Photo by Leigh Ann Ellis
These white New Jersey Tea native prairie plants are blooming at Boy Scout Hill, thanks in part to the monitoring and upkeep of the the Blackland Chapter of the Native Prairies Association of Texas.
“This year’s crop is the most stunning that I can remember,” writes chapter president Leigh Ann Ellis.
The chapter works with the park department to restore and preserve the native prairies around White Rock Lake. This ecosystem once stretched down into Central and South Texas, but now only one percent remains due to development, farming and overgrazing. The prairies are home to several species of native grasses and once included herds of buffalo.
Brett Johnson, the City of Dallas’ urban biologist, says there are 163 acres of blackland prairie around White Rock Lake.
The chapter will be out working at Boy Scout Hill on Saturday, April 21, at 9:30 a.m. They welcome neighbors to join them in their work to identify the spring prairie plants and keep the park beautiful.
