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Fredericksburg Chapter

View on YouTube: Create an Enchanted Garden Oasis. No Magical Experience required. June 25, 2024

View on Fredericksburg Texas Native Gardening YouTube channel

Learn how to Design a Garden that invites Butterflies and Wildlife to share it with you: butterflies on your flowers, birdsong dancing in the air.
Deborah Simmons, President of NPOST Fredericksburg Chapter, will enchant listeners into creating a garden oasis graced by the presence of wildlife in their very own yard at the next meeting of the Native Plant Society of Texas (NPSOT), Fredericksburg Chapter on June 25 at 6:30 p.m. at St. Joseph’s Halle.

“If you’ve visited Cross Mountain, you’ll notice the area is teeming with life,” noted Simmons. “Bees, butterflies, birds, and lizards make their homes in Cross Mountain Park.” She added “If you want your yard to attract wildlife like this, you can do it on purpose by designing an environment that invites creatures to come.”

Much of the wild landscape at Cross Mountain Park has been planted and is maintained by the local NPSOT chapter in partnership with the City of Fredericksburg.

Simmons has been a lover of plants since she was a toddler, first hiding beneath the green curtain of a weeping willow tree, then at age 5, watching zinnias sprout from seeds she had planted in her mother’s birdbath. She spent her professional life working with people, not plants, but always maintained a garden to breathe life back into herself. Simmons has been gardening in the Hill Country for 15 years. Learning through trial and error: if there is a mistake to be made, she has probably made it. She and her husband, Mark, operate a 90-acre conservation ranch in Doss under a wildlife management program. They are restoring meadows, removing invasive species, adding biodiversity to the woodland areas, and maintaining the riparian areas along their creek.

The Fredericksburg NPSOT chapter holds its monthly meetings on the 4th Tuesday of the month at St. Joseph’s Halle (212 W. San Antonio St., Fredericksburg). There is a social time with snacks at 6:30 p.m. and the meeting starts at 7 p.m. The public is invited to attend in person and/or live via online streaming (www.youtube.com/@fredericksburgtexasnativeg4884). More information is online at Facebook (@fbgtxnpsot), Instagram @npsot_fredericksburg_chapter, and https://npsot.org/chapters/fredericksburg/. Meetings are free and open to the public.

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About the Region

New Braunfels, the location of our Fall 2024 Symposium, straddles both the Edwards Plateau Ecoregion and the Blackland Prairie ecoregion. Interstate 35 divides the city of New Braunfels; its path through the city closely parallels the boundary of these two ecoregions, with the Edwards Plateau on the west side and the Blackland Prairies region to the east. The Edwards Plateau area is also called the Hill Country; however, this general term covers a much larger area extending farther north. Spring-fed creeks are found throughout the region; deep limestone canyons, rivers, and lakes (reservoirs) are common. Ashe juniper is perhaps the most common woody species found throughout the region. Additional woody species include various species of oak, with live oak (Quercus fusiformis) being the most common. Sycamores (Platanus occidentalis) and bald cypress (Taxodium distichum) border waterways. This area is well known for its spring wildflower displays, though they may be viewed in spring, late summer, and fall, as well. According to Texas Parks and Wildlife, average annual rainfall in the Edwards Plateau ranges from 15 to 34 inches.

The Blackland Prairie extends from the Red River south to San Antonio, bordered on the west by the Edwards Plateau and the Cross Timbers, and on the east by the Post Oak Savannah. Annual rainfall averages 30 to 40 inches, with higher averages to the east. This region is dominated by prairie species. The most common grass species include little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) and Indian grass (Sorghastrum nutans) in the uplands and switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) in the riparian areas and drainages. Common herbaceous flowering plants include salvias, penstemons, and silphiums. This area has suffered greatly from overgrazing and agricultural use. Few intact areas remain, though many of the plants can be found along county roadsides throughout the region.

Our four host chapters (New Braunfels, Lindheimer, Guadalupe, and the Hill Country chapters) are located in one or both of the ecoregions above. However, the eastern portion of Guadalupe County also falls within the Post Oak Savanna ecoregion. Annual rainfall averages 35 to 45 inches, with higher averages to the east. A wide variety of hardwood trees are found, including several species of oaks, elms, and in the Bastrop area, loblolly pine (Pinus taeda). Grasses and forbs dominate in the open savannas, with most common grass being little bluestem. Ranching, agriculture, and fire suppression have allowed woody species to encroach on the once-open savannas.

Source: Wildflowers of Texas by Michael Eason