I will tell you what little experience I have with red eared sliders. My son put two in the pond when it was new (August 2005). I saw them basking in the sun on many occasions and fell for them also. My grandson named them Pebbles and Bam Bam. They are both about the same size so very difficult to tell apart. Last spring about this time of year my neighbor brought one of them home to me saying he found the little critter in his front yard wandering happily in the grass. I put it back in the pond and low and behold next day same thing. I then asked for help on the forum and was told that some of these little critters tend to do this at mating season. I found a local guy who considers himself a turtle expert and he too confirmed that saying if they want to get out they will and there is not much you can do about discouraging it except putting them in an aquarium for the season. Out I went and bought a cheap aquarium and uv light and rock to bask on. I kept the wanderer in there for a couple of weeks after finding him walking down the sidewalk of my yard headed for the front gate Then it started getting a fungus on its shell and I figured I was doing it more harm than good so I put it back in the pond. I thought this time if it got out there wasn't much I could do and it was just the way things go. I didn't see it again for almost a year and had given up on it thinking it had found a new home somewhere even though I live in the city. Then one day not too long ago there were two turtles out sunbathing again and have been almost everyday since. I had seen one on several occasions in the past but maybe they were just taking turns showing themselves to confuse me. It doesn't take much you know. Anyhow that is my experience with them and hope in some little way it helps. Here is a link that might be useful: My pond the way it was before the freeze.

I always like seeing the hardy hibiscus around! I had one in my yard but the bugs (probably grasshoppers) ate the whoel thing up every year. Anyways, Im not really sure of the exact name of the yellow one but there is one that has interesting coloring called the italian arum. It kind of reminds me of a tropical alocasia or maybe a little bit like a caladium. Glad to hear some are native, always nice to plant something that looks nice and is also native! Good luck! -Alex

What regions do these wild plums normally grow in? Are they sweet or tart? How hardy are they & how much water do they need? Are they drought-resistant, or no? "To my delight, they were wild plums. Delicious, delicious wild plums. They were incredibly juicy and a little tart, with a really nice sweet finish." http://www.bootsintheoven.com/boots_in_the_oven/2006/05/name_that_fruit.html "Texas is home to several species of wild plums. The most common, perhaps, is the Chickasaw plum (P. angustifolia), a small tree that forms thickets on prairies and savannahs from East Texas to the Rolling Plains. The rose-colored plums can be picked and eaten right off the tree. Mexican plum (P. mexicana) trees grow larger, up to 35 feet, and are more likely to be found scattered among other trees in riparian woodlands. Its purple fruit is less palatable on its own, âÂÂbut it makes wonderful preserves,â Cheatham says." http://www.tpwmagazine.com/archive/2013/aug/ed_3_wildharvest/ Here is a link that might be useful: wild plums

I used to get cheered by the sight of winter hordes of robins rummaging through the leaves in my yard. Now it fills me with dread because they are innocently leaving behind the seeds of their last meals of bush honeysuckle berries. While I have noticed BH in many different places here, it has really exploded in just the last few years and now I notice seedlings everywhere. I do not have grass in my yard except for the frontage strip, and for 15 years all I really have is a lovely carpet of virginia creeper and ferns and so on, everything mainly native. This past summer I realized with a shock what these strange new bushes were I was finding everywhere, and then spent hours combing the yard, pulling up every BH seedling I could find. And boy can those things grow FAST. I was already doing this with vine honeysuckle, now I have a twofold job. This plant was never a problem before...I wonder what factors are driving this sudden expansion. And yes, many invasives are really beautiful...it turns my stomach to say it, but a wind in a thicket of late season russian olive, with their silvery leaves all turned up and their berries shining, is quite a sight. And how many summer nights as a kid did I lay under my window at home smelling the sweet aroma of honeysuckle blooms.