Media Release
- jjvanm
- Mar 31
- 2 min read
March 31, 2025
For immediate release
Local Texas Master Naturalist experts to lead talks; offer native plants for sale
PHARR, TEXAS–South Texas Border Chapter Texas Master Naturalist members will set up their annual plant sales at booths 122-124 at the Rio Grande Valley Home and Garden Show, April 11 - 13.
The event is at the McAllen Convention Center, 700 Convention Center Boulevard, at Expressway 83 and South Ware Road. Admission is free; the event is open to the public.
Event hours are Friday 2 to 6 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Sunday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Texas Master Naturalist experts will be on hand to talk about the native plants that are for sale, answer visitors’ questions and promote the value of adding native plants to a home garden. Gallon size plants sell for $7 each.
Texas Master Naturalist members also will give informative talks about native plants and safe environmental outdoor lighting during the event. The schedule for STBCTMN presentations is as follows:
Friday, April 11, 2025
3:45 p.m. “Butterfly Gardening with Native Plants.” Stephanie Lopez, Texas Master Naturalist.
Hear from an expert about the importance of native plants and how they connect with our local butterflies with Stephanie Lopez, Executive Director of the National Butterfly Center in Mission, Texas.
Saturday, April 12, 2025
2:30 p.m. “Native Plants for Year-Round Blooms.” Anita Westervelt, Texas Master Naturalist.
McAllen Monitor nature newspaper columnist Anita Westervelt highlights which native plants are most likely to bloom during which seasons in the Rio Grande Valley that will help your home garden attract butterflies and birds all year long.
3:30 p.m. “Better Lights, Safer Nights.” Jennifer Rektorik, Texas Master Naturalist.
Outdoor lighting affects the health and safety of both humans and wildlife. Learn from DarkSky International Advocate Jennifer Rektorik about the five principles of responsible outdoor lighting and how to make your yard safer for your family and more inviting to wildlife.
Sunday, April 13, 2025
2 p.m. “Drought Resilient Plants for the Rio Grande Valley.” John Brush, Texas Master Naturalist.
Quinta Mazatlán’s Urban Ecologist John Brush will help you learn about species that thrive with little to no supplemental irrigation while also providing habitat for wildlife, beauty that reflects the Rio Grande Valley’s cultural and ecological history, and benefits for people.
3 p.m. “Disappearing Rare and Native Plants of the Rio Grande Valley.” Eric Luebanos, Texas Master Naturalist.
Critical habitat loss, invasive plants encroachment, development and water shortages have changed the landscape of the Rio Grande Valley. Owner of The Sixth Street Garden Sanctuary for endangered species, Eric Luebanos’ presentation is about native plants that used to thrive along our southern border and are now rare, some in danger of becoming extinct.
For more information about the show, visit http://rgvhomeshow.com
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