Texas Botanical Gardens & Native American Interpretive Center, Inc.

05/29/2026

Make sure to check us out on the season finale of The Daytripper.

Our Goldthwaite episode premieres tonight on PBS and everywhere else this weekend. Check your local listings or catch it on YouTube Monday night at 7pm.

05/27/2026

Brightening roadsides and gardens across Central Texas, greenthread (Thelesperma filifolium) is a cheerful native wildflower, whose sunny yellow blooms have a long history of being brewed into a soothing herbal drink known as Navajo tea. In addition to its cultural significance, greenthread provides nectar for bees and butterflies and adds vibrant color to the spring landscape.

📸: Sheltered Light Photography

05/26/2026

Join us this Saturday for a special Family Day Celebration featuring an exciting hands-on program led by dedicated wildlife rehabilitators Ed Sones, Desiree LaVigne, and Gerrie McCall, Raptors of Central Texas Meet & Greet. This is the grand finale of our upcoming nature and art camp, Growing Roots: From Ancient Earth to Endless Sky – Celebrating America’s 250th Birthday (1776–2026) and promises to be an unforgettable experience for the whole family!

This program offers children and families a rare opportunity to get an up-close look at some of nature’s most awe-inspiring birds of prey while learning about their behaviors, habitats, and the vital role they play in maintaining healthy ecosystems.

Through engaging stories, live demonstrations, and close encounters with these magnificent animals, guests will discover the importance of wildlife rescue, environmental stewardship, and compassionate care for the creatures that share our world.

Our featured presenters bring a wealth of real-world expertise and passion for wildlife conservation. Ed Sones, an independent Cedar Park-based wildlife rehabilitator specializing in raptors, has more than 30 years of experience caring for injured birds and has personally rehabilitated thousands of birds representing more than 120 species through his volunteer work and educational outreach. Desiree LaVigne, a wildlife biology graduate with more than a decade of experience working alongside Ed, brings extensive knowledge of wildlife care and conservation education, while Gerrie McCall, a certified Texas Master Naturalist, adds her passion for environmental education and native ecosystem stewardship.

As the culminating celebration of this year’s Growing Roots: Summer Kids’ Camp (registration still open!), this special event invites families and community members to come together to celebrate a week of learning, discovery, and connection to the natural world.

Whether your child is attending the camp or you simply love wildlife, this is a unique opportunity to experience the beauty and power of Central Texas raptors up close! Admission is free.

05/25/2026

Erect dayflower (Commelina erecta) is a pretty little wildflower in the spiderwort family with two showy blue petals and one smaller white petal.

This perennial is sometimes referred to as “Widow’s Tears”so we highlight it today in remembrance of Memorial Day and all the brave men and women who died in service to this great nation. Our hearts go out to family and friends of those who are no longer with us and our garden is always open for those who need a quiet place to mourn and remember. ❤️🤍💙

05/23/2026

05/21/2026

When you're a child spending time in nature, every stick becomes a lesson, every flower a discovery, and every muddy boot a memory. Join us for the last day of Busy Lil' Bees- Bee Detectives tomorrow at 10am.

05/20/2026

Agarita (Mahonia trifoliolata) is putting on a beautiful show in the gardens, with bright red berries popping among silver-green, holly-like leaves. According to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center database, these tart berries have long been gathered and enjoyed by Indigenous peoples of Central Texas, often made into refreshing drinks, jellies, and preserves.

Agarita also provides an important food source for birds and other wildlife, while its dense, thorny branches offer valuable shelter and nesting protection for ground nesting birds like quail.

Come take a stroll through the gardens this week and enjoy the beauty of native plants in late spring.

📸: Sheltered Light Photography

05/19/2026

Adventure, creativity, nature, and discovery are coming together once again for an unforgettable summer experience for local children!

We are excited to announce the return of our annual Growing Roots Summer Kids' Camp, a FREE, four-day, Nature & Art Camp for students entering grades 1–6.

Rooted in the belief that children learn best through discovery, movement, creativity, and connection, the camp is designed to nurture the whole child—mind, body, and spirit—through engaging outdoor exploration and interactive educational experiences. We hope you'll join us for this year's exciting edition:

Growing Roots: From Ancient Earth to Endless Sky – Celebrating America’s 250th Birthday (1776–2026)

May 27–30, 2026
9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.

This program is offered in conjunction with the Texas America 250 celebration and in collaboration with the Goldthwaite Theatre, Jennie Trent Dew Library, Mills County Historical Museum at Goldthwaite, and Texas Parks and Wildlife.

The camp is made possible through the generous support of Hendrick Medical Center Brownwood.

Check out the event page for FULL DETAILS and make sure to pre-register your child-spots are limited. Download registration forms at www.legacyplaza.org.

05/14/2026

We are excited for another morning of nature play and insect exploration. Join us at 10am tomorrow for Busy Lil' Bees- Bee Detectives. Let us know in the comments if you plan on joining with your littles.

📸: Sheltered Light Photography

05/11/2026

Have you noticed all the patterns of five present within the antelope horn milkweed flowers? From five petals to the five hoods and the paired pollen sacs at the center, every part of the Asclepias asperula bloom follows the same quiet geometry. The entire flower is organized around a pentagonal design, giving it a striking five-part radial symmetry.

The sacred geometry written into a wildflower — a living pattern repeated with mathematical precision. The number five appears again and again in nature, from starfish to apple cores to the spirals of flowers, and milkweed carries that same ancient symmetry in every bloom. Up close, the flowers look less accidental and more architectural, as though each one was carefully drafted before unfolding in the spring sun.

📸: Steven Schwartzman