The Huisache Dance

Boy I tell you there are some plants and shrubs that look like from a different planet down here. I had enough of a hard time getting used to the plants in Central Texas after moving from Connecticut – at least there were recognizable things like oak and ash and pine and even an odd-placed maple. One of the strangest ones is the Texas Huisache.



Those are thousands of golden puff-balls flowering. In February! I thought horse chestnut trees were weird but this puppy takes the cake. I mean really, until the plant flowered this week it was just a scruffy-looking bush, with evil-looking spikes and thorns. I think I like this bush, the Huisache.

They say they attract hummingbirds, butterflies, and birds but so far all I saw was one very busy bee, so loaded with pollen he could barely fly, dancing slowly.