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.

Help us grow by giving to the Plant Database Fund or by becoming a member

Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?

Ask Mr. Smarty Plants

Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

Search Smarty Plants

See a list of all Smarty Plants questions

Please forgive us, but Mr. Smarty Plants has been overwhelmed by a flood of mail and must take a break for awhile to catch up. We hope to be accepting new questions again soon. Thank you!

Need help with plant identification, visit the plant identification page.

rate this answer

Not Yet Rated

Sunday - June 03, 2012

From: Canyon, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Managing Roadsides, Plant Laws, Wildflowers
Title: Wildflowers being mowed in Canyon TX
Answered by: Barbara Medford

QUESTION:

Can I receive a letter from someone there to put up in our neighborhood? I live in an area very close to Palo Duro Canyon. A developer out here mows down the wildflowers along the one lane road. It makes me so angry and sick at heart. I know how important these plants are to not only the admiring eye but to the critters that depend on them for there existence. There WERE more wildflowers on that little stretch of Sunday Canyon Road than highway 217 from Canyon to the Palo Duro Canyon. They were still in bloom and now they are all gone because some ass thought it was better to mow . Please, please send me a letter about the good of having wildflowers and the wrong of destroying them. I know if I post my own letter it just won't mean as much (some people think I am just a left wing extremist). A letter from your head quarters would catch the attention of others. Thank you so very much.

ANSWER:

We appreciate your concern, but we are hardly an authority that could command attention from the responsible parties. We are a botanical garden of Texas native plants, as well as a research and conservation organization, non-profit and not connected with any government agencies. We have received similar questions from others and this Mr. Smarty Plants Previous Answer has some of the same responses we would give to you. We don't know the situation or even the wildflowers you are trying to protect, but we can assure you that if the property in question is in private hands, they have control over what mowing is done and when. If it is county or state roads, you would need to contact the road departments for that area. Here are some places you could start looking for information:

Randall County Road and Bridge Dept.

Randall County Road Dept.

Texas AgriLife Extension Service for Randall County