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FEATURED ARTICLE
Less mowing, more blooms. Learn why researchers say a slightly wilder lawn can provide valuable habitat for pollinators and other wildlife.
EVENTS & CLASSES
Join us for one of our exciting classes, programs or events
Beaded Plants
Sunday, July 12
Gardening for Wildlife Series
Sundays, July 19 – August 9
Summer Film Series: One In A Thousand
Tuesday, July 14
Ice Age Night
Friday, August 14
GARDEN VIEWS
An inside glimpse of the gardens from our Instagram feed
We recently shared sensitive briar, whose leaves fold when touched. Here’s another native wildflower with a surprising characteristic.
The individual flowers of obedient plant (Physostegia virginiana) can be gently rotated along the stem, where they’ll temporarily remain in their new position. This unusual trait is what gave the plant its memorable common name.
Beyond this botanical curiosity, obedient plant is also an excellent nectar source for hummingbirds, butterflies and other pollinators.
Come by and check it out!
#NativePlants #AustinTX
Jul 13
Our buffalograss is looking a little different these days, and that’s exactly the point. 🌾
Earlier this season, we shared how well our buffalograss lawn was establishing. Now that Central Texas has shifted into the heat of summer, we’re dialing back irrigation to better mimic natural conditions.
As the lawn enters its summer dormancy, you’ll notice some of that bright green color fade. That’s normal. In fact, watering too much during this time can do more harm than good.
In this update, Kyle shares:
🌿 Why buffalograss naturally browns a bit in summer
💧 How we’re adjusting our watering schedule
✂️ Mowing options for a more formal look (or why we let ours grow!)
🦗 A few thoughts on chiggers and other wildlife that are part of a healthy ecosystem
If you’re growing buffalograss at home, we’d love to hear how it’s doing. Drop your questions in the comments or share a photo, we’re happy to help however we can.
#NativePlants #Buffalograss #TexasGardening #NativeLawn #WildflowerCenter
Jul 11
The moments pictured here are all part of something bigger. They offer a glimpse of the work happening every day at the Wildflower Center to inspire the conservation and cultivation of native plants.
This summer, we’re raising $100,000 by July 31 to help sustain that work, from research and conservation to education and stewardship.
Make a gift at the link in our bio.
🌿 One of the photos features our Seed Bank Technician Clara hand-pollinating big red sage as part of a research project at the Wildflower Center. We’ll be sharing more about her work soon, so stay tuned!
Jul 8
🦣 The Ice Age wasn’t just about mammoths…
This week’s Ice Age quest invites you to look beyond the giant creatures and discover some of the oldest plant lineages still growing today. As you explore the gardens, see if you can spot the prehistoric plants featured in this Reel.
Find this week’s Ice Age quest at the Entrance Pond, then explore the gardens to see how many prehistoric plants you can spot. Learn more at wildflower.org/iceage.
Did you spot them? 👀
🌲 Bald cypress (Taxodium distichum) is one of the oldest known wetland tree species on Earth and can live for more than 3,000 years.
🐴 Horsetails (Equisetum spp.) are among the oldest surviving plant lineages. Their ancient relatives grew as tall as trees more than 350 million years ago.
🌿 Dwarf palmetto (Sabal minor) is a hardy native palm that belongs to an ancient lineage of flowering plants.
🌿 Ferns first appeared about 360 million years ago. While today’s ferns are not the same species that grew in prehistoric forests, they are descendants of an ancient lineage that predates the dinosaurs.
#IceAgeInTheWild #WildflowerCenter
Jul 7
Happy Fourth of July! 🎆
The fluffy pink blooms of Mimosa roemeriana (Sensitive briar) always remind us of tiny botanical fireworks.
In this week’s trail stop, Kyle introduces this fascinating Texas native growing along our research trails and explains why its leaves fold when touched — a remarkable adaptation that’s just as fun to observe as it is to learn about.
Have you ever come across sensitive briar in the wild?
Jul 4
Many native plants really come into their own in the summer.
This week, Sophie is highlighting three of her summer rockstars: Eysenhardtia texana (Texas kidneywood), Wedelia acapulcensis var. hispida (zexmenia) and Lantana urticoides (Texas lantana). These Texas natives continue to thrive even through the hottest days of the season.
She also shares an important tip about choosing native Texas lantana and what to know about some of the colorful varieties commonly sold in nurseries.
Which native plant is a summer rockstar in your garden?
Plan your visit: wildflower.org/visit
#NativePlants #AustinTX
Jul 3
☀️ July at the Wildflower Center
Summer is in full swing, and there’s plenty to discover in the gardens (or learn from the comfort of home). Wander through Ice Age in the Wild, learn to see plants in a new way with Let’s Botanize, make your own beaded plant, or join our virtual Gardening for Wildlife series and bring more birds, butterflies, and bees to your own backyard.
Plan your visit: wildflower.org/events
#WildflowerCenter #StayWild #ATXThingsToDo #ExploreTexas
Jul 2
Learning takes root every day at the Wildflower Center.
Here, people of all ages discover native plants, explore the gardens, build new skills and knowledge, and contribute to conservation.
Today, we’re kicking off our summer campaign to raise $100,000 by July 31 and help sustain the Wildflower Center as a living classroom for people of all ages.
If you’ve found inspiration here, whether in the gardens, through a class, on a guided tour or in our online resources, we hope you’ll consider making a gift. Your support helps ensure the Wildflower Center remains a place where people can learn, connect with nature and discover the value of native plants.
Make a gift at the link in our bio.
Jul 1
Bloom alert! Texas bluebells are looking especially beautiful right now.
But these blooms have quite the story. This Texas native wildflower (Eustoma exaltatum ssp. russellianum), known in the floral industry as lisianthus, has become one of the world’s most popular cut flowers. In Japan, it’s among the country’s favorite flowers, and decades of breeding have produced hundreds of cultivars now used around the globe.
If these blooms caught your eye, learn more about the remarkable journey of this Texas native and why protecting wild populations matters.
Read the full story at wildflower.org. (link in our bio!)
Jun 29
It’s the last day of #PollinatorWeek, but the blooms (and the pollinators) aren’t slowing down. 🐝🦋
While we were on the @utaustintx campus this week, we stopped by the beautiful native plantings at the @lbjlibrary to take a closer look at a few species in bloom.
In this week’s What’s in Bloom, Hannah, Amy and Carissa highlight:
🌼 Texas kidneywood (Eysenhardtia texana)
🌸 White autumn sage (Salvia greggii ‘white’)
🌻 Common sunflower (Helianthus annuus)
Along with adding color to the landscape, these native plants provide nectar, pollen and habitat that help support bees, butterflies and other pollinators throughout the season.
Whether you’re visiting a botanical garden, a museum or your neighborhood park, native plants make a difference wherever they’re growing.
Which one is your favorite?
Jun 26
We recently shared sensitive briar, whose leaves fold when touched. Here’s another native wildflower with a surprising characteristic.
The individual flowers of obedient plant (Physostegia virginiana) can be gently rotated along the stem, where they’ll temporarily remain in their new position. This unusual trait is what gave the plant its memorable common name.
Beyond this botanical curiosity, obedient plant is also an excellent nectar source for hummingbirds, butterflies and other pollinators.
Come by and check it out!
#NativePlants #AustinTX
Jul 13
Our buffalograss is looking a little different these days, and that’s exactly the point. 🌾
Earlier this season, we shared how well our buffalograss lawn was establishing. Now that Central Texas has shifted into the heat of summer, we’re dialing back irrigation to better mimic natural conditions.
As the lawn enters its summer dormancy, you’ll notice some of that bright green color fade. That’s normal. In fact, watering too much during this time can do more harm than good.
In this update, Kyle shares:
🌿 Why buffalograss naturally browns a bit in summer
💧 How we’re adjusting our watering schedule
✂️ Mowing options for a more formal look (or why we let ours grow!)
🦗 A few thoughts on chiggers and other wildlife that are part of a healthy ecosystem
If you’re growing buffalograss at home, we’d love to hear how it’s doing. Drop your questions in the comments or share a photo, we’re happy to help however we can.
#NativePlants #Buffalograss #TexasGardening #NativeLawn #WildflowerCenter
Jul 11
The moments pictured here are all part of something bigger. They offer a glimpse of the work happening every day at the Wildflower Center to inspire the conservation and cultivation of native plants.
This summer, we’re raising $100,000 by July 31 to help sustain that work, from research and conservation to education and stewardship.
Make a gift at the link in our bio.
🌿 One of the photos features our Seed Bank Technician Clara hand-pollinating big red sage as part of a research project at the Wildflower Center. We’ll be sharing more about her work soon, so stay tuned!
Jul 8
🦣 The Ice Age wasn’t just about mammoths…
This week’s Ice Age quest invites you to look beyond the giant creatures and discover some of the oldest plant lineages still growing today. As you explore the gardens, see if you can spot the prehistoric plants featured in this Reel.
Find this week’s Ice Age quest at the Entrance Pond, then explore the gardens to see how many prehistoric plants you can spot. Learn more at wildflower.org/iceage.
Did you spot them? 👀
🌲 Bald cypress (Taxodium distichum) is one of the oldest known wetland tree species on Earth and can live for more than 3,000 years.
🐴 Horsetails (Equisetum spp.) are among the oldest surviving plant lineages. Their ancient relatives grew as tall as trees more than 350 million years ago.
🌿 Dwarf palmetto (Sabal minor) is a hardy native palm that belongs to an ancient lineage of flowering plants.
🌿 Ferns first appeared about 360 million years ago. While today’s ferns are not the same species that grew in prehistoric forests, they are descendants of an ancient lineage that predates the dinosaurs.
#IceAgeInTheWild #WildflowerCenter
Jul 7
Happy Fourth of July! 🎆
The fluffy pink blooms of Mimosa roemeriana (Sensitive briar) always remind us of tiny botanical fireworks.
In this week’s trail stop, Kyle introduces this fascinating Texas native growing along our research trails and explains why its leaves fold when touched — a remarkable adaptation that’s just as fun to observe as it is to learn about.
Have you ever come across sensitive briar in the wild?
Jul 4
Many native plants really come into their own in the summer.
This week, Sophie is highlighting three of her summer rockstars: Eysenhardtia texana (Texas kidneywood), Wedelia acapulcensis var. hispida (zexmenia) and Lantana urticoides (Texas lantana). These Texas natives continue to thrive even through the hottest days of the season.
She also shares an important tip about choosing native Texas lantana and what to know about some of the colorful varieties commonly sold in nurseries.
Which native plant is a summer rockstar in your garden?
Plan your visit: wildflower.org/visit
#NativePlants #AustinTX
Jul 3
☀️ July at the Wildflower Center
Summer is in full swing, and there’s plenty to discover in the gardens (or learn from the comfort of home). Wander through Ice Age in the Wild, learn to see plants in a new way with Let’s Botanize, make your own beaded plant, or join our virtual Gardening for Wildlife series and bring more birds, butterflies, and bees to your own backyard.
Plan your visit: wildflower.org/events
#WildflowerCenter #StayWild #ATXThingsToDo #ExploreTexas
Jul 2
Learning takes root every day at the Wildflower Center.
Here, people of all ages discover native plants, explore the gardens, build new skills and knowledge, and contribute to conservation.
Today, we’re kicking off our summer campaign to raise $100,000 by July 31 and help sustain the Wildflower Center as a living classroom for people of all ages.
If you’ve found inspiration here, whether in the gardens, through a class, on a guided tour or in our online resources, we hope you’ll consider making a gift. Your support helps ensure the Wildflower Center remains a place where people can learn, connect with nature and discover the value of native plants.
Make a gift at the link in our bio.
Jul 1
Bloom alert! Texas bluebells are looking especially beautiful right now.
But these blooms have quite the story. This Texas native wildflower (Eustoma exaltatum ssp. russellianum), known in the floral industry as lisianthus, has become one of the world’s most popular cut flowers. In Japan, it’s among the country’s favorite flowers, and decades of breeding have produced hundreds of cultivars now used around the globe.
If these blooms caught your eye, learn more about the remarkable journey of this Texas native and why protecting wild populations matters.
Read the full story at wildflower.org. (link in our bio!)
Jun 29
It’s the last day of #PollinatorWeek, but the blooms (and the pollinators) aren’t slowing down. 🐝🦋
While we were on the @utaustintx campus this week, we stopped by the beautiful native plantings at the @lbjlibrary to take a closer look at a few species in bloom.
In this week’s What’s in Bloom, Hannah, Amy and Carissa highlight:
🌼 Texas kidneywood (Eysenhardtia texana)
🌸 White autumn sage (Salvia greggii ‘white’)
🌻 Common sunflower (Helianthus annuus)
Along with adding color to the landscape, these native plants provide nectar, pollen and habitat that help support bees, butterflies and other pollinators throughout the season.
Whether you’re visiting a botanical garden, a museum or your neighborhood park, native plants make a difference wherever they’re growing.
Which one is your favorite?
Jun 26
Help us spread the beauty!
EXPLORE MORE
Expert advice, plant nerdery and inspiring stories
A Garden Grows at Ann Richards School
How one student got the courtyard blooming
Beyond the Blossoms
The team of volunteers documenting Wildflower Center fauna
Power the Migration
Thirteen plants to help monarch butterflies
