Palmageddon Aftermath Photo Thread

[amh]

35 minutes ago, Collectorpalms said:

Woah, a Queen Palm, then a washy washy sabal sabal med washy washy. Exception a few nice CIDP.  Since I live here, I can say it. Texas Coastal cities are SO uninspiring. Boring. Constant fear of Hurricanes and floods, very few plants thrive along the Texas coastal towns. In over 20 years, I have spent the night in Galveston, Corpus, RGV exactly once each. The humidity isnt worth the extra 5-10F in winter. Only place worse for plants is probably my soil and city water. Galveston was much more lush prior to Hurricane Ike that killed off most of the plants from salt water. Now it looks no different than that video. And 2018 and 2021 Killed off all the zone 9b palms, except right in the lower RGV.

I'm not a beach person, but I agree. I think the problem is actually a lack of creativity and availability. I rarely buy plants and seeds from Texas because they are not available; even when its a native species.

If people want to be different, they will find a way to deal with wind, soil and water.

 

[joetx]

12 hours ago, Xerarch said:

I'd say 90% survival in and around town in Corpus, most here look like nothing ever happened, in fact, many of them have grown so full that the landscapers have already come and hacked them back to only a few fronds .  I'd also say it does seem to be worse north of here at all Portland/Rockport etc

Agree with this. When I drive through Corpus it looks like the majority of Robusta recovered. Port Aransas is the same. About 90%.

[DreaminAboutPalms]

Austin, TX in a nutshell

-Perfectly recovered CIDP

-Group of 3 Filiferas or Filifera dominant hybrid, all 3 initially came back now 1 is biting the dust

-Random thin trunked robusta hybrid attempting to come back still 

[DreaminAboutPalms]

Found this Video of ocean drive in Corpus Christi. Not much difference than rockport video but good to see they are replacing the dead ones 

 

[Xenon]

13 minutes ago, DreaminAboutPalms said:

Found this Video of ocean drive in Corpus Christi. Not much difference than rockport video but good to see they are replacing the dead ones 

 

Thanks for sharing; that looks A LOT better than Rockport imo as expected with CC Bay to the north. 

[Xenon]

"Pure" or almost pure (>90% to my eyes?) Washingtonia robusta at its western limit in the Houston Area, about 15 miles west of downtown (I-10 and Eldridge).

"Robusta passing" (80-90%? robusta?) palms at their western limit about 20 miles west of downtown near I-10. 

Anything that looks about "3/4 robusta" recovered much faster and look like nothing happened 

 

[Cade]

They have internal damage causing the small crowns …? Is that going to be present till they die or what it’s so disappointing 

[Xenon]

4 minutes ago, Cade said:

They have internal damage causing the small crowns …? Is that going to be present till they die or what it’s so disappointing 

No they'll grow out of it. The newest leaves are already increasing in size. Not that different from overzealous "shuttlecock" pruning. 

[kinzyjr]

I know there were some disagreements over what the actual low might have been in Brownsville.  While I tend to lean toward using NOAA data, the Weather Channel records tend to agree with @oliver's experience on the ground of not going below 24F.  When I post the combined data from the various threads on the Palmageddon: The Final Inventory thread for review by the folks on the ground, I'll use 24F for the Brownsville observations.

[DreaminAboutPalms]

A dactylifera in a median is still trying to come back here in North Austin. By metric/Braker lane area. Receives no care 

[Cade]

I’m afraid that Dacty is dead … most that looked like that by now in Houston are dead or dying usually the fall over . 

[DreaminAboutPalms]

8 minutes ago, Cade said:

I’m afraid that Dacty is dead … most that looked like that by now in Houston are dead or dying usually the fall over . 

I have no hopes that it will survive long term, but it appears to be trying. It has been pushing out fronds, short stunted ones but still green nonetheless. Not a great pic but it’s put out 8-10 this years We are also in big drought which doesn’t help because it gets no irrigation being in center of road. It came back in May, then started to look worse mid summer when then started looking better again in past few months 

Edited January 22, 2022 by DreaminAboutPalms

[Xerarch]

15 minutes ago, DreaminAboutPalms said:

I have no hopes that it will survive long term, but it appears to be trying. It has been pushing out fronds, short stunted ones but still green nonetheless. Not a great pic but it’s put out 8-10 this years We are also in big drought which doesn’t help because it gets no irrigation being in center of road. It came back in May, then started to look worse mid summer when then started looking better again in past few months 

Hope or no hope, it ain't over until those green fronds dry up

[Cade]

[Cade]

Just now, Cade said:

 

One in Alvin TX -9B that looks miserable also lol the town that where next to fell over a few days ago , trunks where rotted 

[DreaminAboutPalms]

Only mature washie survivor at El arroyo Mexican restaurant downtown austin 5th st

 

Edited January 22, 2022 by DreaminAboutPalms

[Xenon]

About as good as it gets in College Station 

[DreaminAboutPalms]

Sad to say that this surviving Washingtonia hybrid in North central austin was cut down and replaced with several couple gallon Home Depot Washingtonia . This pic is from October 1st btw, this palm had about a full crown when they decided to cut it down. They even ripped out the volunteers.... 

Sad 

 

Edited January 22, 2022 by DreaminAboutPalms

[Joe The Palm]

Here is what looks to be an amazing W. robusta survivor in Brenham, TX 

296 US Hwy 290 E - Google Maps

[Joe The Palm]

A notable queen palm recovery near Beaumont, TX

East Fwy - Google Maps

Edited January 23, 2022 by Joe The Palm
.

[Teegurr]

Trachy in College Station , sorry for low quality

On Ponderosa and Wildrye

[Teegurr]

Washy Longmire and Todd

[Meangreen94z]

Lago Vista on Lake Travis. Area probably saw 3-4°F although this was somewhat closer to the Lake. Still impressive that those Phoenix survived.

[NBTX11]

Travelling up I35 last weekend going through Austin, I noticed a large number of tall, thin trunked Washingtonias that has survived and grown new crowns.  These were on the north side of Austin (10 min north of downtown?) right next to I35 near some overpass.  On both sides of I35.  I was surprised.

[joetx]

11 hours ago, NBTX11 said:

Travelling up I35 last weekend going through Austin, I noticed a large number of tall, thin trunked Washingtonias that has survived and grown new crowns.  These were on the north side of Austin (10 min north of downtown?) right next to I35 near some overpass.  On both sides of I35.  I was surprised.

I know which ones you're talking about. The ones just north of PTerry's near the interchange? I know there are a lot of people bummed out on here, but I'm actually amazed at what DID survive those temps!

[knikfar]

I created another topic, within Cold Hardy Palms, called Dallas Texas Winter 2021 Survivors. Of the palmy cities in Texas, Dallas experienced the coldest temps in 2021. So I'm hoping some of you Dallas folks will share info there about palms that survived there unprotected and also with minimal protection. And I'd love to hear about palms you thought were dead but came back from the grave. 

[DreaminAboutPalms]

On 1/24/2022 at 10:06 PM, NBTX11 said:

Travelling up I35 last weekend going through Austin, I noticed a large number of tall, thin trunked Washingtonias that has survived and grown new crowns.  These were on the north side of Austin (10 min north of downtown?) right next to I35 near some overpass.  On both sides of I35.  I was surprised.

 

[DreaminAboutPalms]

 Gold’s Gym Robusta Hybrid (north central austin) has received a trim and is also putting out bigger fronds now. Would be huge if this one can pull through 

It seems that thin trunked robusta hybrids have a fighting shot in Austin durIng these events if they are planted close to a building and have 25 feet plus of trunk. 

[NBTX11]

7 hours ago, DreaminAboutPalms said:

 

There was some on both sides of I35 not too far from each other. The east side of I35 ones were under some overpass. I’m not that familiar with north Austin so I don’t know what exit. Significantly north of downtown Austin well past the double decker freeway. Two separate areas but fairly close to each other

Edited January 26, 2022 by NBTX11

[DreaminAboutPalms]

1 hour ago, NBTX11 said:

There was some on both sides of I35 not too far from each other. The east side of I35 ones were under some overpass. I’m not that familiar with north Austin so I don’t know what exit. Significantly north of downtown Austin well past the double decker freeway. Two separate areas but fairly close to each other

I know exactly where you are talking about, it is right where the 35 exits onto 290, and 2/3 hybrids came back. 

Also, I have not had a chance to check it out yet but if you were to exit off i35 onto 290, after about a half mile there is a Rodeway Inn & Suites that had about a dozen mature filiferas/filifera dominant hybrid going into the freeze and I would suspect most came back if not all based on the hybrid recoveries in the area

Edited January 26, 2022 by DreaminAboutPalms

[AnTonY]

On 1/11/2022 at 1:20 AM, Collectorpalms said:

Woah, a Queen Palm, then a washy washy sabal sabal med washy washy. Exception a few nice CIDP.  Since I live here, I can say it. Texas Coastal cities are SO uninspiring. Boring. Constant fear of Hurricanes and floods, very few plants thrive along the Texas coastal towns. In over 20 years, I have spent the night in Galveston, Corpus, RGV exactly once each. The humidity isnt worth the extra 5-10F in winter. Only place worse for plants is probably my soil and city water. Galveston was much more lush prior to Hurricane Ike that killed off most of the plants from salt water. Now it looks no different than that video. And 2018 and 2021 Killed off all the zone 9b palms, except right in the lower RGV.

The whole US is boring except SE US in/adjacent to peninsular Florida. Maybe also lowland Arizona, California if you can get past the much drier climate/ecology.

[AnTonY]

On 1/11/2022 at 1:20 AM, Collectorpalms said:

Woah, a Queen Palm, then a washy washy sabal sabal med washy washy. Exception a few nice CIDP.  Since I live here, I can say it. Texas Coastal cities are SO uninspiring. Boring. Constant fear of Hurricanes and floods, very few plants thrive along the Texas coastal towns. In over 20 years, I have spent the night in Galveston, Corpus, RGV exactly once each. The humidity isnt worth the extra 5-10F in winter. Only place worse for plants is probably my soil and city water. Galveston was much more lush prior to Hurricane Ike that killed off most of the plants from salt water. Now it looks no different than that video. And 2018 and 2021 Killed off all the zone 9b palms, except right in the lower RGV.

I still don't understand how that Ike flooding killed many parts of Galveston's foliage. The Deep South classics (i.e live oaks, magnolias, etc) are supposed to be resistant to salt spray/flooding (see: maritime forests in Carolinas, Georgia, and Northern Florida). The Goose Island area around Rockport TX has good growths of live oaks, redbays, and some other evergreens — the other areas of Texas coast should be able to support at least that ecologically (i.e. particularly the wetter upper coast).

Also, it's funny how in tropical realms, you have all kinds of sea-faring trees right along the coast, coconuts, sea grapes, mangroves, what have you — yet you are reduced to open barren salt marshes/grasses the moment you introduce wintry freezes/temperate. So abrupt, no transition whatsoever. 

Edited February 2, 2022 by AnTonY

[Meangreen94z]

I’ve always admired these at an old townhome complex in South Houston. The area theoretically may have seen 15°F February 2021, so not an extreme for a Butia. But there’s probably 40 on the property and it doesn’t appear they lost a single one.

[Xenon]

49 minutes ago, Meangreen94z said:

I’ve always admired these at an old townhome complex in South Houston. The area theoretically may have seen 15°F February 2021, so not an extreme for a Butia. But there’s probably 40 on the property and it doesn’t appear they lost a single one.

 

Around Fuqua and 45 right? There used to be some queens mixed in too, was hoping for some hybrids 

[Meangreen94z]

6 minutes ago, Xenon said:

Around Fuqua and 45 right? There used to be some queens mixed in too, was hoping for some hybrids 

Very close to there. Beamer and Scarsdale approximately.  

[Cade]

Fairy large robusta  on the Ieft kinda hard to see came across today , used to be 4 more the others perished couldn’t handle 13 degrees , Located in Alvin Texas suburb of Houston 

[Collectorpalms]

One Year Anniversary of beginning of the deep freeze 2021 brought a heavy quick burst of snow to the TX border of Zone 8b/9a. This was this afternoon Feb 12, 2022.
 

Snow or freezing rain/sleet was a rare event, now it happens almost every year. 
 

Check out the video of the heavy wet flakes in the video from the farm on Brazos River. 

Edited February 13, 2022 by Collectorpalms

[Collectorpalms]

@Meangreen94z  I spied the Donut Heaven Sign and Located all the Big Beautiful Butias on Google Maps. Correct, it was 15F. They have to be some of the older pre 1990 Palms In Houston that have not died due to disease.

https://www.google.com/maps/@29.5907553,-95.2210016,3a,37.5y,222.78h,92.62t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s3oazwJZec59t6UluagZDIA!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

 

Question is why they grow so crooked? A lot of other trees in the past blow down?  Google Maps only goes to 2008, and they are the same.  Take a look at how sideways they are. Did Hurricane Alicia in 1983 tip them over? Or maybe I have not seen enough old Butia in Houston, but they seem to be leaning along the street in one section.

https://www.google.com/maps/@29.5909415,-95.2212306,3a,75y,253.01h,86.67t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sXcemKvkINfcHBRDk6hqXWA!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

Edited February 13, 2022 by Collectorpalms

[Xenon]

There are many more pre-89 Butia in Houston in older neighborhoods. They are never "common"/abundant but you do run into them. 

[Collectorpalms]

36 minutes ago, Xenon said:

There are many more pre-89 Butia in Houston in older neighborhoods. They are never "common"/abundant but you do run into them. 

I have seen them like in Memorial To River Oaks area. I just don’t recall them leaning unless they had big trees nearby. 
One old complex on Westheimer had them as well about same age. 7979 Westheimer. 

Edited February 13, 2022 by Collectorpalms