Join NBC 5 and the Heard Natural Science Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary on April 22-23, at the annual Spring Plant Sale fundraising event at the Heard Museum. The Plant Sale will feature a huge selection of native plants, hard-to-find herbs and well-adapted plants. This year, the plant sale will also offer over 1,000 native milkweed plants—even more than last year.
Monarch butterflies, Danaus plexippus, a species suffering from major decline in recent years, is dependent on milkweeds. This is the only plant species that their caterpillars can eat. With shifting land management practices, we have lost much of the milkweed from the landscape, leaving them with a limited food supply. Scientists believe this to be one of the causes of the Monarch population decreases. By purchasing and planting milkweed to help feed Monarch butterfly caterpillars, North Texans will be able to both help the recovery of this species and support the Heard, a private 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. All purchases are also tax-free.
There are a number of other benefits to using native plants in landscaping. Using these plants that are naturally suited to Texas’ hydrologic issues is an excellent way to reduce supplemental watering. Many of the native plant species are also better suited to Texas’ climate and provide food sources and habitat for many kinds of wildlife. For more than 20 years, veteran and novice gardeners alike have anticipated this rare opportunity to purchase some of the best plants for North Central Texas gardens and to obtain many rare plants. Please see our website for the complete plant list (available soon) at www.heardmuseum.org/plantsale. Guests are welcome to bring carts or wagons to facilitate their purchases.
The plant sale will be open to the public on April 22nd from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and April 23rd from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. A Heard Museum Member Pre-Sale will be offered on April 21st from 4-7 p.m. The Member Pre-Sale is open to Heard Museum members only; however, memberships will be available for purchase at the event or online beforehand. Due to overwhelming support last year, the plant sale sold out early making the Member Pre-Sale all the more advantageous for Heard Museum members.
About Heard Natural Science Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary
The Heard was founded in 1967 by Bessie Heard. Miss Heard was 80 years old when she saw the need to preserve a place where future generations could experience nature. Today, the Heard's mission of bringing nature and people together to discover, enjoy, experience, restore, and preserve our priceless environment is carried out through education, particularly of young people, which emphasizes an appreciation of nature and its conservation. For more information, visit heardmuseum.org.
2017 Spring Plant Sale
Saturday, April 22, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Sunday, April 23, 1:00 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Heard Natural Science Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary
1 Nature Place
McKinney, TX 75069
(972) 562-5566
www.heardmuseum.org/plantsale
