Beautiful native plants and their pollinators
Beautiful native plants and their pollinators
Writer and lecturer on native plants, water conservation, soil conservation, and organics. He grew up on a farm in South Louisiana and spent his time as a youth wandering through […]
Writer and lecturer on native plants, water conservation, soil conservation, and organics. He grew up on a farm in South Louisiana and spent his time as a youth wandering through pine forests, cypress swamps, and open fields, tending a small herd of cattle, bailing hay, milking, raising chickens and attending elementary school in a four-room schoolhouse. He spent six years in a Catholic seminary, receiving a classical education. In college, he worked in the oil fields to fund his education. He has been a journalist, an investment banker, and a political analyst. He has written hundreds of articles both online and in print. He maintains a website (gulfcoastgardening.com) in which he promotes organic gardening, native plants, soil culture, rainwater harvesting, drip irrigation and water conservation.
He also helped write and then administer The Woodlands Water Conservation Program, which helped reduce the per person water consumption in The Woodlands from 200 gallons per day to 91 gallons per day. As a result of that, his department was awarded the coveted Blue Legacy Award from the Texas Water Development Board. He was also named Outstanding Water Conservation Leader of the Year by the Gulf Coast Water Symposium, and educator of the year by the Montgomery County Master Gardeners. He helped promote, raise funds and was on the group to design and supervise the construction of two community gardens in The Woodlands.
He and his wife now live in Willis, Texas, where he writes and gardens. He gives about 100 presentations a year. Topics include: Backyard Composting; Container Gardening; Gardening Organically; Fall is the Time to Plant Spring-flowering Plants; Preparing Your Garden for Fall and Winter; Beautiful Native Plants, Butterflies, and Moths; Soil - The Living Layer of Earth; Insects - the Good, Bad, and Indifferent; The Future of Texas Water; Backyard Rainwater Harvesting; Drip Irrigation for Your Garden; Basics of Plant Taxonomy; Texas "Weeds"; and Waterwise Landscaping Trends.
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