Picked left is our MEADOW on a day in late May 2014. Those who have seen it are in universal agreement. “The meadow has never been this beautiful.”

This wonderful expanse of wildflowers is the triumph of supervisor Barbara Lowenthal and her dedicated “meadow maids.” The “maids” had to completely restore this area, after the droughts of earlier in this decade. It was a major undertaking.

Thank you, Barbara, and all the many people who gave this project their all.

PLANTS AT RIVERSIDE NATURE CENTER

Given the unique location of the Edwards Plateau, a wide diversity of plants can be found in this eco-region due to the mix of neighboring regions. Hence, in Hill Country you can find plants from the eastern forests (basswood, cottonwood), northern plains (pecans), western deserts (____) and even northern Mexico (___).

The earliest settlers from Germany found the land abundant in mid-range prairie grasses, but hiding in them were also agarita, yuccas, sotol, prickly pear that provided clues that sometimes this area belongs to the Chihuahuan Desert of the west.

Also to be found are rare plants: some that became isolated from the rest of their range (American Smoketree, Blanco Crabapple) and some that are endemic, found nowhere else on the planet (big red sage, scarlet clematis, _____).

Plant communites are also diverse in the Hill Country due to the changes in elevation, the accumulation of soil and the presence/absence of water/moisture.

Plateaus:

• canyons
• bottomlands
• riparian zones

Plants are the source of food and shelter, and sometimes water for wildlife.

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