Texas Tech University

Spring in the West Texas Eco-Garden

Eco-Garden1

Spring has sprung in the Museum's West Texas Eco-Garden! After recent rains, the garden's plant life has awoken for the first time since being installed earlier this year. Visitors walking up the arroyo path of the Museum's north entrance will now be shaded by our thriving mesquite trees.

Garden 2

A familiar sight on the West Texas landscape, mesquites are trees that are small and tough. Able to survive with low levels of nitrogen in the soil, they also can survive with very little water. Many mesquite varieties have thorns that help to protect them from being eaten by plant-eating animals. Mesquite flowers form in the spring and summer and are then followed by a flat pod of beans, 2 – 6 inches long. We hope to see some of these flowers blossoming soon, so keep an eye open for more updates!

Many of the other plants you see in the arroyo are local, short-grass prairie plants. Short-grass prairie is one of the major types of grassland in North America, and it is made up of a mix of grasses and other annual and perennial flowering plants. These are now starting to take root and really come to life at the Museum.

Garden 3

We are excited to see how the garden continues to develop over time. Come visit the garden now to see it in full Spring force!