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FAYETTEVILLE — Under the hot weekend sun, about a dozen members of the Live Oak Chapter of the Native Plant Society of Texas labored to bring blooms of colorful flowers and native plants to the entrance of Lake Fayette Oak Thicket Park to welcome visitors.
Nature lovers from Fayette, Colorado and Lavaca counties removed thatch, mowed, raked and scattered hundreds of thousands of seeds in the small valleys at the park’s entrance off State Highway 159. The group then continued on to do the same at Lake Fayette Prairie Park. Program committee member Le Anne Welder said the seeding was the chapter’s first community improvement project.
“The parks manager gave us a tour and invited us to do any and everything we were willing to do to promote park visibility, park use, to get people coming and talking and also to help spread the word about native plants,” Welder said. “We tried to narrow it down to a manageable project. I think we probably still bit off a whole lot.”
Native plants are those that occur naturally in the environment and are the ecological basis upon which local wildlife and people depend, says the National Audubon Society. Encouraging native plant growth helps preserve pollinator populations, conserve water, reduce flooding and sustain the landscape and environment.
Parks manager Kevin White said the parks will be developing educational signage and materials about native plants for park visitors to further public awareness and knowledge. He said the wide array of colors from the bluebonnets, flowers and other plants will also attract park visitors, create a photography space and reduce mowing maintenance.
“Ultimately, the goal is to bring families and visitors outside into nature, into beautifully curated spaces,” White said. “…It’s peaceful. It’s beautiful. It’s adventure. Whether you’re looking for adventure or you’re looking to calm down and take a break. Same place, same goal.”
Live Oak Chapter member Christine Feehery, 72 of Columbus, said she finds happiness in sunshine, fresh air and nature, which helps her mental and physical health. She added that happiness spreads and that people listen to passion, something she learned as a teacher.
“The environment’s very important to me because nature is where I get my joy from,” Feehery said. “Also, (I) see it being destroyed so much, and that upsets me. I feel like if I can just do my little part, maybe it’ll make a difference.”
Feehrey recalled being a member of a now-disbanded Columbus chapter of the Native Plant Society of Texas. She said the group’s covering one county made membership engagement difficult, but she still met many great people and enjoyed various field trips. Feehrey added that she likes the Live Oak Chapter’s focus on volunteer projects.
“When you find a whole group of people who are also trying to make improvements and trying to get people to stop being destructive, stop doing the practices that they don’t know what the effect is going to be down the road, (then) we can all work together to change that,” Feehrey said.
Since its inception in January, the tri-county Live Oak Chapter has grown to nearly 80 members. A member of the statewide Native Plant Society of Texas, the chapter seeks to educate the public, promote conservation and encourage utilization of native plants and plant habitats of Texas. The group meets every second Saturday of the month at 9 a.m. at The B Haus Nursery, located at 382 Farm-to-Market 2671 in Schulenburg.
“There’s a lot of momentum. I will say I’m brand new to this, but every one of these events or every one of our outings or meetings, there’s some really cool information that goes out there, and I think there’s a big gravitation to endorsing and supporting native plants throughout,” chapter president Anthony Haas said.
Haas said the chapter would like to do more volunteer projects of blending native plants into the environment. The chapter is also working to increase outreach through their Facebook group “Live Oak Chapter- Native Plant Society of Texas”, community events and more. Haas said the chapter’s upcoming plant sale will introduce the public to a variety of native plants.
The Live Oak Chapter will be hosting a two-day native plant sale on Oct. 30 and 31 at The B Haus Nursey from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on both days. Plants for sale include native trees, shrubs, grasses, perennials, mulch and more. According to the chapter, fall is often the best time to establish native plants in Texas.
More information about the Live Oak Chapter and the Native Plant Society of Texas can be found online at npsot.org/chapters/liveoak/.
