In Partnership with City of Sugar Land
Sugar Land Rights-of-Way: Platinum Scenic City Award Recipient
Henry Vavrecka receives the Scenic City Platinum Award for 2025-2030 in November. The City of Sugar Land is committed to beautifying rights-of-way on their 600+ acres, including prominent features like the newly restored Lone Star Roundabout Prairie Patch. Plants native to Fort Bend County demonstrate that they are a both beautiful and functional part of the every-day landscape. Congratulations to our conservation partner, City of Sugar Land.
Pocket Prairie Greening Up, Non-Natives Removed
Quite likely prior to restoration, a kind member from the public tried to “help” restoration efforts by scattering seed from non-native Cosmos sulphureus onto the bare soil, and as the irrigation commenced, they began to germinate along with the other species. Cosmos is native to the South America was rather enjoying the lack of competition from the otherwise well-behaved native annuals busily putting down their roots for spring bloom.
In order that the preferred native community have time and space to develop according to plan, it was decided early November by the City and TMNs that the rogue cosmos had to go! TMNCPC volunteers got to work with a surgical removal by slicing, so as not to disturb the plants growing in the vicinity. We call that process editing. Cosmos would have otherwise shaded out the entire population below growing to heights of 2-7 feet. With their removal, the natives can now get back to doing what they do.
“Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.”
Lao Tzu
Pocket Prairie Installed October 3, 2025
Through the months of autumn through winter, the prairie sleeps, putting down their long roots to ready it for its first hot summer … and continual, seasonal bloom cycles. Thank you, City of Sugar Land and Texas Master Naturalist Coastal Prairie Chapter volunteers, for all work done in a few hours.
Coming Next: Watch as the project greens up late autumn through winter. Spring blooming begins early March 2026.
History and Development
For several years, the City of Sugar Land Parks and Recreation Department has partnered with Texas Master Naturalist Coastal Prairie Chapter for development of park spaces into natural areas that can be used by both wildlife and the general public, reduce mowing, watering, and maintenance efforts as a bonus. Our chapter’s presence can be seen all over Fort Bend County, and in Sugar Land particularly at Memorial Park and Cullinan Park and Eagle Scout pocket prairie projects such as the one at Colony Grant.
November 2024. Following a very successful restoration effort at Cullinan Park in April 2024, staff from the City of Sugar Public Works and Parks met chapter member and restoration advisor, Shannon Westveer, on-site to get a feel for soil conditions, height requirements, and irrigation location for possibly establishing an urban pocket prairie in a roundabout landscaping scenario.
May 2025. A budget was secured and perennial grasses and forbs (flowers) began “growing out” from seed at Houston Audubon’s Native Plant Nursery. Houston Audubon is an active conservation partner of Coastal Prairie Chapter. Through largely volunteer efforts on behalf of several local Master Naturalist chapters, coastal prairie natives seed DNA is procured from local remnant prairies like Lawther-Deer Park Prairie, Nash Prairie, UH Coastal Center, and others.
These natives are well-adapted to Sugar Land’s soil, precipitation, and climate. With the coastal prairie ecosystem fast disappearing with agriculture and urban development, restoring it even in small places helps bring back an historical icon, an ecosystem uniquely Texas along the Gulf Coast region surrounding Houston. Restoring coastal prairie urban pockets help the environment on many fronts: they clean the air, conserve water, beautify the landscape, and help reconnect us to the natural grassland “forests” that once dominated the Sugar Land area.
Species Selection, Design
The plan. On October 3, 2025, the pocket prairie restoration effort will include 1-gallon pots (full of perennial root, green tops) to be installed by chapter volunteers and staff, the area then over-seeded with spring and autumn annual seeds, and locally sourced remnant prairie hay (with seed attached) from NPAT’s Lawther-Deer Park Prairie laid down over the entire 1,500+ square feet of space. As a prairie, bunch grasses and their deep roots are foundational to the plot, coming back year after year and resting, standing beautifully during winter months. Grasses will be at a height of 1-3 feet with perennial flowers showing their colors just above.
Bloom period begins early spring and ends late autumn each year. Initial species in this pocket prairie design include:
- Chalky bluestem (Andropogon capillipes), pots
- Gulf muhly (Muhlenbergia capillaris), pots
- Yellow Indiangrass (Sorghastrum nutans), pots
- Giant blue sage (Salvia azurea), pots
- Scarlet sage (Salvia coccinea), pots
- Southern seaside goldenrod (Solidago mexicana), pots
- Sharp blazing-star (Liatris acidota), pots
- Gulf vervain (Verbena xutha), pots
- Firewheel / Indian blanket (Gaillardia pulchella)
- Pinkladies (Oenothera speciosa)
- Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta)
- Lemon beebalm (Monarda citriodora)
- Partridge pea (Chamaecrista faciculata)
- Slender rosinweed (Silphium gracile)
- Little bluestem (Schizacyrium scoparium)
- Plains coreopsis (Coreopsis tinctoria)
- Lance-leaf coreopsis (Coreopsis lanceolata)
- Sandyland bluebonnets (Lupinus subcarnosus)
- Butterweed (Packera glabella)
Resources, Partners, and Learn About Pocket Prairies
- Houston Audubon Natives Nursery
- City of Sugar Land Parks and Recreation
- City of Sugar Land Rights-of-Way
- Native Prairies Association of Texas Lawther-Deer Park Prairie
- Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center | Plant Species Search (copy and paste from taxonomic species name above)
- TMN Coastal Prairie Chapter | Native Plant Gardening … learn more!
Updated November 17, 2025 by Shannon Westveer