Planting Native at the Heard

A Prairie and Timbers Audubon Society Project

Funded by Audubon Foundation of Texas

The Heard Science Museum and Sanctuary is a natural science education center and 289-acre wildlife sanctuary preserve in McKinney, Texas. Prairie and Timbers Audubon Society (PTAS) is located at the Heard, holds its monthly meeting there, and conducts birding walks at the Heard on the 2nd Saturday of each month in Fall, Winter, and Spring. PTAS members routinely volunteer at the Heard. PTAS has funded several projects at the Heard including Prairie Restoration and Butterfly Garden Development.

Due to construction of a recent housing development which included re-pavement of the entrance to the Heard, the entrance area is now plain Bermuda grass sod. The project partially funded by this grant was to create an entrance garden. PTAS, as well as, the Collin County Chapter of the Native Plant Society of Texas, and the Blackland Prairie Chapter of the Texas Master Naturalist joined together to make it happen.

The garden features all native plants typical of the Blackland Prairie region and is designed to inspire, to educate and to demonstrate the sustainable use and conservation of native wildflowers, plants and landscape. It will serve as an attractive entrance for the public and increase awareness of the museum’s role in supporting North Texas birds and wildlife. The garden adds only a small amount of native habitat for birds and other wildlife, but it is designed to inspire visitors to the Heard to increase the usage of native plants and create habit suitable for the North Texas area. Being located adjacent to the site of the Heard’s annual plant sale, it will provide an example and inspired the use of native plants in home landscape to the many people attending the sale.

After initial site preparation around the Heard’s entrance sign, planting was delayed due to the severe summer’s drought and the lack of a water source. A sprinkler system was installed to supply water twice weekly and an outlet for a hose installed for on the spot watering. In December the first of three plantings was done. Four of our members, Rodney Thomas, Tony Manasseri, Larry Offerdahl and Bill Woodfin with the help of three Heard volunteers, installed approximately 90 native perennials in the garden. Brice Creelman supplied about a dozen varieties, including Calylophus, Echinacea, Aster, Anisicanthus, Zexmenia, Salvia and Scutellaria.

The second plantings was done in January. PTAS members Bill Woodfin and Tony Manasseri along with a Heard volunteer added another 3 dozen 1 gallon plants to the garden Additional planting including milkweed, sunflowers and native grasses will be planted when they become available in Spring and will be funded from other sources. Everything planted is native to North Central Texas and co-evolved with our local insects which will mean more food for our native birds.