Free public program set for October 31, 10 a.m., Dallas
SHERMAN, TEXAS — Austin College and the Texas Discovery Gardens will host a family-friendly presentation, “Plants of North Central Texas: Connections to the Past,” on Saturday, October 31, at 10 a.m. at Texas Discovery Gardens at Fair Park. Following a 60-minute presentation in the brand-new conservatory reception hall, attendees will be led on a tour through the Gardens. Austin College Professor George Diggs, author of Flora of North Central Texas, and Randy Johnson, director of horticulture for the Gardens, will offer the morning presentations. The presentation is free and open to the public.
“Prairie grasses, pronghorns, horse-apples, and mammoths all part of the story involving native plants in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex,” event organizers said. “Attendees will discover little-known secrets about Texas plants and the surprising and exciting things these native plants convey about what local land was like in the past, hopefully inspiring them to incorporate these sustainable plants in their own landscaping.”
This is the first event in a collaborative public awareness program for a greener, more sustainable approach to Metroplex landscape and gardening. In collaborating with the Gardens, Austin College offers its academic strength and large alumni base (more than 4,000 in Dallas alone) to increase awareness and interest in the Gardens among Dallasites and to offer interesting programs to highlight the use of native grasses, flowers, and shrubs as a green alternative to water intensive landscaping.
Austin College Professor of Biology George M. Diggs, Jr., is one of the premiere authorities on the plants of Texas and the lead author of two definitive works, Illustrated Flora of North Central Texas (1999) and Illustrated Flora of East Texas (2006). He is active in Austin College’s Center for Environmental Studies. A member of the Austin College faculty since 1981 and a Research Associate at the Botanical Research Institute of Texas (BRIT), Professor Diggs is equally at home in the field and in the laboratory. His spirited discussions of environmental and ecological issues have kept Austin College students on the leading edge of green sensibility for more than 25 years.
Randy Johnson, director of horticulture for the Gardens, holds a degree in wildlife management from Texas A&M University. He has many years experience in estate gardening and studying native plants, insects, and animals that inhabit the blackland prairie ecosystem in North Central Texas.
Texas Discovery Gardens
Established in 1936, Texas Discovery Gardens at Fair Park is a year-round 7.5-acre organic urban oasis filled with natural wonders for visitors of all ages. Texas Discovery Gardens, the first certified organic public garden in Texas, features spectacular native and adapted plants grown using sustainable methods that conserve water and protect the environment. The EarthKeepers® Children’s Education Program offers year-round outdoor education. The brand new Rosine Smith Sammons Butterfly House and Insectarium brings the secret lives of native and tropical butterflies to Dallas year-round. The two-story conservatory showcases up to 500 species of free-flying butterflies, as well as fish, and other interesting insects. Texas Discovery Gardens is a nonprofit educational organization supported, in part, by funds from the City of Dallas Park and Recreation Department.
Austin College
Austin College is a leading national independent liberal arts college located north of Dallas in Sherman, Texas. Founded in 1849, making it the oldest institution of higher education in Texas operating under original charter and name, the college is related by covenant to the Presbyterian Church (USA). Recognized nationally for academic excellence in the areas of international education, pre-professional training, and leadership studies, Austin College is one of 40 schools profiled in Loren Pope’s influential book Colleges that Change Lives.
