Celebrate Texas Native Plant Week by participating in regional events or doing your own activities using our suggested agenda below. Educators, check out our additional education resources for more curriculum and activity ideas.
Day 1
Go on a wildflower hunt. Find a wildflower you would like to learn more about. It can be big or small or blue or yellow. Use this observation sheet to investigate [pdf] your special wildflower and then write down what you discover. What does your wildflower look, smell and feel like? How long is it? Where is it growing? Use the clues to identify it with a wildflower identification guide.
Day 2
Ask your local nursery to offer more native plant options and urge them to stop selling invasive plants[pdf] that are harmful to Texas’s natural areas.
Day 3
Plant a native plant. Buy a native plant at a local nursery and plant it in your garden. Record the common and scientific name of the plant and the date it was planted. Keep track of how much it grows and how long it takes to reach its full size by charting its growth rate. You also can make notes about how your plant changes over time. Make your own simple chart or use this helpful template [pdf].
Day 4
Learn about rare and endangered native plants and what you can do to protect them.
Day 5
Organize a native plant rescue in your neighborhood. Learn more about plant rescue tips & steps [pdf].
Day 6
Become a Citizen Scientist. Stomp out reckless invasive plants and give natives a fighting chance by collecting important data on invasives with the Invaders of Texas program.
Day 7
Seed a wildflower meadow at home, school, or in your community. Learn how to do to a large-scale wildflower planting by reading articles posted in the “How To” section of the Wildflower Center website. Check out the other resources:
- How to Grow Native Wildflowers by Native American Seed co-owner, Bill Neiman.
- Download an article about growing wildflowers[pdf].
- Fun Seed Ball Making activity.
- Seed Grants available for Texas K-12 schools through the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
