Kaufman County Master Gardeners - Texas A&M AgriLife Extension

09/05/2026

09/03/2026

Native Plant of the Month - Carolina Ponyfoot - Dichondra carolinensis
Many people see this as a w**d, but this low growing groundcover is a Texas native. Great for natural landscapes and habitat reconstruction. Ponyfoot can be grown in containers and hanging baskets. This version is adapted better to eastern Texas than the silver Dichondra commonly found in garden centers. It is drought and frost tolerant and blooms March - September. It serves as larvae host to the Pink-spotted Hawkmoth (Agrius cingulata). Consider allowing this to grow in your landscape.

Other names: Grass Ponyfoot
Characteristics: Native, flowering, perennial, deciduous herb
Appearance: It features small, kidney-shaped (reniform) leaves that grow on trailing stems.
Habit: This plant spreads horizontally, forming a low mat and rooting at the leaf nodes.
Requirements: Sun to part shade, low to medium water
Habitat: It is commonly found in moist, disturbed sites, lawns, and pinelands, particularly in the southeastern United States.
Seasonal interest: Nectar, pollen
Wildlife benefit: Bees, butterflies, moths, nectar insects
Edibility: The young leaves are edible and often used in salads or cooked greens, sometimes to dilute the bitterness of other wild greens.
https://www.npsot.org/posts/native-plant/dichondra-carolinensis/

Photo source:38514062@N03/8448508422/in/photostream/" rel="ugc" target="_blank">https://www.flickr.com/photos/38514062@N03/8448508422/in/photostream/ CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

09/01/2026

Even the natives are feeling it!

Weeks of intense heat and dry conditions have taken a toll on plants across Kaufman County — including Texas natives that are normally well adapted to our climate.

A droopy plant in the heat of the afternoon does not always mean it needs more water. During extreme heat, plants may wilt temporarily as they conserve moisture. Some may also drop older leaves or die back above ground as part of their drought-survival strategy.

Before you reach for the hose:
• Check the plant again early in the morning. Has it recovered overnight?
• Check the soil a few inches below the surface. If it is still moist, more water may not be needed.
• When watering is needed, water deeply rather than giving frequent shallow drinks.

And don’t give up on a stressed native too quickly. Even when the top of the plant looks rough, the root system may still be alive and ready to recover when conditions improve.

A good soaking rain would certainly be welcome — but after weeks of stress, our plants may need a little time to recover.

📷 These photos were taken today in the KCMGA demonstration beds.

Learn more about current drought conditions: https://www.drought.gov/states/texas/county/kaufman

08/25/2026

🌵 Think you know your holiday cactus?

Take a close look at this one. What do you think it is?

🎄 Christmas Cactus
🦃 Thanksgiving Cactus
🐰 Easter Cactus

Put your guess in the comments — no Googling! 😉

We’ll reveal the answer next week...and share a few surprises about these popular “holiday” plants.

Stay cool. Stay hydrated. Stay in the shade...and keep growing! 🌱

08/24/2026

🌱 Plants are smarter than we think!

Great Garden Science from our friends at Collin County Master Gardeners.

🌱 How do plants know it’s getting hot?

Scientists recently discovered that plants have a built-in molecular “thermostat” that senses rising temperatures and signals roots to grow deeper in search of water and nutrients. Understanding this natural survival strategy could help develop future plants that are better equipped to handle heat and drought.

Read the latest installment in our Garden Science series:
🔗 https://bit.ly/4yZoiPx

08/19/2026

Native to South America, red imported fire ants (RIFA) were imported in the United States sometime in the 1932 in Mobile, Alabama, probably through ships’ ballast. Since then they have spread to 13 states (Alabama, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia) and impact over 367 million acres.

● RIFA are known for aggressive behavior, swarming rapidly when disturbed. They bite their victim, using the bite to anchor themselves while they sting repeatedly. Bites, which may appear in a circular pattern, are painful, resulting in a burning sensation and itching that can last several days. Many bites form small, pus-filled blisters. In rare cases, venom can cause a life-threatening reaction, although this is usually the result of an extremely large number of stings.

● RIFA are one-eight to one-quarter of an inch in length and are dark reddish brown. (Black imported fire ants have not been found in Texas yet, though they have been found in Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee.) They have a distinct, two-segmented waist. Only two native Texas ants share this trait; both are much smaller, and neither are red. Unlike many native ants whose workers are about the same size, fire ants include both small, minor workers and noticeably larger major workers.

● Open, sunny areas like lawn, parks, pastures and fields are prime habitat for RIFA. They build hard, mound-shaped nests that can reach 18 to 24 inches high and cover over a square foot. A characteristic of these nests is that there is no visible entry hole. Disturbing a nest releases a torrent of angry ants that pose a risk to whatever creature is nearby. RIFA undergo complete metamorphosis, and sometimes all stages–egg, larvae, and pupae–can be seen on the mound, especially on a recently disturbed one.

● The economic impact of RIFA is estimated to be $1.2 billion annually in Texas alone. They are pests of crops, including sorghum, corn, and small grain seeds, forage grass, and citrus seedlings. Their aggressive nature and swarming behavior make them dangerous to people and animals, especially the young. Their large mounds in fields can damage equipment.

● Complete eradication of fire ants is not possible with current methods, but there are methods to control them. For homeowners, the Two Step Method (found at https://fireant.tamu.edu/controlmethods/twostep/ ), provides 80-90% reduction in ant mounds. No method is 100% effective, and no method is permanent. For information on control in other spaces, see Managing Fire Ants for Specific Sites at https://fireant.tamu.edu/manage/site/

● Sources:
Imported fire ants. https://www.aphis.usda.gov/plant-pests-diseases/ifa
Texas Imported Fire Ant Research and Management Project. https://fireant.tamu.edu/
Fire Ant Bites. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/23362-fire-ant-bites
Photos and sources
https://www.invasive.org/browse/image/1148020
https://bugwoodcloud.org/images/3072x2048/1148020.jpg

08/16/2026

Look what we let grow in the Pollinator Garden!

🌱 Earlier this summer, a volunteer vine appeared at The Pollinator Garden at the Poor Farm. We weren’t quite sure what it was, so we decided to leave it alone and see what happened.

Well...it grew. And grew. And grew.

🍈 Our mystery volunteer appears to be smellmelon, a Dudaim-type muskmelon (Cucumis melo). Dudaim melons are part of the remarkably diverse Cucumis melo species—the same species that includes many of our familiar cultivated melons.

The immature fruits were green and lightly striped, eventually ripening to smooth, bright-yellow little melons about 2½–3 inches across. When cut open, they had pale flesh, lots of seeds and a wonderfully sweet, fresh melon fragrance.

The taste?

Not nearly as impressive as the fragrance.

That actually fits the history of Dudaim-type melons. These small aromatic melons have long been valued more for their fragrance than their eating quality, and some have historically been known as “pocket melons.”

And that enormous mass of vines covering our fence?

ONE PLANT. 😳

It produced at least two dozen fruits. Texas A&M researchers have studied smellmelon (Cucumis melo var. dudaim) as an agricultural w**d in Texas cotton, and Texas A&M reports that a single plant can produce as many as 40 melons.

So, did we discover a wonderful new addition to the Pollinator Garden?

Nope.

It was fun to watch, identify and investigate—but it was vigorous, surprisingly heavy on our new fence, and ripe fruits were already dropping. We decided we really didn't need to find out how many smellmelon volunteers we could grow next year.

✂️ So OUT it came.

Sometimes gardening is simply: “Huh. Wonder what that is?” followed a few months later by “Well...now we know.”

🌼 Stay cool. Stay hydrated. Stay in the shade...and keep growing! 🌿

08/11/2026

Not all pollinators are big or flashy!

Sometimes the smallest visitors are doing important work.

This little Clouded Skipper stopped by the Mealy Blue Sage at The Pollinator Garden at the Poor Farm for a quick meal.

Proof that a pollinator garden isn’t just for the showy butterflies — it provides food for pollinators of all shapes and sizes.

Next time you’re in the garden, take a closer look. You never know who might be visiting! 🌿🦋

☀️ Stay cool. Stay hydrated. Stay in the shade...and keep growing! 🌱