Tag: native plants

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Field Trip: Phil Hardberger Park, Saturday, April 29, 2023

— by Cindy Chrisler

  • What:   Phil Hardberger Park, San Antonio
  • When:  10:00 AM – 12 PM, Saturday, April 29, 2023
    • Arrive at 9:45 AM so we can start the tour at 10:00 sharp
  • Where:  Phil Hardberger Park, 13203 Blanco Rd, San Antonio TX, 78216
  • Our field trip is free and open to the public, but please RSVP (instructions below)

April’s field trip heads to Phil Hardberger Park in San Antonio on Saturday, April 29, from 10am to 12pm. Arrive at 9:45am so we can start the tour at 10:00 sharp. We’ll meet at the Salado Outdoor Classroom building at 13203 Blanco Rd, San Antonio TX, 78216.

We will have a brief orientation followed by a guided hike provided by David Jimenez, Education Coordinator for the park. The guided hike is along a flat terrain trail and will include the Robert L. B. Tobin Land Bridge over Wurzbach Parkway! This amazing park has so much to offer that you may want to stay after the guided hike to explore further on your own. Click on the park’s map here.

Carpooling is highly encouraged as parking is limited. Wear clothing appropriate for the weather, especially comfortable walking shoes. Be prepared for sun by wearing sunscreen and a hat.

This field trip is open to anyone that wants to go — family, friends, and the general public. You do not need to be a NPSOT member.

Please RSVP at this link so we have a head count. Please RSVP by April 27.

If you have a question before you RSVP, let us know by email or contact form. See Contact Us.

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Balcones Canyonlands, “Wildflower Wander” & other guided hiking trips

News from Friends of Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge:

In April, we are holding a new event, the Wildflower Wander, to help people learn about wildflowers, as well as learn about identifying plants and the importance of native plants.   Here is the event registration page and information for Wildflower Wander:   https://www.friendsofbalcones.org/event-5211236

We also have a number of other fun April events. (See the full calendar here.)

  • Saturday, April 1, 10 AM
    • Wildflower Wander – Explore the Beauty of Wildflowers at Doeskin Ranch!
    • Register here
  • Sunday, April 2, 9 AM
    • Martin Tract Guided Hiking Tour – Adventure behind-the-scenes at the wildlife refuge with a hike on the Martin Tract!
    • Register here
  • Saturday, April 8, 7:30 AM
    • Birding Walk with Sherry Bixler – Meet our feathered friends with a birding walk at Doeskin Ranch!
    • Register here
  • Friday, April 14, 7:00 AM
    • Warbler Vista Guided Hiking Tour – Have a relaxing start to your Friday with an early morning walk through Warbler Vista!
    • Register here
  • Friday, April 21 through Sunday, April 23
    • Songbird Festival – Small group birding tours through Hill Country – the Texas Hill Country has long been a favorite spot known for its unique terrain and bountiful wildlife. Migrating birds also consider the Texas Hill Country a favorite as it serves as an important waystation where they can rest, nest and gather strength for their journey.
    • Multiple days & registration opportunities here
  • Saturday, April 22, 1:00 PM
    • Earth Day Guided Hiking Tour at Doeskin (Indiangrass Trail) – Celebrate Earth Day by taking in views at the top of Rim Rock, and the flora and fauna along Indiangrass trail!
    • Register here
  • Saturday, April 29, 8:00 AM
    • Igau Tract Guided Hiking Tour – Adventure behind-the-scenes of the Refuge for the day, with an 8-mile hike on our Igau Tract!
    • Register here

(This is not a NPSOT event.)

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NPSOT-Williamson County Spring 2023 Native Plant Sale (LIVE and ONLINE!)

  • [3/9/2023: updated to show ONLINE sale’s first list available]
  • [3/16/2023: updated for LIVE sale’s first list.]
  • [3/18/2023: ONLINE store link added]
  • [3/23/2023: added note online sale is over]
  • [3/29/2023: updated LIVE sale’s plant list]

— by Randy Pensabene

Announcing the NPSOT-Williamson County Chapter’s Spring Native Plant Sale. Our fabulous native plant sale will be both LIVE and ONLINE! The LIVE in-person sale, and the plant pickup for the ONLINE sale, will be Saturday, April 1, from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm, at Williamson County’s Champion Park group pavilions, 3830 Brushy Creek Road, Cedar Park, TX 78613. It is free and open to the public, with no park fees.

The LIVE sale will include everything we usually offer in the spring: a vast array of large and small native flowers, grasses, groundcovers, vines, shrubs, ornamental trees, and shade trees. The ONLINE sale will include only 3/5-gallon native shrubs, ornamental trees, and shade trees.

We will bring a few extra 3/5-gallon plants to the LIVE sale, but to be sure you get what you want, please reserve your big plants through the ONLINE Native Plant Sale and pick them up at the LIVE Native Plant Sale. Ordering your large container plants through the ONLINE sale ensures that we bring what you want, and that your plants are reserved and waiting for you.

As the sale date gets nearer, we will provide plant lists for what we will have for each sale. The links to the online store and the live plant sale list are below. If we update either list before the sale, we’ll update this blog post and publish a new blog post to alert subscribers. Updated lists will have the new date in the upper left on page 2.

  • The ONLINE SALE is OVER. ONLINE Native Plant Sale– Begins the morning of March 18 and runs through midnight March 22 (Pickup Saturday, April 1, 11:00 am to 2:00 pm).
    • ==> ONLINE STORE LINK

IMPORTANT: See our page Spring 2023 Native Plant Sale for important details about both the LIVE and ONLINE sales. All information about both sales will be found on that page, including important dates and instructions that are not in this blog post. Click this link to read the entire page of information.  

We’ll update this post if we update any information in the sale page, and we’ll publish a new blog post to alert subscribers. (If you would like to subscribe, go to Get News.)

image of a bluebonnet
Bluebonnet, Lupinus texensis