Learn how to design and grow a thriving pollinator garden using a mix of native and adaptive plants tailored for Central Texas. Whether you’re starting from scratch or enhancing an existing landscape, this presentation will guide you through simple, effective steps to support biodiversity and bring pollinators to your own backyard. Discover how easy it is to turn your space into a vital part of Texas’s ecological network.
For Tracy A. Brown, nature has never been just a source of beauty—it’s a calling. Her lifelong passion for stewardship has guided her through a diverse path in agriculture, landscape […]
For Tracy A. Brown, nature has never been just a source of beauty—it’s a calling. Her lifelong passion for stewardship has guided her through a diverse path in agriculture, landscape design, photography, and ecological conservation, all rooted in the belief that caring for the land is both an art and a responsibility.
Her connection to agriculture began in high school and grew into an 18-year career in landscape installation, where she specialized in hardscape and sustainable landscape design. Blending creativity with environmental mindfulness, Tracy has an eye for crafting spaces that not only inspire but also work in harmony with their surroundings. Her background in photography deepens that perspective, allowing her to capture the quiet intersections of light, texture, and life that define the natural world.
An advocate for restoration and biodiversity, Tracy is a Certified Pollinator Steward, Riparian Repair and Restoration Specialist, and a graduate of the Native Landscape Certification Program (NLCP). She collaborates with the Native Prairies Association of Texas, promoting urban pocket prairies as living classrooms and havens for wildlife and pollinators.
As a Certified Bell County Master Gardener, Tracy leads the Herb Interest Study Group (2022–2025), bringing education and engagement to her community through workshops and outreach programs. She also serves with the Temple Garden Club as Community Relations Chair and Second Vice President (2025–2027), continuing her leadership through the National and Texas Garden Clubs as a Certified Design & Landscape Consultant and Landscape Design Steward.
Her dedication has been recognized with several honors, including the 2022 BCMG Award of Excellence, the 2023 BCMG Green Thumb Award, and a 2023 Texas Master Gardener Tied-Third Place Award for her herb education workshops.
Through every project and partnership, Tracy strives to reconnect people with the natural world—to see beauty as responsibility, and stewardship as legacy.
Salado, the location of our Fall 2025 Symposium, lies at the intersection of two ecoregions: the Edwards Plateau (Limestone Cut Plain) and Blackland Prairie (Northern Blackland Prairie).
The Edwards Plateau area is also called the Hill Country; however, this general term covers a much larger area extending farther north. Spring-fed creeks are found throughout the region; deep limestone canyons, rivers, and lakes (reservoirs) are common. Ashe juniper is perhaps the most common woody species found throughout the region. Additional woody species include various species of oak, with live oak (Quercus fusiformis) being the most common. Sycamores (Platanus occidentalis) and bald cypress (Taxodium distichum) border waterways. This area is well known for its spring wildflower displays, though they may be viewed in spring, late summer, and fall, as well. According to Texas Parks and Wildlife, average annual rainfall in the Edwards Plateau ranges from 15 to 34 inches.
The Blackland Prairie extends from the Red River south to San Antonio, bordered on the west by the Edwards Plateau and the Cross Timbers, and on the east by the Post Oak Savannah. Annual rainfall averages 30 to 40 inches, with higher averages to the east. This region is dominated by prairie species. The most common grass species include little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) and Indian grass (Sorghastrum nutans) in the uplands and switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) in the riparian areas and drainages. Common herbaceous flowering plants include salvias, penstemons, and silphiums. This area has suffered greatly from overgrazing and agricultural use. Few intact areas remain, though many of the plants can be found along county roadsides throughout the region.
Our fall Symposium host chapter, the Tonkawa Chapter, includes both of these ecoregions.
Source: Wildflowers of Texas by Michael Eason
