pollinator garden – Page 2 – NPSOT-Williamson County Chapter

September 18, 2024September 18, 2024

October 10 Chapter Meeting: “Building a Future With Flowers: Lewisville’s Sustainable Solution” with TJ Gilmore

Join NPSOT-Williamson County on Thursday, October 10, 2024, when our featured topic will be “Building a Future With Flowers: Lewisville’s Sustainable Solution” with TJ Gilmore, mayor of Lewisville, Texas. Our guest speaker will be joining us via Zoom from Lewisville.

The meeting begins at 7:00 PM. TJ’s presentation will begin after a short business meeting. The meeting is free and open to the public.

==> This month, we meet at the Georgetown Public Library, 2nd Floor, 402 W 8th St, Georgetown, Texas 78626. Come early (6:30 PM) for expert advice, to check out the seed swap board, or just to visit.

==> To attend via Zoom register at https://npsot-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcod-6rpj0vHNbqaLOu16d146ngFuPBxCTO#/registration

About our topic: Want to know how to navigate getting your city leadership to invest in natives, avoid common political pitfalls, and identify several programs that can be replicated in your community? TJ Gilmore, mayor of Lewisville, Texas, will be providing all of that and more in his presentation.

About our speaker: Mayor TJ Gilmore is an Arizona native who’s been a Texas transplant since 2001. His service to the community stretches back to working on boards and commissions in 2004 until he was elected to city council in 2011 and became mayor in 2021. He’s married to his college sweetheart, has three recent college graduate children and can’t pass up watching a good Star Trek episode. TJ is always looking out for ways to leave the community better than he found it and loves how plants bring people together — even though he has a black thumb.

At every meeting, we give away a book — about native plants or the meeting topic — to one randomly chosen in-person attendee!

Have an idea for a speaker? Let Program Leader Susie Hickman know via email to wilco-chapter@npsot.org.

NPSOT-Williamson County meetings are free and open to the public. We hope you attend! Meetings may be in person, virtual, or both, so be sure to check details in the meeting announcement. Meetings are announced on our website, our calendar and Facebook. See upcoming topics on our page Wilco Home or on our Calendar.

December 12, 2023

Landfill Pollinator Garden Workday – Part Deux

This image shows the volunteer crew gathered around the project sign in celebration of completing the mulch spreading.

— by Gary Bowers

Six volunteers from Master Naturalists and NPSOT Wilco started the chilly, breezy morning of Sun Dec 10, 2023 bundled up to begin spreading the 15 cu yds of mulch that Louis from Waste Management had delivered. The goal: spread the mulch along the pathway – covering the weed barrier that had become visible.

The team exchanged introductions, unloaded the tools, and quickly got to work. By the end of the first hour, we had started shedding layers of clothing. Chilly days are the best for spreading mulch!

The crew sat aside the limestone pavers that had been used as stepping stones and then repurposed those to use as a garden border. Stones like this create habitat for crickets, spiders, lizards, and various other critters.

After all the mulch was spread and the tools returned to the correct vehicles, the team spent some time walking the garden, checking on the new plants put in during the previous workday, and discussing the tasks needed for the next workday.

Thanks to all the hardworking volunteers! See you on the next workday!

If you have not yet been to this garden, it is open to the public. Sunday is the best time to drop by as the landfill is closed so there is no traffic and it’s safe to park along the road. If you choose to go during the week, park at the Recycling Center across the street.

About the garden: The Pollinator Garden is a collaboration of the NPSOT-Wilco chapter, Good Water Master Naturalists, and Williamson County Waste Management, located at the entrance to the Williamson County Landfill, at the corner of FM 1660 and Landfill Road in Hutto, TX, across from the Recycling Center. The garden includes a Monarch Waystation and is a Certified Texas Wildscape. Volunteers help maintain the garden when the collaborating organizations announce a maintenance work day. Anyone interested is invited to help!

December 1, 2023December 1, 2023

Landfill Pollinator Garden Workday, Sunday, Dec 10, 2023

Join us for a workday at the landfill pollinator garden on Sunday, December 10, 2023, from 9:30am to 11:30am. Bring a hat, boots, gloves and water. We’ll be spreading mulch (hopefully) so if you have wheelbarrows, shovels, and maybe garden rakes to bring, it will help make things go more quickly.

Signup at this link:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F4AADAC28A5F58-46506728-pollinator#/

About the garden: The Pollinator Garden is a collaboration of the NPSOT-Wilco chapter, Good Water Master Naturalists, and Williamson County Waste Management, located at the entrance to the Williamson County Landfill, at the corner of FM 1660 and Landfill Road in Hutto, TX, across from the Recycling Center. The garden includes a Monarch Waystation and is a Certified Texas Wildscape. Volunteers help maintain the garden when the collaborating organizations announce a maintenance work day. Anyone interested is invited to help!