JoAnn's NTGD Giving Back to the Land Fundraiser

Was anyone else gobsmacked by the proliferation of bluebells this summer? A beautiful bloom that is so ephemeral it can come and go, or skip years only to show up in abundance years later! I was so inspired by these blooms I'm using them as my NTGD spirit flower! Yes, these are the flowers that inspired the popular ice cream to name their company Bluebell Ice Cream back in 1907. You know the story.....from the creamery in Brenham! But did you know the company is named that because bluebells are common in that area. However, they aren't particularly common in our area. I believe they can usually be found at Tandy Hills in specific areas. I have also seen them at Stella Rowan Prairie, but they were mown before being able to set seed. 

My experience with bluebells goes back some years. Sometime in the 90's on a trip to Austin I spied some growing along I35 where there wasn't a service road. I pulled over and walked out to see them and was enthralled. I picked one and made a side trip to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center to get an id. They gave me a copy of an article about them. So I suppose they led me to prairies, just like the monarchs I first witnessed on a southwest Fort Worth prairie did. 

Around the turn of the century both sides of my family migrated to Texas. My dad's side settled in the Blackland Prairie near Leonard, while my mom's lived in the Western Cross Timbers near Bowie. As Texas was settled, all available land was farmed and grazed without regard for the natural ecosystem, leading to the near-complete destruction of the local habitat. Now, the remaining land is under assault from urban development and the spread of so-called "green" installations that cover natural landscapes instead of coexisting with them.

I am a proud member of Native Prairies Association of Texas (NPAT)  and serve on its state board. We work to protect and restore the native prairies that remain in our state. I'm asking you to join us in the vital cause by contributing to NPAT during our North Texas Giving Day fundraiser. Every dollar raised will go directly toward our North Texas Prairie Initiative, allowing us to conserve more prairie land here in North Texas. NTGD is a key part of this initiative allowing us to raise the funds needed to work with landowners on conservation easements. With NPAT'S guidance these easements allow landowners to maintain control of their property while protecting its ecologial value for future generations. 

 The land on which Fort Worth built its economy, the same land that once supported cattle drives, deserves to be preserved and restored. 

Every donation will be doubled by a generous matching fund. Please share your own prairie stories in the comments. 

We now KNOW better, and it's up to us to DO better for prairies and for Texas!