Thursday, March 28, 2024

Texas Tough, Texas True: It’s Texas SmartScape™ Month

Create the perfect eco-friendly yard this year with Texas SmartScape™. Read below to learn more about the program and how you can save money and resources while also supporting the environment with your landscaping.

Did you know that according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, up to 60% of the average household’s water usage goes towards irrigation? This year let Texas SmartScape™ help you design the perfect landscape for your home that will help you protect our environment while saving water and money. Texas SmartScape™ is a regional initiative sponsored by the North Central Texas Council of Governments that is aimed at improving water quality and conserving water supplies through more sustainable landscape practices.

  • These plants are Texas Tough, Texas True: By using native and adaptive plants, we can preserve the quality of the ecosystems around us and secure our future water supplies. SmartScape™ approved plants minimize, or eliminate, the use of fertilizers and pesticides which is beneficial to our waterways and local wildlife. Stormwater and irrigation runoff can carry these chemicals from residential yards into your neighborhood creeks, streams, ponds, lakes, and rivers. SmartScape™ plants also require less water from you since they are acclimated to our region’s climate. The Texas SmartScape™ plant search tool allows you to find SmartScape-approved plants that are the right fit for your yard. You can search by 13 different parameters, including plant type, plant shape and size, light requirement, ornamental color, wildlife value, bloom season, landscape use, and more.

 

  • Bee A Good Neighbor: In addition to reducing the strain on our water supply, Texas SmartScape™ also provides advice on landscaping practices that support another very important part of our ecosystem: pollinators. These small creatures, ranging from insects to birds (and even some species of bats), are credited with ensuring the production of most of the food we eat. Southlake plays a vital role in helping pollinators get the job done as it lies in what is recognized as the ‘Monarch Highway’, which aligns with I-35. The interstate lines up almost perfectly with the natural migration path of the Monarch butterfly, one of our nation’s most prolific pollinating species. Every year they pass through our region on their way to and from their breeding sites in Mexico. Southlake is home to non-migratory pollinators, too, which include various types of bees, moths, butterflies, birds, and beetles. When viewing the Texas SmartScape™ plant database, be sure to check out which native and adapted plants attract wildlife and help support these crucial animals by providing them with food and a place to rest. Click here for additional information on gardening for pollinators.

To learn more about Texas SmartScape™ as well as other landscaping tips and tricks, visit the official website at www.txsmartscape.com.

To learn more about the Monarch Highway and what you can do to support the animals that use it, check out these resources:

Monarch Butterfly Highway
Monarch Joint Venture 

 

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