Charro Ranch Park Workday
A Report of the Hays County Master Naturalist
Volunteers from back left: Dick Barham, Neal Sutton, Stefanie Holtzendorf, Sharon Meves, Sue Harding, Matt Hughes. And from front left: Tom Hausler, Beth Barham, and Deb Niemeyer.
Michael Meves
On Saturday, June 18, 2022, dedicated Hays County Master Naturalist volunteers worked in the Texas summer heat to continue making our Charro Ranch Park special. The natural hiking and birding area is a pocket of Hill Country wildland near Dripping Springs, Texas. After having planted the native species in our new demonstration garden earlier this spring, we put the finishing touches on it by adding identification signs to improve visitor knowledge of these wonderful native and Texas-adapted plants.
New signs identify our heat-and-drought-resistant native species as well as this beloved Texas-adapted Spanish lavender!
The native plant garden is intended to educate visitors. Native plants:
Are resistant to local pests, disease, and drought.
Require less water, fertilizer, and pesticides because they are adapted to the local environment.
Provide food and habitat resources for local birds and insects.
Reduce soil erosion with deep root systems.
Attract local pollinators.
Will not become invasive or disrupt ecosystems as introduced species can.
Are generally easier to care for and more likely to thrive locally.
Mealy Blue Sage
Texas Mountain Laurel
There was also plenty of housekeeping around the plants as the volunteers trimmed tall grasses, pulled some weeds, and added mulch to all of the plants. The mulch will help the plants retain moisture during 2022’s unusually hot summer.
Deb Niemeyer helps clean up the demonstration garden.
Matt Hughes adds mulch around the plants.
At the completion of the garden work, the temperature began to soar. Did our volunteers decide to call it a day and head for their air-conditioned homes? No! Their next task was to hike farther into the park and remove a patch of Johnson grass that was starting to spread around the bridge. Johnson grass is an invasive, non-native species that will crowd out native grasses. Our group removed about 90 percent of it in the bridge area.
Another development in the park has been the maintenance and improvement of the rainwater collection system. A water tank with a solar operated pump can be used to water plants. The batteries that store the solar energy recently became weakened from the extensive watering necessary for our new plants. The City of Dripping Springs helped out by bringing the batteries back to their shop and recharging them. The city plans to install a bigger solar panel in the future, which will reduce the chances of the batteries losing their charge.
In a related effort, Sue Harding arranged for an emergency shipment of water to refill the tank during this ongoing drought. Along with their scheduled Saturday work, Hays County Master Naturalist volunteers Dick and Beth Barham and Maeva Ducos have visited the park at various times to water the new plants.
Once established, the native plants we’ve chosen should withstand drought conditions such as we’ve endured this spring and summer. This is their special beauty and the value of the demonstration garden we’re developing at Charro Ranch Park. Come enjoy the Park. We welcome your suggestions.