Text by Paula Dittrick, TMNCPC blogmaster, photos from Lynn Trenta, TMNCPC Courier editor, and Joyce Tipton, TMNCPC 2021 spring intern.
Texas Master Naturalist Coastal Prairie Chapter members and interns planted trees and refreshed the gardens at Seabourne Creek Nature Park while also caring for plants in the nursery. The efforts prepared the park for spring.
TMNCPC member Jim Butcher supervised as volunteers bumped up nursey plants into bigger containers. Plants included in these efforts: Wildrye Grass, Gulf Coast Penstemon, Red Salvia, and Black-eyed Susan.
“The nursery tables are full, and we are expanding into the nursery overflow area,” TMNCPC member and SCNP supervisor Jerry Trenta said. “The garden group was out in full force in the demo garden learning and identifying the plants, removing the unwanted plants.”
Seabourne Arboretum adds trees
TMNCPC was awarded a 2021 Apache Corp. grant that provided 100 trees for SCNP. Typically, the chapter schedules an annual tree planting event, but logistics changed this year in observation of COVID-19 restrictions.
“Instead of a single day event with many volunteers, we held multiple small planting events with groups of 10 or less volunteers,” Trenta said. Several dates were scheduled during March.
Jerry Trenta and Sethi Pradeep paddled the TMNCPC canoe to reach the islands in the wetlands ponds where they planted Bald Cypress, Red Mulberry, and Sweetgum trees.