Seth Patterson
SPECIALTY: Naturalist
ABOUT:
A naturalist by nature, Seth spent his early childhood crawling through creeks and caves of the Hill Country before moving to South Texas where he found his passion in nature photography. Now an avid scuba diver and underwater photographer, Seth follows the water wherever he lands and truly takes to heart his role as a conservation consultant for San Antonio Water System.
Related Article
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Air conditioning condensate: A hidden resource
With some simple modifications, this valuable byproduct can benefit your landscape and local wildlife. Every drop of water counts, especially when temperatures soar in San Antonio. As our air conditioning units are working overtime to provide relief indoors, they’re also generating a valuable byproduct: Condensate. Air conditioners function by removing moisture from the air. The […]
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Reimagine what a healthy, happy landscape looks like
With prolonged drought and shallow, poor-quality soils, the conditions of our region are not favorable for healthy grass growth. There’s a common misconception that every American home should have a perfectly manicured lush lawn. Unfortunately, the reality is that this region — with prolonged drought and shallow, poor-quality soils — is simply not conducive to […]
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Keep your irrigation system under control
The average sprinkler system uses a lot of water — and wastes even more if it’s watering haphazardly. Follow these easy tips to wrangle wild sprinkler heads. In a region where prolonged drought is typically the norm, water is a precious resource that should be conserved whenever possible. This is particularly important when it comes […]
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Know your backflow
A backflow preventer keeps the water sitting on your lawn from flowing back into your home through your indoor taps. Sprinkler heads are relatively simple contraptions. When the irrigation system is running, they channel pressurized water through a nozzle and onto your landscape. But what happens when the sprinkler system isn’t running? Those same sprinkler […]
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Oak tree care after an ice storm
Oak wilt season is upon us. Only make cuts that are absolutely necessary. Save any cosmetic pruning for later in the year. While San Antonio largely dodged the severity of ice storms many of our neighboring communities suffered recently, some of us, particularly those along the northern fringes of the city, still saw some damage […]
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Your lawn is sleeping. Don’t wake it with water!
In winter, your grass is busy conserving energy so it can resume growing come spring. Winter dormancy is a natural process that occurs in turf grass during the colder months of the year. In Texas, this typically begins in late fall and lasts until early spring. During this time, the grass goes into a state […]
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Unwelcomed house pests, beneficial yard guests
No one likes to be surprised by a scorpion inside their home. But these predatory arthropods help eliminate other pests around the house. With cooler weather settling in, we can have unexpected (and sometimes) unwelcome guests dropping into our homes. Of course, this should come as no surprise to most Texans as we’ve all most […]
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Electronic water meters rolling out
Water bill sticker shock will soon be a thing of the past. High water bills are as unexpected as they are unwelcomed. They often leave you wondering exactly what happened. Whether it’s a running toilet, water hose accidentally left on or an unidentified leak, it’s a shock when your water bill suddenly skyrockets. Until recently, […]
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Snouts all about
There’s been an explosion of these non-descript little butterflies flitting across South Texas. And we have the drought to thank. If you’ve gone anywhere in San Antonio over the last couple of months you’ve surely noticed the mass emergence of non-descript little butterflies swarming across South Texas. While noticeably less charismatic than their more famous […]
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Not-so-smart irrigation controllers
It’s OK to embrace technology. But sometimes the smartest sprinkler controller is you. In the world of irrigation, smart controllers are all the rage. While manufacturers rush to get WiFi-connected devices to market, programmers are busy coding the complex algorithms that make smart controllers so, well, smart. Of course, in the current climate of drought […]
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Mind the watering windows
Follow these tips to avoid breaking Stage 2 watering rules and getting a citation. Stage 2 watering rules have been in place since mid-April. And if the severe dry weather continues as forecasters are predicting, watering cutbacks will be in place for a while longer. In Stage 2, landscape watering with a sprinkler, irrigation system […]
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Don’t get soaked by your sprinkler system
Whether they stop working or run non-stop, irrigation systems are susceptible to failure. And that could mean astronomical water bills. Just like appliances and devices in our homes, irrigation systems are susceptible to failure. In fact, the older they are, the more likely problems will arise. Typically, these problems simply mean the system stops working, […]
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SA’s Shadows of the Night
If a large black-winged thing drops in to dine on your drink of wine, don’t panic. It’s just a black witch moth in search of fermented fruit to feed on. It’s a warm summer night and you’re relaxing on the patio sipping a particularly aromatic glass of wine, when suddenly out of the darkness, a […]
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Your Garden’s Gardening
Our plants, grasses and trees are all very efficient gardeners. But their work is happening deep below the soil’s surface. While we busy ourselves with watering, feeding and pruning our gardens above ground, there are remarkably similar efforts happening deep underground. Of course, in the cool, damp, darkness of the underground world there isn’t sufficient […]
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Two Different Heads Are Not Better Than One
Not all sprinkler heads are created equal. From rotators and sprays to drip and bubblers, they all provide different methods of watering. As we take advantage of the dormant season to begin planning our spring landscaping goals, it’s always a good idea to check for and correct any problems with your in-ground sprinkler system. While […]
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Got Holes in Your Lawn? Here’s the ‘Dillo.
Bugs and good grub. These are two tasty reasons an armored, insect-eating mammal may be digging about your yard. Have you ever been rushing out the door on your way to work only to suddenly be stopped in your tracks by the sight of dozens of small conical holes in your yard? It’s easy to […]
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Leaves Are Nature’s Fertilizer
While you have several options to get rid of autumn leaves, it might be simpler — and more beneficial to your landscape — to just let them lie where they fall. While autumn and fall are loosely used terms around South Texas, there is one constant: sooner or later, our deciduous trees will lose their […]
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Trash the Turf and Go Native Instead
For green grass yards to thrive (or even survive) in our region, we’re forced to over-fertilize and over-water. But there is a better way. There’s a common misconception that every American home should be accompanied by a perfectly manicured lush lawn. Unfortunately, the reality of this ideology is that our region — with its bouts […]
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Don’t Water More — Water Wiser
Adding extra days to your irrigation system schedule won’t quench your landscape’s thirst. But it will soak your water bill. Central and South Texas have been blessed with an unprecedented amount of rainfall recently. So much so that it increased the level of the Edward’s Aquifer enough to lift San Antonio out of Stage 2 […]
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Landscape a Landing for Migratory Birds
A few well-chosen plants can make the difference between feast and famine for our feathered friends. Go native with a touch of wildscape and bring on the birds! Spring is always a fabulous time to be in Texas. The weather is cooler, wild flowers are blooming, and our magnificent diversity of migratory birds (pdf) are dropping […]
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Big Freeze Aftermath: Give Your Irrigation System a Checkup
Your in-ground sprinkler system components could have sustained damage. Take these few steps now to avoid bigger, more costly problems later. The winter storm of the century swept across Texas this past week and brought with it untold devastation. While we work to recover in its aftermath, there are a few things you can do […]
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Take Control of Your Controller
There is a limit to how much water is actually beneficial to your landscape. Make sure you’re the one running the show. Settling into a new home can be stressful enough without the added shock of a high water bill. Unfortunately, it’s common practice for realtors, irrigators and landscape companies to program in-ground sprinkler systems […]
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Whether to Winterize Your Sprinkler System
Freezes in central and south Texas rarely (if ever) cause the ground to freeze and damage underground pipes. But the ones that are exposed are still vulnerable to extreme cold. Over the past few weeks we have seen the first significant winter weather blow in to Bexar County and with it many inquiries and concerns […]
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A Watering Plan as Unique as You Are
Every landscape has its own quirks and charms. So ditch the one-size-fits-all advice and find out how much water your unique yard really needs. Living in Texas, we’re all accustomed to extended periods of extreme heat and prolonged drought. This year is no exception. While always a precious commodity, water is even more vital when […]
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Garden Spider: Friend or Foe?
Most spiders are beneficial to have around our landscapes. Flies, mosquitos, roaches and other undesirable insects are all appetizing to arachnids. A door orb-weaver, or adore an orb-weaver? Both phrases were entirely relevant when I received an email a few weeks ago from a very proud and adoring duplex dweller. She had sacrificed her entire […]
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Cenizo: Colorful Camo for Caterpillars
More than just a perfect hideaway, cenizo’s stems and silvery-green leaves are also savory sustenance for these harmless, low-key larvae. When it comes to Bexar County native plants, few are as immediately recognized or appreciated as cenizo (Leucophyllum frutescens). Also known as Texas sage, cenizo’s extreme drought-tolerance, soft, silvery green leaves, stunning fuchsia flowers, and […]
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Your Garden’s Merry Melody Makers
Jeepers creepers, did you hear those peepers? You may be surprised to learn the source of this lullaby lilting from your landscape. On excessively humid nights or right after it rains, a peculiar peeping sound can be heard emanating from the shadows of your garden. Of course, the moment you begin investigating the source of […]
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Connect and Collaborate Through Nature
Four years ago, what started out as a friendly rivalry to showcase urban biodiversity between Los Angeles and San Francisco has today grown into an international competition where people across the globe compete to see whose city can document the most biodiversity. In the 2019 City Nature Challenge, more than 30,000 people recorded about 1 […]
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Citizen Science and You!
Embrace your inner scientist and get out in your yard! Document the curious critters and plants you see and share them with others via the iNaturalist app. Regardless of what walk of life we’ve chosen for ourselves, there has always been a time or two when we’ve paused to ponder a curious plant or animal. But most of the time we […]
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Aromatic Agarita: Something Sweet This Month Blooms
This native species is highly drought-resilient and well-suited for our soil types. Plus, it’s immensely popular among pollinators and fruit foragers alike. Hiking along a high oak rimmed bluff on a cool, crisp February morning, I caught scent of something deliciously sweet. My mind immediately conjured the image of a warm, honey-drizzled sopapilla as I […]
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Splash Some Life into Your Sleepy Winter Landscape
While seed and suet do a fine job of attracting birds to your landscape, fresh, sparkling H2O will fascinate the flocks of feathered friends that flew in for winter. It’s no secret that birds fly south for the winter, but just how far south do they go? Mexico, Central and South America are common winter […]
