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Native Plant Society of Texas

Fredericksburg Chapter

Celebrating Ward Miller (1937-2026)

Ward Miller

How to describe Ward Miller. He was a linchpin in the foundation of the Fredericksburg chapter of NPSOT – a vice president in 2011, president in 2015, gardener (at heart, a landscaper), a good friend and mentor always. Ward passed away Monday, February 2, in Austin at Austin Heart. He left his footprints on our lives.

Ward was an active force in leading and encouraging the preservation of Texas Hill Country native ecology. After retiring from the US Army, he turned his energy to both the Hill Country Chapter of Master Naturalists and the development of the Fredericksburg Chapter of NPSOT.

Inclusion was an extension of his personal philosophy. Ward’s was the face that greeted each new visitor at a meeting; and he always greeted that person by name after that. When Fredericksburg hosted the NPSOT symposium, Ward lead garden tours (for children as well as adults). To know the environment, you have to explore it. So Ward lead field trips through the region.

The Military Veterans Memorial at the Gillespie County Court House was dear to his heart. Students became involved in helping maintain it because of his involvement and mentorship.

 

If you want others to see the beauty around them and care about it, you plant gardens and invite the butterflies. And always – you do it with community,

And this is what we need to do.

 

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