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Native Plant Society of Texas

Austin Chapter

VOLUNTEER

Photo Credit: Claire Sorenson

What do you need to qualify to be a volunteer? Well, you need to be curious. You need to be willing to roll up your sleeves. You need to like meeting other people who love native plants. NPSOT Austin welcomes families looking for outdoor activities, students looking for volunteer hours, and anyone looking to donate their time for the preservation and promotion of native plants.

Volunteer opportunities, marked with an * in the list below, indicate our current priority needs. Click here for more details.

Volunteer Interest Form

Let us know how you would like to volunteer!

Please complete the volunteer form below, and an organizer will reach out to you about upcoming volunteer opportunities! Don’t see something that interests you? Propose to lead your own volunteer project because there just might be members who have the same idea! 

Click here for more details on some of our needs

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