Plants

Volunteers digging up native plants for rescue.
October 2026 Issue

The Native Plant Rescue Project Saves Wild Texas Vegetation

The nonprofit scoops up plants before bulldozers clear the land.

Story by Robyn Ross
Poison Ivey growing on the ground.
May 2026 Issue

Poison Ivy: Here’s What You Need to Know

If it has leaves of three, let it be!

Story by Melissa Gaskill
Monarch butterfly flying around purple flowers.
April 2026 Issue

New App Helps Texans Grow Native Plants

Wild Thumb helps Texans choose the right native plants for their location.

Story by Lydia Saldaña
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June 2024 Issue

This Collection of Plants Helps Scientists Understand how Texas has Changed Over Time

The plant collection resides at Big Bend Ranch State Park.

Monahans Sandhills State Park shin oaks growing from a sand dune
March 2023 Issue

Monahans Sandhills Contains a Massive Forest of Tiny Oaks

Thickets of shin oak stabilize the dunes at the state park.

Story by Dyanne Fry Cortez
Illustration of a black mangrove with flowers.
May 2022 Issue

Black Mangroves’ Adaptations Help Them Thrive in Coastal Ecosystems

The plants can survive in salty conditions by excreting salt through glands in their leaves.

Story by Russell Roe
Galls on leaf on Lichen Covered Rock
May 2022 Issue

Gallmakers and Leafminers Create Biological Art

As leaves unfurl, look for tiny creatures adorning them with mesmerizing patterns and shapes.

Story by David Jeffery Ringer
Pink flower blossom
March 2022 Issue

Where to See Azaleas Bloom in East Texas

Azaleas and dogwoods arrive in mid-March and last six weeks. Here's where to catch the color.

Story by Texas Parks and Wildlife
Illustration of the Tropical Limoncillo leaves
March 2022 Issue

Texas' Rarest Tree Was Once Declared Extinct

The limoncillo vanished from South Texas, then turned up again in the Valley in 1984.

Story by Sumaiya Malik
close up on a Swanflower the host plant for Pipevine Swallowtails
May 2020 Issue

Swanflowers Serve as Hosts to Pipevine Swallowtails

Inconspicuous plant sports an orchid-like bloom; butterflies feast on it.

Story by Texas Parks and Wildlife
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The October 2024 cover of Texas Parks & Wildlife magazine, featuring a surfer riding a wave along the Texas Gulf Coast

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