Native Plant Festival at Camp Buckner promotes critical habitat for monarchs

CONNIE SWINNEY • PICAYUNE STAFF

BURNET — Sue Kersey parlayed her passion for gardening into becoming a Master Gardener, a Master Naturalist and an active member of both the Highland Lakes Native Plant Society and the Wildflower and Birding Society.

“When I moved to Texas, I discovered that native plants are the real way to go because they supply all the food and the nectar and sources in habitat,” she said. “There was a lot I didn’t know about Texas. I needed to be a better steward of the land. I needed to learn to conserve water resources.”

She honed her skills by participating, co-organizing and volunteering at a local native plant festival, now in its fourth year.

The Native Plant Festival, with the theme “Bring Back the Monarchs,” is a free event from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m  Oct. 5 at Camp Buckner. The camp is located at 3835 FM 2342 off Park Road 4 in Burnet County. Organizers say the original location, Inks Dam National Fish Hatchery on Park Road 4 two miles from Buckner, was changed because of the partial shutdown of the U.S. government.

After the festival, an off-site garden tour at three homes is scheduled noon-4 p.m. and costs $5 with all proceeds going to the nonprofit Highland Lakes Native Plant Society. The homes are all near the event site.

Exhibits at the event include live butterfly habitat displays, an information booth, a tree adoption giveaway, a nature walk on the grounds and birding activities.

“Each year, (attendees) get very excited to try these things in their own yards,” said Terri Whaley, the event publicity chairwoman. “So this year, we hope we have a lot of people who go home and try their own monarch waystations.” A waystation is a place to nurture the resources needed for the monarch butterfly to produce and sustain its migration.

Cathy Downs, chairwoman of the Bring Back the Monarchs to Texas program, will speak at 10:30 a.m.[box]IF YOU GO
WHAT: Native Plant Festival and home garden tour
WHEN: 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Oct. 5
WHERE: Camp Buckner, 3835 FM 2342 off Park Road 4 in Burnet County
ADMISSION: Free for festival; $5 for home garden tour
FOR MORE: Call (512) 755-2557 or go to www.yantislakesidegardens.com, www.npsot.org or www.campbuckner.org[/box]

“Texas is a critical habitat for the monarchs. They need to be able to get nectar and reproduce in this state when they’re leaving Mexico and heading up north to Canada and when they’re going back home to Mexico,” said event co-chairman Fred Zagst, who also is president of Highland Lakes Native Plant Society.

“All the butterflies are very specific and will only lay their eggs on a specific species of plants,” Zagst said. “If we don’t get the plants in the ground for the monarchs, there’s a chance for extinction.”

From creating butterfly habitats to nurturing colorful drought-resistant foliage, attendees will discover a little effort makes a big impact.

“There’s a lot people can do on a small scale to make a difference in this huge state,” Kersey said. “You don’t have to change everything. You just have to add the things that are important.”

Festival attendees also can purchase native plants and seeds to help launch habitats of their own.

“Just get started. If you see native plants, you start to realize how gorgeous they are, especially in our drought,” Kersey said. “They’re the only thing that looks really good, unless you’re watering a lot, and we need to be very conscious of that.”

Call (512) 755-2557 or go to www.yantislakesidegardens.com, www.npsot.org or www.campbuckner.org for more information.

connie@thepicayune.com