PLAN YOUR VISIT
Find information about hours, admission, accessibility, and everything you need to know before you arrive.
BECOME A MEMBER
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FEATURED ARTICLE
See how a student-led pollinator garden is transforming a school courtyard into habitat for birds, butterflies, and bees.
EVENTS & CLASSES
Join us for one of our exciting classes, programs or events
Dig Your Native Soil
Saturday, Nov. 1
Tuesday Twilights Feat. BEN + SHIGIDEE SHIGIDEE
Tuesday, November 4
Family Birding
Saturday, November 1
Discovery Day: Fire
Saturday, Nov. 8
GARDEN VIEWS
An inside glimpse of the gardens from our Instagram feed
🍂 November at the Wildflower Center
Fall’s in full swing out here! This month’s all about discovery, from the science of fire and fungi to the simple joy of being outdoors. Whether you’re joining a class, catching live music, or wandering Fortlandia, there’s always something new to learn (and love) in the gardens.
Plan your visit: wildflower.org/events
#WildflowerCenter #StayWild #ATXThingsToDo #ExploreTexas
Nov 3
OooOOoo… it’s not all treats out here. To mark Halloween, here are a few strange and spooky sights from the gardens, from the familiar to the unexpected.
🕸️ Banded garden spider (Argiope trifasciata) – Spins perfect orbs that shimmer with dew on cool autumn mornings.
🍊 Osage orange (Maclura pomifera) – Bumpy, lime-green fruit once believed to repel spiders.
🍁 Flameleaf sumac (Rhus lanceolata) – Its red fall foliage could give Dracula garden envy.
🌾 King Ranch bluestem (Bothriochloa ischaemum) – Introduced for cattle forage, this invasive grass has spread across much of Texas, displacing native prairie species. The Center is working to reduce its presence and restore native diversity.
🌿 Lichen – A partnership between fungus and algae, slow-growing and quietly anchoring life to bark and stone.
🌼 Crab spider (Misumena vatia) – Perfectly camouflaged on petals, waiting for an unsuspecting pollinator to land.
🩸 Devil’s claw (Proboscidea louisianica) – Its hooked seedpods twist and scatter across dry ground.
🦉 Athena – Our resident great horned owl who returns each spring, keeping a watchful eye on us all. 👀
💀 Texas skeletonplant (Lygodesmia texana) – Morning blooms fade by midday, leaving slender, bone-pale stems.
🚯 Litter – A spooky sight we don’t want to see. Remember to leave no trace in our natural spaces!
Which do you think is the spookiest? 👻
#StayWild #WildflowerCenter #SpookySeason #TexasNature #NativePlants #HalloweenNature #LeaveNoTrace #TexasWildlife #NaturePhotography
Oct 31
🔥 Prescribed burn notice: Today and tomorrow (Oct. 30 & 31), you may notice light smoke near the Wildflower Center. Our Lands & Operations team, together with researchers from @utaustintx and the @austintexasgov Wildfire Division, is conducting a series of prescribed burns as part of the GRAMA — Grassland Recovery After Multiple Alterations project.
This long-term study, led by Drs. Amelia Wolf and Sean Griffin (our Director of Science & Conservation), examines how grasslands respond to factors like drought, nutrient changes, biomass removal and fire. Controlled burns are one part of this experiment, helping scientists understand how these ecosystems recover and adapt over time.
Prescribed burns also mimic natural processes that clear built-up fuels, return nutrients to the soil and encourage healthy regrowth.
🌾 More about prairie restoration and prescribed fire at the link in our bio.
📸 Dr. Sean Griffin
#WildflowerCenter #PrescribedBurn #FireEcology #StayWild #AustinTX #UTResearch
Oct 30
Everything we depend on — from our homes and food to our water — starts with soil. 🌱
There’s more life in a single inch of healthy soil than anywhere above ground. Together, those tiny organisms clean our water and nourish our plants.
Join Leslie this Saturday, Nov. 1, for Dig Your Native Soil and discover how taking the #LeaveSomeLeaves challenge supports the living network beneath our feet.
Register at wildflower.org/event/dig-your-native-soil (Link in our bio!).
#WildflowerCenter #StayWild #TexasNativePlants #SoilHealth #SoilEcology
Oct 28
🦋 Butterflies. That’s the post.
Monarchs (Danaus plexippus) and queens (Danaus gilippus) can’t resist Gregg’s mistflower (Conoclinium greggii), a native favorite for late-season nectar.
#WildflowerCenter #StayWild #Pollinators #TexasNativePlants
Oct 27
Join our Leave Some Leaves Fall Challenge! 🍂 Fallen leaves aren’t yard waste — they’re nature’s mulch, shelter, and fertilizer. When we let them stay in our landscapes, we support healthy soil, wildlife, and the dynamic habitats that keep nature resilient.
This fall, we’re giving the rake a rest and letting nature do its thing. Will you join us? 🌱
🔗 Learn more at wildflower.org/leave-some-leaves
🎨 Natalie Luz Elorza-Welling
#LeaveSomeLeaves #LeaveTheLeaves #WildflowerCenter #StayWild #TexasNativePlantWeek #NativePlants
Oct 25
Fall is the best time to sow native seeds — and seed balls make it simple (and fun for kids, too)! 🌱 They protect seeds from birds and help them stay put until rain and cooler weather work their magic.
🎥 Melissa from our Learning & Engagement team shows how to make your own, just in time for #FallPlanting season.
Whether you’re scattering seed balls or stocking up on ready-to-plant natives, now’s the time to grow for spring.
🔔 It’s the final weekend of our Fall Native Plant Sale (9 a.m. - 1 p.m.) through Sunday, Oct. 26! Details and plant list at wildflower.org/plant-sales. 🪴
#TexasNativePlantWeek #PlantNative #WildflowerCenter #StayWild
Oct 24
For #EndangeredPlants day, meet Hinckley’s oak (Quercus hinckleyi), a rare Texas native found in the Chihuahuan Desert of West Texas. This small evergreen shrub stands just a few feet tall, with tiny, holly-like leaves that help it survive where rainfall averages only about 10 inches a year.
Once widespread thousands of years ago, it now grows in only a few scattered populations near Big Bend Ranch State Park — and is listed as both federally and state threatened.
Researchers from the Wildflower Center have collected DNA samples in the field from the only known wild colony to support ongoing conservation work. From that research, our team successfully grew two living Hinckley’s oaks — including one you can see near the maze in the Family Garden. 🌳
When you visit, become a member, or support our programs, you help sustain the research and conservation work that protects Texas’s native plants like this one.
#NativePlants #Conservation #WildflowerCenter #StayWild #QuercusHinckleyi #TexasNativePlantWeek
Oct 23
We’re all watching the forecast with hope this week. 🌦️ Until that rain arrives (🤞) native plants are showing us what adaptation looks like.
Over time, they’ve evolved strategies to make every drop count:
🌳 Deep roots reach moisture far below dry soil (mesquite).
🌿 Water storage in fleshy leaves and stems (red yucca).
🍃 Leaf adaptations — smaller, waxy, or hairy leaves reduce evaporation (blackfoot daisy).
🌙 CAM photosynthesis in some species (agaves, prickly pears) lets them open stomata at night when it’s cooler.
Follow @npsot for more #TexasNativePlantWeek content! Want to explore plant options to grow with less water? Check out our Drought-Resistant Plants for Texas & Beyond collection at the link in our bio!
📷 Photos: Wildflower Center / Mesquite by Phillip Schulze
#WaterWiseWednesday #TexasNativePlantWeek #DroughtResistantPlants #PlantNative #WildflowerCenter #StayWild
Oct 22
It’s #PollinatorGardens day for #TexasNativePlantWeek!
Our Director of Learning and Engagement, Demekia Biscoe, is here to spotlight one of her favorite fall bloomers — Maximilian sunflower (Helianthus maximiliani). 🌻
These tall, sunny perennials are pollinator magnets, feeding bees, butterflies, and other insects when many summer flowers have faded.
Want to add some to your own garden? You’re in luck because they’re on our Fall Plant Sale list, and this is your final weekend to shop native plants!
👉 wildflower.org/plant-sales
#WildflowerCenter #StayWild #NativePlants #Pollinators #TexasNativePlantWeek #MaximilianSunflower #PollinatorGarden
Oct 21
🍂 November at the Wildflower Center
Fall’s in full swing out here! This month’s all about discovery, from the science of fire and fungi to the simple joy of being outdoors. Whether you’re joining a class, catching live music, or wandering Fortlandia, there’s always something new to learn (and love) in the gardens.
Plan your visit: wildflower.org/events
#WildflowerCenter #StayWild #ATXThingsToDo #ExploreTexas
Nov 3
OooOOoo… it’s not all treats out here. To mark Halloween, here are a few strange and spooky sights from the gardens, from the familiar to the unexpected.
🕸️ Banded garden spider (Argiope trifasciata) – Spins perfect orbs that shimmer with dew on cool autumn mornings.
🍊 Osage orange (Maclura pomifera) – Bumpy, lime-green fruit once believed to repel spiders.
🍁 Flameleaf sumac (Rhus lanceolata) – Its red fall foliage could give Dracula garden envy.
🌾 King Ranch bluestem (Bothriochloa ischaemum) – Introduced for cattle forage, this invasive grass has spread across much of Texas, displacing native prairie species. The Center is working to reduce its presence and restore native diversity.
🌿 Lichen – A partnership between fungus and algae, slow-growing and quietly anchoring life to bark and stone.
🌼 Crab spider (Misumena vatia) – Perfectly camouflaged on petals, waiting for an unsuspecting pollinator to land.
🩸 Devil’s claw (Proboscidea louisianica) – Its hooked seedpods twist and scatter across dry ground.
🦉 Athena – Our resident great horned owl who returns each spring, keeping a watchful eye on us all. 👀
💀 Texas skeletonplant (Lygodesmia texana) – Morning blooms fade by midday, leaving slender, bone-pale stems.
🚯 Litter – A spooky sight we don’t want to see. Remember to leave no trace in our natural spaces!
Which do you think is the spookiest? 👻
#StayWild #WildflowerCenter #SpookySeason #TexasNature #NativePlants #HalloweenNature #LeaveNoTrace #TexasWildlife #NaturePhotography
Oct 31
🔥 Prescribed burn notice: Today and tomorrow (Oct. 30 & 31), you may notice light smoke near the Wildflower Center. Our Lands & Operations team, together with researchers from @utaustintx and the @austintexasgov Wildfire Division, is conducting a series of prescribed burns as part of the GRAMA — Grassland Recovery After Multiple Alterations project.
This long-term study, led by Drs. Amelia Wolf and Sean Griffin (our Director of Science & Conservation), examines how grasslands respond to factors like drought, nutrient changes, biomass removal and fire. Controlled burns are one part of this experiment, helping scientists understand how these ecosystems recover and adapt over time.
Prescribed burns also mimic natural processes that clear built-up fuels, return nutrients to the soil and encourage healthy regrowth.
🌾 More about prairie restoration and prescribed fire at the link in our bio.
📸 Dr. Sean Griffin
#WildflowerCenter #PrescribedBurn #FireEcology #StayWild #AustinTX #UTResearch
Oct 30
Everything we depend on — from our homes and food to our water — starts with soil. 🌱
There’s more life in a single inch of healthy soil than anywhere above ground. Together, those tiny organisms clean our water and nourish our plants.
Join Leslie this Saturday, Nov. 1, for Dig Your Native Soil and discover how taking the #LeaveSomeLeaves challenge supports the living network beneath our feet.
Register at wildflower.org/event/dig-your-native-soil (Link in our bio!).
#WildflowerCenter #StayWild #TexasNativePlants #SoilHealth #SoilEcology
Oct 28
🦋 Butterflies. That’s the post.
Monarchs (Danaus plexippus) and queens (Danaus gilippus) can’t resist Gregg’s mistflower (Conoclinium greggii), a native favorite for late-season nectar.
#WildflowerCenter #StayWild #Pollinators #TexasNativePlants
Oct 27
Join our Leave Some Leaves Fall Challenge! 🍂 Fallen leaves aren’t yard waste — they’re nature’s mulch, shelter, and fertilizer. When we let them stay in our landscapes, we support healthy soil, wildlife, and the dynamic habitats that keep nature resilient.
This fall, we’re giving the rake a rest and letting nature do its thing. Will you join us? 🌱
🔗 Learn more at wildflower.org/leave-some-leaves
🎨 Natalie Luz Elorza-Welling
#LeaveSomeLeaves #LeaveTheLeaves #WildflowerCenter #StayWild #TexasNativePlantWeek #NativePlants
Oct 25
Fall is the best time to sow native seeds — and seed balls make it simple (and fun for kids, too)! 🌱 They protect seeds from birds and help them stay put until rain and cooler weather work their magic.
🎥 Melissa from our Learning & Engagement team shows how to make your own, just in time for #FallPlanting season.
Whether you’re scattering seed balls or stocking up on ready-to-plant natives, now’s the time to grow for spring.
🔔 It’s the final weekend of our Fall Native Plant Sale (9 a.m. - 1 p.m.) through Sunday, Oct. 26! Details and plant list at wildflower.org/plant-sales. 🪴
#TexasNativePlantWeek #PlantNative #WildflowerCenter #StayWild
Oct 24
For #EndangeredPlants day, meet Hinckley’s oak (Quercus hinckleyi), a rare Texas native found in the Chihuahuan Desert of West Texas. This small evergreen shrub stands just a few feet tall, with tiny, holly-like leaves that help it survive where rainfall averages only about 10 inches a year.
Once widespread thousands of years ago, it now grows in only a few scattered populations near Big Bend Ranch State Park — and is listed as both federally and state threatened.
Researchers from the Wildflower Center have collected DNA samples in the field from the only known wild colony to support ongoing conservation work. From that research, our team successfully grew two living Hinckley’s oaks — including one you can see near the maze in the Family Garden. 🌳
When you visit, become a member, or support our programs, you help sustain the research and conservation work that protects Texas’s native plants like this one.
#NativePlants #Conservation #WildflowerCenter #StayWild #QuercusHinckleyi #TexasNativePlantWeek
Oct 23
We’re all watching the forecast with hope this week. 🌦️ Until that rain arrives (🤞) native plants are showing us what adaptation looks like.
Over time, they’ve evolved strategies to make every drop count:
🌳 Deep roots reach moisture far below dry soil (mesquite).
🌿 Water storage in fleshy leaves and stems (red yucca).
🍃 Leaf adaptations — smaller, waxy, or hairy leaves reduce evaporation (blackfoot daisy).
🌙 CAM photosynthesis in some species (agaves, prickly pears) lets them open stomata at night when it’s cooler.
Follow @npsot for more #TexasNativePlantWeek content! Want to explore plant options to grow with less water? Check out our Drought-Resistant Plants for Texas & Beyond collection at the link in our bio!
📷 Photos: Wildflower Center / Mesquite by Phillip Schulze
#WaterWiseWednesday #TexasNativePlantWeek #DroughtResistantPlants #PlantNative #WildflowerCenter #StayWild
Oct 22
It’s #PollinatorGardens day for #TexasNativePlantWeek!
Our Director of Learning and Engagement, Demekia Biscoe, is here to spotlight one of her favorite fall bloomers — Maximilian sunflower (Helianthus maximiliani). 🌻
These tall, sunny perennials are pollinator magnets, feeding bees, butterflies, and other insects when many summer flowers have faded.
Want to add some to your own garden? You’re in luck because they’re on our Fall Plant Sale list, and this is your final weekend to shop native plants!
👉 wildflower.org/plant-sales
#WildflowerCenter #StayWild #NativePlants #Pollinators #TexasNativePlantWeek #MaximilianSunflower #PollinatorGarden
Oct 21
Help us spread the beauty!
EXPLORE MORE
Expert advice, plant nerdery and inspiring stories
A Garden Grows at Ann Richards School
How one student got the courtyard blooming
Beyond the Blossoms
The team of volunteers documenting Wildflower Center fauna
Power the Migration
Thirteen plants to help monarch butterflies