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AUSTIN (KXAN) – An unusually wet summer in central Texas bodes well for local sunflower fields here in Austin, and local ecologists are working to conserve wildflowers in urban settings.
At the intersection of Curlew Drive and Crownspoint Drive in South Austin, a local home’s longstanding tradition of growing sunflower fields in its front yard was confronted with a quote from the city of Austin. After the neighbors band together to support the neighborhood’s “icon”, a local ecologist steps in to help homeowners in the area and preserve biodiversity in the city.
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John Hart Asher specializes in urban ecology and sustainable design and hosts the stationery show Central Texas Gardener. He is now being offered to help Tanglewood Forest homeowners comply with city regulations and conserve the neighborhood’s iconic sunflowers by creating pocket prairies for free.
“We have to try to become these active agents. So when people replace up to half of their garden or so with pocket prairies and native plantings, we start creating habitats for other species, we start dealing with all of these ecosystem services, ”he said. “Human health and well-being are directly related to being able to live in a species-rich environment.”
Pocket prairies are an ecological design tool that is used to preserve natural prairie land and wildflowers in urban settings. After an unusually wet summer, increased wildflower growth has resulted in taller, more lush sunflower fields – both beautiful scenery and a possible cause of restricted visibility on nearby roads, Asher said.
“We need to relearn how to see and appreciate diversity, which could look messy when compared to a traditional lawn that was mowed and blown and with straight lines everywhere,” he said. “But nature loves disorder. This disorder provides nesting places for birds and insects in winter. “
Creating a pocket prairie depends on the following conditions:
- Identify a location that is exposed to high levels of sunlight
- Remove all invasive species from sight
- Choose live plants, plant species seeds to plant on the spot
- Plant the species in pocket prairies in more moderate seasons – ideally in autumn or spring
- Maintain the pocket prairie by weeding, watering and trimming and mowing it once a year
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Michelle Bertelsen, an ecologist at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin, said sunflowers are inexpensive in most conditions. Seeing them emerge along curbs or grassy median strips is part of their growth behavior, she said.
“So your job in the plant community is to come early and just take on bare spots, bare spots,” she said. “And that’s why they really like deserted fields, they like roadsides – like anything that is a little damaged, sunflowers will explode there. And it’s really nice. “
“That is the key to diversity in every restoration. When conditions change and you don’t know how they’re going to change, there will be something that can fill the void. “
Michelle Bertelsen, Ecologist, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Central Texas was once a biodiverse oasis with a mix of bushland and prairies, she said. Prairie land is key to native pollinators and bird species that rely on their resources for food, shelter, and other means of survival. In an urban setting, small prairies can help combat the negative effects of urban development by providing a small slice of indigenous native species that thrive.
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“The nice thing about pocket prairies is that you can build a little prairie on your little piece of land and then create this little sanctuary,” she said.
When it comes to climate change, Bertelsen says a large part of the challenge is to see the impact a warming climate has on native species. However, she said that the diffusion of biodiversity through pocket prairies is like a small insurance policy: in times of crisis, engaging coverage can make a significant difference.
“That’s the key to diversity in any restoration,” she said. “When conditions change and you don’t know how they’re going to change, there will be something that can fill the void.”
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