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Native Plant Society of Texas

Waystation dedicated at Fort Worth pool

NPSOT Archive

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The City of Fort Worth formally dedicated the Monarch waystation at the Forest Park Pool on May 20.

Pool Director Alex Ritzhaupt shows off one of the new signs with Kim Conrow and Dawn Hancock. Photo by Bill Hopkins

North Central Chapter President Kim Conrow wrote last August about how the waystation got started. Kim suggested native plant landscaping to city officials after she and her husband Ray visited the pool. The city readily accepted and soon it became a chapter project. Kim created a landscape plan with the help of chapter member Dawn Hancock.

Joining in to help with installation were Boy Scout Troop 554, Cross Timbers Master Naturalists, Fort Worth Pollinator Ambassadors, Greater Fort Worth Sierra Club, Master Gardeners of Tarrant County, Native Prairie Association of Texas, and Crowley High School ROTC. Plantings were completed by the end of August. The Paschal High School Art Department created public art for the garden and the City of Fort Worth provided the educational signs which are guaranteed to last ten years. Plans are for the crew of lifeguards to tend the garden during the summer.

Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price is one of many Texas mayors who have signed the Mayor’s Monarch Pledge.

Fort Worth City Councilwoman Ann Zadeh, Commisioner’s Court Representative Roderick Miles, Kim Conrow and Bill Hopkins cut the ribbon to dedicate the garden. Photo by Suzanne Gill

The new garden was formally dedicated with speeches and a ribbon cutting ceremony. The North Central Chapter provided refreshments and a crafts demonstration. Teacher Cavan Crane and Principal Dr. Theresa Mossige unveiled public art created by the visual art students at Paschal High School.

People sometimes ask why the Native Plant Society has become so concerned with Monarch butterflies. Monarchs and other insects evolved together with native plants, and their survival is linked with the conservation of native plants. Monarch Waystations are a way to reach out to the public and provide education about the relationship between plants and insects. Waystations show people what native plants look like and how they can be used in residential landscapes and public places.

Everyone who enters the Forest Park Pool will pass through this garden and see the signs. For many years to come it will be enjoyed by swimmers as well as the Monarchs.

**ARCHIVED POST**

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**ARCHIVED POST AUTHOR: Bill Hopkins

About the Region

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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