Starting a new garden.

In an effort to continue to naturalize our less than exciting areas of campus, we started new garden! It is located at the front of the school near the entrance to the teacher lot. Very close to one of our other National Wildlife Federation Schoolyard habitats and our 5000 gallon cistern We laid out tarps so we lose as little soil as possible, put cardboard down to stop the grass from growing, and created berms for contour and a place to plant. We will purchase plants from Emerald Garden once we receive mulch from the district. They graciously provide mulch to our campus at no cost and we couldn't be more gracious! You rock Austin ISD Facilities!

Summer Photos

STEM Camp campers cooling off at Austin Nature and Science Center.

STEM Camp once again cooling off but this time at Deep Eddy. It was HOT this summer!

Robot inspiration for STEM Camp with a robotics theme.

Newly put together from garden to counteract rainwater erosion. Cacti, Milkweed, grasses, standing cypress, etc.

Native Grass Garden with student seating.

Red-tailed Hawk sitting in our Cedar elms. Natural resident, but enjoys KFC.

NWF Schoolyard Habitat. Installed 2010-2011. Flame Leaf Acanthis blooming in back.

STEM campers looking through the glass bottom boat at Aquarena Springs in San Marcos.

STEM camper testing airplane designs on the PE staircase.

 

A STEM campers close call with a native Texas habitant at Austin Nature and Science Center.

Best of Blooms

Here are some of the marvels of nature that we enjoyed as we journaled and worked in the gardens this semester. Click on the pictures to enlarge them.

Mountain Laurel and Texas Redbud

Texas Madrone

Blanco Crabapple

Unlike most of our plant species, Blue eyed grass didn't need reintroducing.

It's a holdover from our campus's cow pasture past.

Yucca, despined.

With the city starting to fine the school district for wildflowers in campus detention ponds,

our lawn maintenance crew was instructed to mow our bluebonnets which still needed 4-6 weeks for their seeds to mature.

One of our sweetest smelling flowers, the anacacho orchid blossoms attract a lot of honey bees.

Beebalm (a hummingbird nectar source), Blackfoot daisy, and Salvia greggi

Apache plume, Engelman's daisy, Coreopsis, and Winecup

Scarlet clematis