A Texas Celebration of Native Plants

By Colleen Hook, Executive Director, Quinta Mazatlan

October brings cooler weather and outdoor gardening to celebrate Texas Native Plants! You may ask, “What are native plants?” Native plants have naturally grown in an area for hundreds of years and thus survive our little rainfall and hot temperatures.

Native plants also grow deep roots, such as the Honey Mesquite, needing minimal watering, saving you time and money. The Honey Mesquite tree can grow up to 36’ tall and make beautiful shade trees. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, neighborhoods with mature trees can be 6 percent cooler than new suburbs without trees. If that were the difference between 100 degrees and 94 degrees, we would all choose to live in a neighborhood with trees.

Native plants give us many benefits, and not all of them are obvious or direct. One such benefit is that of biodiversity. A two-year UTRGV study showed a positive relationship between bird diversity and the number of native trees planted in yards. This implies that native trees make a tremendous difference in overall bird diversity in our neighborhoods.

One reason could be that native plants support greater diversity and abundance of insects than non-native plants. In one study, Dr. Doug Tallamy, an entomologist and author of “Bringing Nature Home,” found that yards landscaped with native plants supported many more caterpillars than those with non-native plants, and birds of conservation concern were eight times more abundant in native wildscaped yards.

All this leads to the general conclusion that biodiversity matters, native plants support more biodiversity, and we can make a difference with the space in our yards and neighborhoods. We can enhance our lives and the lives of wildlife around us in a simple way—plant more natives!

Follow Quinta Mazatlan on social media for Stewardship Volunteer Opportunities, Thursday Night Speakers, Saturday Workshops, Saturday STEM Stops for Kids, Native Plant Sales, and more. Quinta Mazatlan is a mansion with a mission working to restore one native backyard at a time.