Story Man (aka Son #2, as most of you know) wanted to take DMP somewhere special  Tuesday, which was his day off from the BBQ pit.

Story Man loves the barbecue pit.  Story Man loves DMP.

And because DMP is a Master Gardener Extraordinaire, he came up with a plan:  Lady Bird Johnson’s Wildflower Center.

Brilliant, Story Man.  Brilliant.

Here’s the Center’s Mission Statement:

“Lady Bird Johnson, our former first lady, and actress Helen Hayes founded an organization in 1982 to protect and preserve North America’s native plants and natural landscapes. First as the National Wildflower Research Center and later as the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, this special place exists to introduce people to the beauty and diversity of wildflowers and other native plants. Every day, the Wildflower Center brings life to Mrs. Johnson’s vision in its public gardens, its woodlands and sweeping meadows as well as in internationally influential research. In 2006, the Center became an Organized Research Unit of the University of Texas at Austin.

Decades ago, Mrs. Johnson recognized that our country was losing its natural landscapes and its natural beauty. As much as 30 percent of the world’s native flora is at risk of extinction. The Wildflower Center was intended to help preserve and restore that beauty and the biological richness of North America. Since then, the Center has become one of the country’s most credible research institutions and effective advocates for native plants.

The Center’s gardens display the native plants of the Central Texas Hill Country, South and West Texas, while the Plant Conservation Program protects the ecological heritage of Texas by conserving its rare and endangered flora. The Native Plant Information Network is a database of more than 7,200 native species available online.

The Land Restoration Program applies knowledge of ecological processes to restoring  damaged landscapes. The Center’s education programs for children and adults teach people about their natural surroundings and how to grow native plants in their own backyards.”

Just south of Austin, it’s easy to find and easy to drive to.

DMP was in heaven.  She touched the plants.  She smelled the plants.  She studied the plants.  She bought plant-themed souvenirs at the gift shop.

We were there for several very hot, very humid hours.

But it was a blast.

Someone give this woman a cold beer!

Classic Texas Rock.

See the “happy gardener” smile on her face?

Grape vine fencing.

Something fun for kids.

Story Man hiding in the cave.

Checking out the art gallery at the end of the wildflower gardens.

These are made from paper!!!

Here’s Story Man going for an artistic shot. He took almost all of the photos that morning.

If you’d like to know more about the Wildflower Center, just click HERE.

And here’s a question for you biologists out there:

Turtle sex?

Or a friendly game of King of the Mountain?