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Native Plant Society of Texas

New Resource for You: Native Plants in Schools

Haeley Giambalvo

Did you know that NPSOT now has resources available to help schools start their own Texas native plant gardens?

Check out the new Native Plants in Schools section of our website. There you will find:

  • School Garden Starter Guide – a short PDF guide with plant lists and tips and tricks for creating a successful school native plant garden.
  • Native Plants Rock! presentation – a simple presentation to introduce kids to native plants and their benefits.
  • School garden examples – photos of school garden projects led by NPSOT members. If you have a school garden you would like to share on our website, please email native-plants-in-schools@npsot.org
  • List of garden curriculum and activity ideas – we’ve rounded up free resources available from a variety of conservation organizations. We will continue to add to this list and create our own native plant activities to complement these!
 

Please share these resources with schools and any other organizations in your area that is interested in starting a garden. If you have suggestions or feedback on these materials, the Native Plants in Schools committee would love to hear them! Please reach out to native-plants-in-schools@npsot.org.

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