Mama Burd (my mom) has flown to Kentucky to be closer to the mountains and my little sis and begin anew. After the loss of dad in January 2025 and then the loss of their home to the floods of July 4, 2025 it was time for a change. She’s been there not even a week yet and I’d promised to continue my work of recognizing native plants on the acreage and documenting them.
First up is a new discovery, a plant I hadn’t hear of yet. The Mexican Primrose Willow. I discovered the pretty little greenery several weeks ago as it began to grow and after identifying it have been waiting for blooms to post. They bloom July through October so I’m super excited to see more of the pretty yellow flowers to appear.
They are so delightfully simple and remind me of the drawings of Tudor roses in England.
Although they’ve four petals to the rose’s five they still bring to mind English summers. Gads I miss it there.
Growing along the river banks.
They’re coming up next to a willow who chose to grow here this year. This willow is almost smack dab where the pecan tree used to overhang the water, and I’m hoping it’ll grow similarly just branching out and shading the creek in the hottest days. If you zoom in you can see the plethora of yellow blooms.
From the Texas Natural Gardner website we learn:
Blooms July-October. Ribbed stems are erect and branched, sometimes woody at the base. Leaves are lance-shaped to ovate, with sunken venation and a reddish to pale midrib. Bright yellow, solitary flowers arise from leaf axils. They close in the evening and reopen in the morning. The fruit is a capsule that opens irregularly. Larval host: Water-primrose Hornworm Moth.
Which looks like:
It’s pink!!
I haven’t seen any yet but am ecstatic about providing a habitat for them to visit and grow and make babies!
There are still towering ragweeds by the waters edge that I’ve allowed to grow because either they’re super hard to reach or they are growing where I wanted the soil to be held in place. I plan on taking them down an evening this week as they take up so much space they crowd out the good natives.
Apparently the primrose willow can proliferate but only grow to 3-6 feet wide/high. They should be easy to manage and if I can get them all along the banks they’ll provide good cover for other critters as well and help crowd out the baddie plants I don’t want here. Can you IMAGINE the dark foliage and yellow blooms along the water under a tall elegant willow tree? Heaven.
Also the ducks have multiplied, Madame Muscovy had babies and brought along a white domesticated friend. They come to my call now and don’t startle around Bunny which is lovely as she wouldn’t hurt them anyway.
Traditionally Mexican Primrose-willow has been used to treat skin diseases, diarrhea and flatulence. In fact, a 2012 paper by Yakob et al in World Applied Sciences Journal 16 (1): 22-29 suggested the use of Mexican Primrose-willow as an antioxidant as well as a treatment for diseases caused by E. coli.
Definitely a plant I’m happy to have here and encourage to find little spots to grow!
A Burd in Flight 