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A Garden Oasis for Birds, Butterflies, & Yourself

Presentation Details

Learn how to create a garden habitat that is attractive to people, and a beneficial oasis for birds and pollinators.

Tips and Techniques for which plants to select and how to properly plant and care for them. Ornamental trees, shrubs, and vines that provide food and nesting for birds and host plants for butterflies are discussed. Wildflowers for beauty, nectar, food and seasonal flowering are also included. A special section on shade loving plants for habitat and their beauty will be discussed.

Overall objective is to provide seasonal color, food, and habitat structure for wildlife and a nature retreat for ourselves.

Equipment Required:
Projector, Screen
Additional Requirements:
None
Ecoregions Covered:
Central Great Plains, Chihuahuan Deserts, Cross Timbers, East Central Texas Plains, Edwards Plateau, Gulf Coast Prairies and Marshes, High Plains, Southern Texas Plains, Southwestern Tablelands, Texas Blackland Prairies, Western Gulf Coastal Plain

Presenter Information

  • Glenn Olsen

    Glenn leads natural history and birding tours with GOBirding Ecotours to the hottest birding locations in the U.S. He organizes, manages, and co-guides tours to exotic locales such as the Galapagos Islands, the Amazon Rainforest, Ecuador, Costa Rica, and Honduras. His tours include aspects of the culture, ecology and natural history of the region.

    His classes at Rice University’s Glasscock School of Continuing Studies encompass The Natural History of Texas, identification of birds, plant identification, gardening for birds, butterflies and pollinators, sustainable landscaping, native plants, and other nature related subjects. Years ago Glenn completed the Master Naturalist and Master Gardener courses and gives classes for the Master Naturalist program.
    He also offers consulting services for bird surveys including breeding, migration, and winter
    surveys to determine the species of birds that utilize the property.

    Consulting services for landscaping to create habitat for birds and butterflies are offered through GO Native Landscaping. This service provides the property owner with key concepts, techniques, and procedures for improving or creating habitat for birds and butterflies. Design and Installation services are also available. Glenn and his wife are co-owners and have created designs for a park for the City of Manvel, TX, the Hooks Woods property for the Texas Ornithological Society, as well as commercial and residential properties in Houston and beyond.

    Glenn served on the Houston Audubon Board as Vice President of Education in 2000, and is again serving on the board in 2022-2024. He is Past President of both the Houston Chapter and the statewide organization of the Native Plant Society of Texas. He co-founded the WildScapes Workshops in Houston, an event that for over twenty years has celebrated the importance of native plants, pollinators, and birds.
    Glenn has led field trips and/or given presentations for the Texas Ornithological Society, NPSOT, Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival, Galveston FeatherFest, Laredo Birding Festival, Rockport HummerBird Festival, Houston Audubon, Mercer Arboretum, WildScapes Workshops, the Katy Prairie Conservancy, Texas Master Naturalists, Houston Arboretum, Fort Worth Audubon, and others.

    He has written articles that have appeared in the Houston Chronicle, the Audubon Newsletter, and various gardening newsletters.
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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