Well, it looks like you might have something there, of course I hope they don't decide to come back up through the same area. In any event it sounds like a good way to get started.
You might try mowing your grasses very low in the fall and planting more seeds then, or start adding some perennial wildflowers here and there, during the spring as you are able.
It is all a lot of work but very much worth the effort.

The grass was mowed very low in fall. Some of these seeds are annuals & some perennials. These are all mounds the gophers made in the fall & have not been disturbed since. The mounds have been rained on & weathered but they are still mounds & no sign of gopher activity since they were made. I'm knocking them down but not totally flat, sticking the spade in deep under so as to loosen the soil down there to help the seedling roots find purchase & go deep. Roughing up the soil on top, sprinkling the seed & then stamping on it. If it works, then the gophers will be working for ME!

Well, it looks like you have a good plan going, please let us know how it works out.
I would love to see pictures when your flowers come up.

You can be sure I will report & post photos.

Thank you, it is always nice to see what people are doing and accomplishing

Phlox kelseyi 'Lemhi Purple', from the Lemhi Mountains in Idaho
doing this today in my rock garden:


not really very impressive just yet, but it is my very first bloom of the year!!

I am impressed , everything here under 10+ inches of snow
any color is great and the first of spring is so special

Yes I agree, color at this time of year is a very welcome sight.
That phlox looks almost like a succulent, very neat.

Yeah--I'm so prematurely excited!
My traditional early bloomers are still under snow/ice--
We had some torrential rain yesterday--turned much of my snow into ice-lakes on muck on frozen ground.
This guy is on a sunny hill and had less snow cover so it pretty much washed away to reveal this.
Craziness--we get most of our annual precip as heavy snows in late winter/spring around here, forecast says it's just a matter of days until he's buried again. Hope he survives sog-season...

Woo Hoo Dirt! I'm amazed you would have any color just yet. And look at the ice right next to it. I hope he survives sog season too.

My aim is to make our rural half-acre into a wildscape, using exclusively plants native to the westernmost finger of the East Texas Piney Woods, SSW of Magnolia. I inherited some exotics from the previous owner, but otherwise everything belongs here. My saints are Geyata Ajilvsgi and Sally Wasowski!

Way to go Carol!

Carol, I am very familiar with your two saints, I have their books in my reading room, and refer to them quite often.

I don't have much in the way of books on natives/wildflowers
It would be nice to see a thread with some recommendations from those who do Hint hint

Good idea Cinda.

frostweed said:Carol, I am very familiar with your two saints, I have their books in my reading room, and refer to them quite often.

My first wildflower book was "WildFlowers of the Big Thicket: East Texas, and Western Louisiana" by Geyata Ajilvsgi, purchase back in early 1980's.
See came out with a new book last year about butterfly gardening in Texas. Hoping to get in the not to distant future.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CIH18DQ/

Any good references for the northern deserts?

I agree, Jo, we need a sticky for Wildflower books and resources.

O.K. I will get to it soon, good Idea!!!

Thanks

I found the new thread and put a watch on it