloom spike, is growing in the dappled shade along the entry path. Photographer Bill Boyd, who’s often found at the Wildflower Center and is Athena’s unofficial (or maybe official!) ambassador, pointed out a spot nearby where Athena will sit in the tree — the giveaway being white splatters from owl droppings on the paving below.
The savanna along the entry walk is lovely and green, with tawny grasses still standing from last season.
Yuccas are flowering among the grasses.
Other plants too
Heading out, I stopped to admire the green-roofed admission kiosk. Standing winecup and other native wildflowers are blooming on the tiny rooftop.
Prairie brazosmint (Warnockia scutellarioides) is coloring the meadow gardens in the parking area.
Flowering prickly pear too
Plenty of blanketflower
A prickly pear in the middle makes it even better.
Coreopsis and standing winecup add more Texas beauty to the scene.
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Digging Deeper
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