Native Plants

Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

rate this answer

Friday - March 06, 2009
From: Austin, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Wildflowers
Title: Collecting native plants of Texas
Answered by: Nan Hampton
QUESTION:
Where can I find native plants of Texas to collect? I am doing a project and I need native Texan flowers here in Austin or around here.ANSWER:
First, please read Alternatives to Collecting Wildflowers in our How-to Articles. If this is a project you have set for yourself and you could consider alternatives collecting—or. if it's an assignment and you can convince your teacher to consider alternatives to cutting or digging the plants, then there are many possibilities for finding plants—e.g., parks and preserves in the area and/or the Wildflower Center. The obvious alternative to collecting plants is to photograph them. Digital cameras are relatively inexpensive and you can download your photos and put them into various presentation formats (Word, PowerPoint, etc.) with the plants' names, date and place of photograph, etc. There are many parks in the Austin area that have a wealth of native plants that you could photograph, but collecting them is prohibited. There are a large number of parks and preserves within the Austin city limits itself where you could photograph, but again you could NOT collect plants in the parks. If you and your class have been given an assignment to collect living plants for a project and your teacher won't consider photographic alternatives, then I guess you are sort of stuck with finding a place to acquire them. It is not illegal to collect plants from the right-of-way on state roads, but it is DANGEROUS—especially on busy roads. Trespassing on someone else's property is not a good idea since it is generally considered illegal. Your best bet then, if you can't use photographs for your project, is to find property with an abundance of different plants, find out who the owner is and ask permission to collect there. If this was an assignment from your teacher, ask for guidance from him/her for places to collect where plant collection is not prohibited.
More Wildflowers Questions
When do bluebonnets bloom in Austin
January 03, 2008 - When do Blue Bonnets bloom in Austin? We have someone who wants to come visit and see the Blue Bonnets and I want to tell them the right time of year.. Thanks!!
view the full question and answer
What is blooming in NJ in Late November?
November 27, 2015 - I am a beekeeper in Edison, NJ. My bees are still bringing pollen even this late in the season (Thanksgiving). What plants or trees are still blooming? The color of the pollen is a pale yellow.
view the full question and answer
Fertilizing hayfield with wildflowers in Brenham TX
September 20, 2010 - I have property near Brenham, TX that produces wild bluebonnets, Indian paintbrush and other wildflowers each year. I would like to fertilize the pastures to help with hay production (the grass is ha...
view the full question and answer
Light requirements for Heartleaf Skullcap from Smithville TX
June 29, 2011 - How much sun or shade does Heartleaf Skullcap need?
view the full question and answer
Yellow Indian paintbrush, Castilleja indivisa
May 09, 2005 - Does entireleaf Indian paintbrush, Castilleja indivisa, come in yellow in the wild? I have Indian paintbrush in the front pasture and noticed last weekend that there were 5 or 6 that were light yellow...
view the full question and answer
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |