Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Not every prairie is measured in acres. Join our Land Steward Leslie Uppinghouse for a tour of a pocket prairie at the Wildflower Center and learn how a thoughtfully designed planting can provide habitat, seasonal color and ecological benefits in a relatively small space.

Leslie shares tips for planning and maintaining a pocket prairie, from choosing species to managing the space over time. Whether you’re working with a large yard, a small corner of your landscape or navigating HOA requirements, gain some helpful tips for creating a habitat with native plants.

Some of the species featured in this pocket prairie include:
• Boechera stricta (Brazos rockcress)
• Senna lindheimeriana (Lindheimer’s senna)
• Muhlenbergia reverchonii (Seep muhly)
• Bouteloua dactyloides (Buffalograss)
• Bouteloua gracilis (Blue grama)
• Bouteloua curtipendula (Sideoats grama)
• Bouteloua rigidiseta (Texas grama)
• Phacelia congesta (Blue curls)
• Cirsium texanum (Texas thistle)
• Lindheimera texana (Texas yellowstar)
• Chaptalia texana (Texas silverpuff)
• Solanum triquetrum (Texas nightshade)
• Pleiacanthus spinosus (Texas skeleton plant)
• Calyptocarpus vialis (Velvetweed)
• Coreopsis linifolia (Threadleaf coreopsis)
• Heterotheca canescens (Hoary false goldenaster)
• Gaillardia pulchella (Firewheel)
• Monarda citriodora (Lemon beebalm)

What would you include in your pocket prairie?

Looking for something to do this weekend? Join us Sunday, May 31, for a screening of Mabel (2024), an award-winning coming-of-age film about friendship, belonging and finding connection through the natural world.

With screenings at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., FREE popcorn included 🍿 and the gardens just outside the auditorium doors, it’s a perfect way to spend an afternoon at the Wildflower Center.

🎟️ Tickets:
$12.50 members
$17.50 non-members

Get tickets: wildflower.org/event/movie-night-mabel-1

Brushing up on trail life, one bloom at a time.

Meet Verbena glandularia, a Texas native wildflower currently putting on a show along the Violet Crown Trail near the Wildflower Center. It is low-growing, carries a honey-sweet fragrance, blooms well into May, and makes every other plant around it look better. The kind of neighbor everyone wants.

Have you ever stopped to identify a plant on a trail? Drop a comment with what you found.

Next time you visit the Wildflower Center, take the Violet Crown Trail and see what’s blooming along the way. Check out our collaboration with Hill Country Conservancy to learn more about the trail connection to the Center. Watch the full video: https://youtu.be/HxNSAPvkWfI

The mallow family (Malvaceae) is full of plants you’ve probably seen before, even if you didn’t realize they were related.

This week, Kyle, Carissa, Amy and Hannah highlight a few members of the family blooming around the Wildflower Center right now, from bright red Turk’s cap to velvet-leaf mallow.

And did you know marshmallows actually started with a plant? The original confection was made using sap from the roots of the marshmallow plant (Althaea officinalis), another member of the mallow family. Kyle shares a little more about the history behind the name in this week’s video.

Plants featured:
• Rock rose — Pavonia lasiopetala
• Turk’s cap — Malvaviscus arboreus var. drummondii
• Velvet-leaf mallow — Allowissadula holosericea
• Saltmarsh mallow — Kosteletzkya pentacarpos

We’re open all Memorial Day weekend! Come out and see what’s in bloom! Plan your visit: wildflower.org/visit

The Violet Crown Trail and the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. Two Austin icons. One incredible connection.

Here is what most people don't know: the Violet Crown Trail is the first and longest regional trail in Central Texas. It currently spans 13 miles from Zilker Park straight to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, with plans to extend to 30 miles across Travis and Hays County when complete.

This means Austinites can bike all the way from downtown to the Wildflower Center. We recommend this because the parking lot fills up fast, especially on weekends. And taking the trail is a great way to brush up on some of the Texas native plants that you're going to see on your way to the center.

Next time you're planning a visit to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, try taking the Violet Crown Trail! We teamed up with Hill Country Conservancy to share more about the route from the trail to the Center. Watch the full video: https://youtu.be/HxNSAPvkWfI