Help celebrate Texas Native Plant Week

**ARCHIVED POST **

Since 2009, Texas has celebrated the third week of October as Native Plant Week. 

This year, the Society is also celebrating its 40th year at the same time. We have scheduled free virtual events using Zoom for every day of the week. The first session starts at 3 pm on Sunday, October 18, and will feature Representative Donna Howard of Austin, who introduced the legislation that created Texas Native Plant Week. 

Later the same day at 7 pm  Sam Kieschnick, urban biologist with Texas Parks & Wildlife, will explain how to participate in our second annual Wild Plants of Texas bioblitz using a free app called iNaturalist. 

Throughout the remainder of the week there will be sessions in the day and at night featuring virtual garden tours around the state and educational presentations on plants and pollinators. We will wrap up on the evening of Saturday, October 24, with announcements of our annual awards and contest winners. All the sessions are free. All you have to do is register for them and watch from the comfort of your home.  

[su_button url=”https://www.npsot.org/wp/symposium2020/” target=”blank” style=”flat” background=”#46629e” size=”5″ icon=”icon: hand-o-up”]Learn more and register[/su_button]

**ARCHIVED POST**

**ARCHIVED POST LINKS & PICTURES MAY NOT WORK**

**ARCHIVED POST AUTHOR: wpadmin

About the Region

2026 Fall Symposium Logo

This low-elevations region of Texas extends inland from the barrier islands, about 60 or so miles, and stretches from Brownsville to Louisiana. In total, it covers about 9.5 million acres, with a high point of 150 feet in elevation. More than 1000 species of plants can be found in this region. On the southern end, species more common in Mexico (such as Sabal mexicana) and Central America occur.

The barrier islands provide us with dune systems, and clay flats to the inland side, which have species found in these areas alone. Many plants here, such as Ipomoea pes-caprae (beach morning glory), can be found throughout tropical regions of the globe. I’ve encountered the same species on the beaches of Guam.

Once inland, vast marshes and wet prairies occur. Occasionally, oak (Quercus fusiformis) groves can be found. Common grasses include species of Bothriochloa, Paspalum, and Sporobolus; eastern gamagrass (Tripsacum dactyloides); and switchgrass (Panicum species). Many rivers and creeks cut through the Gulf Prairies, and along these riparian areas various species of trees, Sabal minor, and other plants adapted to clay soils can be found. Due to overgrazing, farming, and fire suppression, woody species such as mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa) and huisache (Acacia farnesiana), and invasive species such as chinaberry (Melia azedarach), Brazilian pepper (Schinus terebinthifolius), and Chinese tallow (Sapium sebiferum) have increased and displaced our native flora.

Source: Wildflowers of Texas by Michael Eason