by Center Staff | Oct 10, 2018
TLLC Child Development Center In 2018, Wildflower Center Ecologist Michelle Bertelsen and Landscape Architect Adam Barbe crafted a concept package for a new, nature-focused playscape at Triumphant Love Lutheran Church’s Child Development Center. Bertelsen says the...
by Center Staff | Oct 4, 2018
Species of Greatest Conservation Need Texas is home to well over 1,300 plant and animal species known as “Species of Greatest Conservation Need.” These include federal- and state-listed species, as well as those that were never listed due to lack of information. As a...
by Amy McCullough | May 12, 2018
Outdoor Learning Environments The Wildflower Center has partnered with several environmentally-minded organizations to support the Austin chapter of OLE! Texas, an initiative to build nature into childhood education through outdoor learning environments. The OLE!...
by Center Staff | Apr 19, 2018
Amistad Vegetation Mapping In spring 2017, researchers from the Wildflower Center began an epic plant survey at Lake Amistad National Recreation Area. They were hired by the National Park Service to collect data that will be used to create detailed vegetation maps....
by Center Staff | Feb 23, 2018
Tobusch Fishhook Cactus Conservation Tough things sometimes come in small packages. The Tobusch fishhook cactus (Sclerocactus brevihamatus ssp. tobuschii, also known as Ancistrocactus tobuschii) is no exception. Named for its unique hooked spines, this cactus spends...
by Center Staff | Sep 22, 2017
Wildflower Center Seed Bank The Wildflower Center collects and stores seed from keystone species in the plant communities of Texas. These seeds are used by research scientists in propagation studies and reintroduction and environmental restoration efforts; they are...
by Center Staff | Dec 12, 2016
Blanco River Restoration Following the Memorial Day and Halloween floods of 2015, Center restoration ecologists provided landscape guidance to Hays County residents whose properties were flooded along the Blanco River. Guidance took the form of an instructional...
by Center Staff | Oct 24, 2016
Prescribed Fire Research Wildflower Center land managers and researchers have been lighting landscapes on fire since 2001. Why? Center Director of Land Resources Matt O’Toole, who usually serves as burn boss, admits it might sound counter-intuitive, but explains that...
by Center Staff | Oct 23, 2016
Taste of Place The Taste of Place project began as a collaboration between the Wildflower Center and UT Green Corps (Division of Housing and Food Service at The University of Texas at Austin) to explore edible plants native to Central Texas — the “ultra-local” food....
by Center Staff | Oct 19, 2016
Hall of Texas Heroes History comes alive in the Hall of Texas Heroes, where descendants of some of the state’s most famous oak trees grow. Many trees — and oaks in particular — can live hundreds of years, so the dramas of human life tend to unfold beneath their...
by Center Staff | Aug 29, 2016
SkySystem™ Green roofs in hot climates got off to slow start. They were up against a lot: extreme temperatures, intense rainfall events and long periods of drought. Plant roots — and the matter they live in — have to remain cool enough to survive and be able to retain...
by Center Staff | Aug 29, 2016
Habiturf®: The Ecological Lawn Turfgrasses have a wide range of applications: roadsides, parks, corporate campuses, golf courses, utility rights of way and residential lawns. But they’re often villainized as requiring high levels of nutrients, water and...
by Center Staff | Aug 24, 2016
SITES® Rating System Landscapes can be more than just beautiful spaces or outdoor play places. They can be regenerative, protective and beneficial to all living things. The Sustainable SITES Initiative® promotes the creation of sustainable built landscapes that reduce...
by Center Staff | Aug 24, 2016
Combating Invasive Species Invasive species are non-native (or alien) species to a local ecosystem whose introduction causes economic loss, environmental damage or harm to human health. Invasive species grow and reproduce rapidly and establish over large areas,...
by Center Staff | Aug 24, 2016
Ecological Roadsides Lady Bird Johnson saw roadside restoration as an opportunity to bring ecological richness, plant and animal biodiversity, and regional identity to what might otherwise be unhealthy, homogenous areas lined with billboards and invasive species. The...
by Center Staff | Aug 22, 2016
Lost Pines Recovery From 2011 to 2017, the Wildflower Center grew more than 250,000 loblolly pines (Pinus taeda) to help replenish the Lost Pines area of Bastrop County, which was devastated by wildfires in 2011. The fires burned well over 30,000 acres, destroying...
by Center Staff | Aug 21, 2016
Mission Reach Restoration The Mission Reach Ecosystem Restoration and Recreation Project — part of the nation’s largest urban ecosystem restoration project — rehabilitated and enhanced the hydrological and ecological function of 8 miles of the San Antonio River...
by Center Staff | Aug 18, 2016
Endangered Plants The Wildflower Center partners with the Center for Plant Conservation, other conservation organizations, academia, private landowners, and state and federal agencies to perform conservation research on rare and endangered plant species in Texas. Not...
by Center Staff | Aug 18, 2016
Project Milkweed Native milkweed populations are dwindling nationwide due to habitat degradation, herbicide use and drought. Milkweeds are critical to the survival of monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) and many other animals. Texas milkweeds, in particular, are...
by Center Staff | Aug 18, 2016
Pollinator Conservation Native pollinators—bees, butterflies, moths, bats and birds—play a critical role in sustaining ecosystems and provide essential services to American agriculture (estimated at as much as $9 billion annually). Yet pollinators are in trouble. More...