Wildflower Café will be temporarily closed for remodeling beginning January 1, 2026.
PLAN YOUR VISIT
Find information about hours, admission, accessibility, and everything you need to know before you arrive.
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FEATURED ARTICLE
See how a student-led pollinator garden is transforming a school courtyard into habitat for birds, butterflies, and bees.
EVENTS & CLASSES
Join us for one of our exciting classes, programs or events
Discovery Day: Texas
Sunday, March 15
Nature Immersion Walk
Sunday, March 22
Movie Night: The Secret Garden (1993)
Thursday, March 19
Snake Safety
Sunday, March 22
GARDEN VIEWS
An inside glimpse of the gardens from our Instagram feed
The gardens are waking up! Our Director of Gardens and Collections, Kyle Cheesborough, is back — this time joined by Horticulturist Amy Medley — to highlight a few plants putting on a show right now:
Texas mountain laurel (Dermatophyllum secundiflorum) - Famous for its grape-scented purple blooms and one of Central Texas’ most beloved signs of spring.
Crossvine (Bignonia capreolata) - A native vine with trumpet-shaped flowers that hummingbirds love.
Agarita (Mahonia trifoliolata) - Bright yellow blooms that provide early nectar for pollinators and later produce tart red berries enjoyed by wildlife (and people).
Honorable mentions also blooming across the gardens right now:
🌸 Cercis canadensis var. texensis (Texas redbud)
🌺 Lonicera sempervirens (coral honeysuckle)
💜 Tradescantia gigantea (giant spiderwort)
🌼 Tetraneuris linearifolia (four-nerved daisy)
💙 Lupinus texensis (bluebonnets)
There’s a lot to see out there right now. Come take a walk and tell us what you find: wildflower.org/visit
#StayWild #Wildflowers #AustinTX #NativePlants
Mar 7
Austin, we’ve got some good news this morning. 🦉 Athena is back on the Wildflower Center owl cam, and she’s laid her first egg of the season.
This video shows the first daylight glimpse of the egg, a few hours after it appeared overnight.
In most years, Athena lays two eggs, typically about three days apart, so we’ll be keeping an eye out for a possible second egg soon.
Watch the live cam and learn more about Athena at wildflower.org/athena (links in our bio)!
The cam is made possible through our partnership with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. We’re looking forward to another season of watching Athena and her family together.
🎥 @cornellbirdcams
#AustinTX #AthenaTheOwl #GreatHornedOwl #BirdCam
Mar 5
Bluebonnets are starting to appear across the gardens, and our next Discovery Day is on its way. How are those two things related?
They’re both proudly Texan! Join us Sunday, March 15 for a day dedicated to the plants, landscapes and traditions that shape the Lone Star State.
Explore the full schedule at the link in our bio!
#WildflowerCenter #ATXThingsToDo
Mar 4
Introducing our 2026 Wildflower of the Year: Carolina jessamine (Gelsemium sempervirens)! 🌼
This fragrant evergreen vine bursts into spring with profuse, buttery yellow blooms, often earlier than many roadside annuals. Tough, adaptable and low-maintenance, it’s a dependable performer in Texas gardens and an important nectar source for pollinators.
Look for its bright flowers in early spring (like right now!), with blooms appearing off and on throughout the growing season.
Kyle Cheesborough, our Director of Gardens and Collections, shares more about why this plant stood out in Friday’s video about what’s in bloom.
Explore this year’s Wildflower Forecast, Top 20 Texas wildflowers and more at wildflower.org/texas.
#WildflowerCenter #StayWild #CarolinaJessamine #NativePlants TexasWildflowers
Mar 3
What’s blooming right now at the Wildflower Center? 🌸
Our Director of Gardens and Collections, Kyle Cheesborough, shares this week’s highlights — and yes, we talk about his California poppy shirt. (Spoiler: they’re native to parts of Texas, too.)
🌿 Mexican plum (Prunus mexicana) — one of the earliest native trees to flower in Central Texas. Its delicate white blooms may blend in visually, but the fragrance is unmistakable.
💙 Bluebonnet (Lupinus texensis) — our state flower is beginning to show color. Look for early blooms in sunny, well-drained areas as we head toward peak season.
💛 Carolina jessamine (Gelsemium sempervirens) — a twining native vine with bright yellow flowers that signal the shift from winter into spring.
Come take a walk this weekend, and tell us what you’re seeing bloom near you!
Plan your visit: wildflower.org/visit
#StayWild #WhatsBlooming #TexasNatives #AustinTX #NativePlants
Feb 28
Swipe to see what this hummingbird moth is visiting.
Hint: if you’ve walked by the front pond lately, you’ve probably caught the grape-like scent. 🍇
Mexican plum (Prunus mexicana) is in full bloom — a native tree that feeds pollinators and fills the garden with one of spring’s most distinctive fragrances.
📸: White-lined sphinx moth (Hyles lineata) captured by Bill J. Boyd
Feb 26
A plant worthy of its own epic soundtrack. 🐉
Learn more about Leatherstem at the link in our bio.
#WildflowerCenter #NativePlants
Feb 25
Ever found yourself wondering, “Wait… is that edible?” 🌿
Join us this Sunday, March 1, for Foraging for Native Edibles and learn how to identify native plants that are safe for your palate. This guided, expert-led walk will change the way you experience the landscape around you.
Want to keep the learning going? You can include Foraging Texas: Finding, Identifying and Preparing Edible Wild Foods in Texas by instructor Eric Knight with your registration — the perfect field companion.
💡 $25 class only
📖 $55 class + book
Members receive a discount.
Spots are still available (this one usually fills fast)! Check out the link in our bio for more.
📷 Sam Moser
#StayWild #WildflowerCenter #Foraging #CentralTexas 🌱
Feb 24
Spotted: Austin’s most iconic owl paying a visit to a very familiar nest this week, occasionally accompanied by her mate.
A coincidence? A casual visit? Or the beginning of our favorite season?
No eggs yet or official move-in, dear readers… But don’t worry. You’ll be the first to hear.
If history has taught us anything, it’s this: Some queens always return.
XOXO,
Wildflower Center
Brush up on your great horned owl knowledge at the link in our bio.
Photo 1: Athena near the nest this morning (Bill J. Boyd) Photo 2: Athena and her mate visiting the nest early in the morning this week. (@cornellbirdcams)
#StayWild #BirdCam #AthenaTheOwl #AustinTX
Feb 20
For generations, Indigenous communities have understood fire as a tool for stewardship, biodiversity, and landscape resilience, shaping knowledge through close relationships with the land.
As part of the 2026 @texasscience Festival, we’re bringing together hands-on science activities for all ages and a featured talk by research ecologist and cultural fire practitioner Dr. Frank Kanawha Lake.
His presentation explores the connections between Indigenous fire stewardship, pollinators, and eco-cultural restoration.
Find details & RSVP at the link in our bio!
🔥 Science activity fair
🌱 Free native plants
🍎 Snacks
🌎 All ages welcome
#TexasScienceFestival #FireEcology #IndigenousKnowledge #PlantBiology #WildflowerCenter
Feb 18
The gardens are waking up! Our Director of Gardens and Collections, Kyle Cheesborough, is back — this time joined by Horticulturist Amy Medley — to highlight a few plants putting on a show right now:
Texas mountain laurel (Dermatophyllum secundiflorum) - Famous for its grape-scented purple blooms and one of Central Texas’ most beloved signs of spring.
Crossvine (Bignonia capreolata) - A native vine with trumpet-shaped flowers that hummingbirds love.
Agarita (Mahonia trifoliolata) - Bright yellow blooms that provide early nectar for pollinators and later produce tart red berries enjoyed by wildlife (and people).
Honorable mentions also blooming across the gardens right now:
🌸 Cercis canadensis var. texensis (Texas redbud)
🌺 Lonicera sempervirens (coral honeysuckle)
💜 Tradescantia gigantea (giant spiderwort)
🌼 Tetraneuris linearifolia (four-nerved daisy)
💙 Lupinus texensis (bluebonnets)
There’s a lot to see out there right now. Come take a walk and tell us what you find: wildflower.org/visit
#StayWild #Wildflowers #AustinTX #NativePlants
Mar 7
Austin, we’ve got some good news this morning. 🦉 Athena is back on the Wildflower Center owl cam, and she’s laid her first egg of the season.
This video shows the first daylight glimpse of the egg, a few hours after it appeared overnight.
In most years, Athena lays two eggs, typically about three days apart, so we’ll be keeping an eye out for a possible second egg soon.
Watch the live cam and learn more about Athena at wildflower.org/athena (links in our bio)!
The cam is made possible through our partnership with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. We’re looking forward to another season of watching Athena and her family together.
🎥 @cornellbirdcams
#AustinTX #AthenaTheOwl #GreatHornedOwl #BirdCam
Mar 5
Bluebonnets are starting to appear across the gardens, and our next Discovery Day is on its way. How are those two things related?
They’re both proudly Texan! Join us Sunday, March 15 for a day dedicated to the plants, landscapes and traditions that shape the Lone Star State.
Explore the full schedule at the link in our bio!
#WildflowerCenter #ATXThingsToDo
Mar 4
Introducing our 2026 Wildflower of the Year: Carolina jessamine (Gelsemium sempervirens)! 🌼
This fragrant evergreen vine bursts into spring with profuse, buttery yellow blooms, often earlier than many roadside annuals. Tough, adaptable and low-maintenance, it’s a dependable performer in Texas gardens and an important nectar source for pollinators.
Look for its bright flowers in early spring (like right now!), with blooms appearing off and on throughout the growing season.
Kyle Cheesborough, our Director of Gardens and Collections, shares more about why this plant stood out in Friday’s video about what’s in bloom.
Explore this year’s Wildflower Forecast, Top 20 Texas wildflowers and more at wildflower.org/texas.
#WildflowerCenter #StayWild #CarolinaJessamine #NativePlants TexasWildflowers
Mar 3
What’s blooming right now at the Wildflower Center? 🌸
Our Director of Gardens and Collections, Kyle Cheesborough, shares this week’s highlights — and yes, we talk about his California poppy shirt. (Spoiler: they’re native to parts of Texas, too.)
🌿 Mexican plum (Prunus mexicana) — one of the earliest native trees to flower in Central Texas. Its delicate white blooms may blend in visually, but the fragrance is unmistakable.
💙 Bluebonnet (Lupinus texensis) — our state flower is beginning to show color. Look for early blooms in sunny, well-drained areas as we head toward peak season.
💛 Carolina jessamine (Gelsemium sempervirens) — a twining native vine with bright yellow flowers that signal the shift from winter into spring.
Come take a walk this weekend, and tell us what you’re seeing bloom near you!
Plan your visit: wildflower.org/visit
#StayWild #WhatsBlooming #TexasNatives #AustinTX #NativePlants
Feb 28
Swipe to see what this hummingbird moth is visiting.
Hint: if you’ve walked by the front pond lately, you’ve probably caught the grape-like scent. 🍇
Mexican plum (Prunus mexicana) is in full bloom — a native tree that feeds pollinators and fills the garden with one of spring’s most distinctive fragrances.
📸: White-lined sphinx moth (Hyles lineata) captured by Bill J. Boyd
Feb 26
A plant worthy of its own epic soundtrack. 🐉
Learn more about Leatherstem at the link in our bio.
#WildflowerCenter #NativePlants
Feb 25
Ever found yourself wondering, “Wait… is that edible?” 🌿
Join us this Sunday, March 1, for Foraging for Native Edibles and learn how to identify native plants that are safe for your palate. This guided, expert-led walk will change the way you experience the landscape around you.
Want to keep the learning going? You can include Foraging Texas: Finding, Identifying and Preparing Edible Wild Foods in Texas by instructor Eric Knight with your registration — the perfect field companion.
💡 $25 class only
📖 $55 class + book
Members receive a discount.
Spots are still available (this one usually fills fast)! Check out the link in our bio for more.
📷 Sam Moser
#StayWild #WildflowerCenter #Foraging #CentralTexas 🌱
Feb 24
Spotted: Austin’s most iconic owl paying a visit to a very familiar nest this week, occasionally accompanied by her mate.
A coincidence? A casual visit? Or the beginning of our favorite season?
No eggs yet or official move-in, dear readers… But don’t worry. You’ll be the first to hear.
If history has taught us anything, it’s this: Some queens always return.
XOXO,
Wildflower Center
Brush up on your great horned owl knowledge at the link in our bio.
Photo 1: Athena near the nest this morning (Bill J. Boyd) Photo 2: Athena and her mate visiting the nest early in the morning this week. (@cornellbirdcams)
#StayWild #BirdCam #AthenaTheOwl #AustinTX
Feb 20
For generations, Indigenous communities have understood fire as a tool for stewardship, biodiversity, and landscape resilience, shaping knowledge through close relationships with the land.
As part of the 2026 @texasscience Festival, we’re bringing together hands-on science activities for all ages and a featured talk by research ecologist and cultural fire practitioner Dr. Frank Kanawha Lake.
His presentation explores the connections between Indigenous fire stewardship, pollinators, and eco-cultural restoration.
Find details & RSVP at the link in our bio!
🔥 Science activity fair
🌱 Free native plants
🍎 Snacks
🌎 All ages welcome
#TexasScienceFestival #FireEcology #IndigenousKnowledge #PlantBiology #WildflowerCenter
Feb 18
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