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Native Plant Society of Texas

Kerrville Chapter

Hill Country Resources

Resources Compiled by Local Heroes

Recommended Native Plants for Landscaping in the Texas Hill Country

The plants in the pamphlet “Native Plants for Landscaping in the Texas Hill Country” were initially selected by members of the Kerrville Native Plant Society to provide a list of common and deer resistant plants that can be used for landscaping in the Kerrville and surrounding areas.  Extremely handy and well-organized little booklet.  Available for a suggested $2 donation at the Gift Shop of the Riverside Nature Center, at chapter meetings and at public outreach events

Native Plants “To Go” is a series of free downloadable books available as pdf files or for tablets and smartphones.  Created by our very own Past President Sandra Magee and her husband Scott.

Monarch-Caterpillar-2

“Butterfly Larval Plants” is a compliation by Barbara Lowenthal and Sandra Magee.  The plants listed are native to the Texas Hill Country and the Edwards Plateau.  References used to make this spreadsheet are Butterfly Gardening for the South by Geyata Ajiivsgi and Texas A&M’s Checklist of Vascular Plants of Texas.

Thanks to Riverside Nature Center for these great informational documents.

 “Gleaner’s Handbook” contains identification keys to native plant families, common forbs and wildflower seeds in Kerr County and surrounding counties.  It also includes pressed flower guidelines, success with wildflower seed collection and other useful information about native plants. PDF – 71 pages.
 
“Wildflowers of Kerr County” is a checklist for the wildflower enthusiast.  Just as birders have life lists of bird sightings, this list can be used in the same way.  PDF – 21 pages.
milkweed seed

“Identification of Milkweeds in Texas” is a great resource developed by Texas Parks and Wildlife in conjunction with the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.  It has many useful color photographs as well as key identification characteristics and range maps for the many different milkweed species found in Texas.

“Carroll Abbott’s Texas Wildflower Newsletter” was written between 1976 and 1984 by Carroll Abbott, one of the founders and NPSOT and a Kerrville resident.  These interesting newsletters contain information that is still valuable today, written in an entertaining and informal style by Mr. Abbott and other contributors.


These books by Jim Stanley are a great addition to the library of any landowner in the Texas Hill Country.

Jim is a member of our local NPSOT chapter and a graduate of one of the first classes of Texas Master Naturalists (TMN).  Jim has volunteered countless hours of land management consulting as a TMN and also at Riverside Nature Center

Hill Country Landowner’s Guide

This invaluable book charts a practical course for understanding and handling a variety of problems that both new and established landowners in the Texas Hill Country will confront-from brush control, grazing and overpopulation of deer to erosion, fire and management of exotic animals and plants.

A Beginner’s Handbook for Rural Texas Landowner’s

The subtitle spells it out: “How to Live in the Country Without Spoiling It.” This book is the perfect introduction for small landowners wanting to be good stewards of their piece of the Hill Country.  As the title says, it’s a place to begin and a perfect lead-in to Stanley’s earlier book (above) which contains more specifics.

Also available at Riverside Nature Center.

Hill Country Ecology: Essays on Plants, Animals, Water, and Land Management

This is a compilation of essays published in the Kerrville Daily Times.  In this book, Dr. Stanley, a knowledgeable naturalist of Hill Country issues, addresses a wide range of topics of interest and concern to residents of the Texas Hill Country.

Also available at Riverside Nature Center.

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