Project Leaders: Christine Feehery
County: Colorado
Regular Work Days: fourth Monday of each month
Address: Beason’s Crossing Park, 3614 US-90, Columbus, TX 78934
VMS opportunity: Beason’s Crossing Park Pollinator Pocket near Columbus: Gideon Master Naturalists
Pickens Pollinator Pocket is a demonstration pollinator garden established in the late 1990s by Columbus residents that TMN GLC is adopting to revitalize. The small circular garden has a drainage alley running through its middle giving it the unique opportunity to be a riparian pollinator garden. With the mature trees and understory, as well as its position adjacent to the slow-moving Colorado River, the site will provide an excellent opportunity for demonstrations and talks with all ages about riparian habitats, common pollinators, and general best practices for wildlife habitat. Passers-by from the busy entrance to Columbus, walkers from downtown, soccer team families, fishermen, kayakers, and more will enjoy this pocket garden.
It is named for Mary Anne Pickens, the original project lead when the garden was created. She is a horticultural innovator and purpose-filled native plant advocate well before it was the norm. She served as NPSOT President and had a deep connection with fellow famed Houston-area horticulturists and plant enthusiasts.
Beason’s Crossing Park is the site of 2 historical monuments which explain its namesake. The Beasons were an industrious family that came to the region as part of Stephen F. Austin’s old 300 grants. Benjamin Beason and his wife, Elizabeth “Betsy”, built a homestead offered a wide variety of services to early pioneers including the crossing, an inn, a gristmill, and cotton gin. It was at this crossing that Sam Houston and his army of volunteers camped for one week in March 1836. In part of what became known across southern and southeastern Texas as the Runaway Scrape, Houston had evacuated (and burned) the town of Beason’s Crossing retreating to San Felipe to recruit and train reinforcements in the face of General Santa Anna’s large, advancing forces. The park is a beautiful area to stand and admire the river and consider what tales it might tell from a storied past.
There are many opportunities at Pickens Pollinator Park for TMN volunteers to get involved. As the Gideon Lincecum Chapter revives the circular riparian area, we will trim the mature garden removing invasives and ill-placed specimens. We will add a variety of plants native to the Post Oak Savannah, many harvested from Colorado County TMN GLC members’ properties. Colorado County Commissioners approved the renovation of the pollinator garden and will provide support in keeping the larger park well-maintained. Beason’s Park is a bat monitoring site during June 2026 with our TMN GLC Bat Monitoring project!
Join us 4th Mondays at 8-11:00am!
