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Native Plant Society of Texas

Spring symposium scheduled for March 23

NPSOT Archive

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Featured presenters at the spring symposium this year will be Shannon Brown of Ecosystems Regeneration Artisans (ERA) Landscapes on ‘Rainscapes’; Author Michael Eason on ‘Plants of the Chihuahuan Desert’; George Cates of Native American Seed on ‘Perspectives on Native Seeds’; Claire Jenkins and Ariel Cummins of the Cibolo Nature Center; and Ben Pfeiffer of Firefly.org on ‘Fireflies of Texas.’

The symposium will be held at the auditorium at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in South Austin. Cost is $60 person ($50 for members).  A light breakfast, box lunch and full access to the Wildflower Center gardens is included. Doors open at 8 am. Please register online.

Andrea DeLong-Amaya, Director of Horticulture at the Wildflower Center will lead a tour following the presentations. An additional attraction is Athena and her owlets who make their nest each year just outside the auditorium door at the Wildflower Center.

Nearby accommodations for those staying overnight include Holiday Inn Express and LaQuinta Inn.

Contact our state office for more information. The spring symposium is a joint production of the Native Plant Society of Texas and the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

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**ARCHIVED POST AUTHOR: Bill Hopkins

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