Caterpillar Host Plants Aquatic Milkweed (Asclepias perennis) Green Milkweed (Asclepias viridis) Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa) Nectar Plants for Adult Butterflies Texas Lantana (Lanatana urticoides x horrida) Blue Sage (Salvia azurea) Prairie Verbena (Glandularia bipinnatifida) Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta) Painted Coreopsis (Coreopsis … [Read more...] about Eric’s extras: The best native garden plants for Monarch butterflies in West U, Bellaire gardens
Nature Discovery Center
Wired to Nature: Meet the beetles
By Eric Duran When people think of flying insects into their gardens, butterflies are often the first to come to mind. There is, however, a plethora of various other insects that flutter by. This month, we're going to have a look at common beetles that appear in Bellaire- and West University-area gardens. Beetles are the most diverse group of animals on earth, and they live in … [Read more...] about Wired to Nature: Meet the beetles
Wired to Nature: Native edible plants perform double duty in local home gardens
By Eric Duran Here at the Nature Discovery Center, we always like to encourage local residents to landscape with native plants — but especially so during these colder months of the year as we prepare for spring. Native plants provide a better source of food for native Texas wildlife when it’s hardest to find. And year-round, native plants are less likely to … [Read more...] about Wired to Nature: Native edible plants perform double duty in local home gardens
Butterflies are a-flutter over our balmy autumn
By Eric Duran When people think of fall, they think of changing colors, falling leaves, pumpkins and sweater weather — but they don't normally think of butterflies. Yet along the Gulf Coast and throughout much of the south autumn is a wonderful time to watch butterflies. With fall wildflowers are blooming, migratory species from up north fly down to join us in the south. … [Read more...] about Butterflies are a-flutter over our balmy autumn
Weekend Pumpkin Patch Festival offers family fun (and fall weather)
With fall finally in the air because of a cold front, the timing is perfect for the return of the Pumpkin Patch Festival from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. this weekend (Oct. 16-17) at the Nature Discovery Center, 7112 Newcastle Dr., Bellaire. After a scaled-back event last year due to COVID concerns, the full festival will include more than 12,000 pounds of pumpkins and no-carve … [Read more...] about Weekend Pumpkin Patch Festival offers family fun (and fall weather)