Texas Discovery Gardens May Update

news from TEXAS DISCOVERY GARDENS

Butterfly Plant Sale Edition

May 2012

Happy Earth Day from Texas Discovery Gardens

Newsletter contents

Greetings!

Our Butterfly Plant Sale is nearly here (and right behind it is our annual Mother's Day Concert with The Women's Chorus of Dallas)! Our amazing staff and volunteers have been hard at work prepping the greenhouse for the sale, and we hope to see you out here this weekend.

The sale is Friday from 4-7 pm for members and Saturday from 10 am to 2 pm for general public. Can't make it out? We'll open up the greenhouse from 10 am to 2 pm May 19 as well; quantities for the second date will be very limited.

See below for details, and find a plant list here!

The Plant Sale Cheat Sheet (get in; get out; get planting!)

1. Fair Park may charge for parking at the gate. Tell the attendant you are attending the Texas Discovery Gardens Plant Sale for free parking.

2. Park around back by our Greenhouse (Turn right past the gate and follow our fence line and signs along your left.)

3. Park your plants! We have 'Plant Parking Spaces' where you can load plants while you shop. Volunteers are on hand to tally up when

you're finished. You then take your ticket to the greenhouse to pay. Bog sage and other native and adapted butterfly plants

4. Feel free to bring a dolly or cart (or a spouse, neighbor, boy scout, etc.) to help with carry out. We have a few (carts, that is) available to help you out once you have paid and are ready to go home, but it can back up at the beginning of the sale.

5. Questions? Just ask! We have plenty of wonderful volunteers and staff on hand to answer your plant questions and more.

Milkweed

Prices: $3 - 4-inch; $7 - gallons; trees, shrubs, and veggies are special prices. Cash, check and credit card are accepted. New this year: we are using the square credit card payment system, which will make your purchases go much smoother!

We have limited quantities of some items; come early for the best selection!

Happy Gardening,

Texas Discovery Gardens staff

May Calendar

Books 'N Bugs

May 10, 2012 from 11 am - Noon

Join the Butterflies & Bugs for story time! We'll have fun as we make crafts, read the book and have a themed snack! The session ends with our daily noon butterfly release. $10 per Child; $8 per TDG Member Child. Adults pay regular admission.

Plant Safari (Preview Day)

May 11, 2012 from 2 pm - 4 pm

This pre-sale tour by TDG's garden experts shows you how to incorporate native and adapted plants into your landscape. Learn about the environmental conditions they thrive in and the beneficial insects they attract. Attendees can buy plants at our Member's Preview. $15, $10 for TDG Members. Advance registration strongly encouraged.

Member's Plant Sale Preview

May 11, 2012 from 4 pm - 7 pm

Our Member's Plant Sale allows you to shop before the Saturday rush! Members also receive 10% off plants. Save time in line and renew or buy your membership online. You can also pay for your membership at the sale. We have a limited number of plants, so if you have a list of "must-haves," be sure to come early!

Plant Safari

May 12, 2012 from 8 am - 10 am

We offer the same safari on Saturday. This pre-sale tour by TDG's garden experts shows you how to incorporate native and adapted plants into your landscape. Learn about the environmental conditions they thrive in and the beneficial insects they attract. $15, $10 for TDG Members. Advance registration strongly encouraged.

Plant Sale

May 12, 2012 from 10 am - 2 pm

Enjoy native and adapted plants that are rare to find in local nurseries!

Mother's Day Concert & Butterfly Release

May 13, 2012

As an encore to last year's sellout event, The Women's Chorus of Dallas performs another amazing concert at Texas Discovery Gardens on Mother's Day.

This hour-long concert, concluding with a live butterfly release in the Conservatory, is the perfect way to celebrate with the ones you love on Mother's Day. Buy your concert ticket from TWCD. Advance tickets range from $15 to $25.

To release a butterfly, you may purchase the "Butterfly Release Gift Package" from Texas Discovery Gardens for $25. It includes a butterfly plant and goodies to take home.

Beneficial Insects & their Host Plants - New!
May 19, 2012 from 9 am - Noon

Insects and wildlife are the best indicators of garden health. Learn about insects that keep your garden healthy and how to attract them with John Watts.$25, $20 for TDG Members. Register in advance.

Garden Explorers Walk

May 19, 2012 at 11 am

Get out in the garden on this family friendly walk! Take a garden tour with one of our garden docents and learn how to spot a squirrel's nest, caterpillar activity, pond life and much more in the great outdoors. Included with admission.

CityArts at Fair Park

May 25-27, 2012

Texas Discovery Gardens is celebrating art in honor of this annual park-wide event. Enjoy half priced admission to Texas Discovery Gardens Saturday and Sunday. We will be open on Saturday from 10 am to 8 pm, with a complimentary Opening Reception for our newest art exhibition, "Truth Beauty Chaos," by Trayc Claybrook. For details on CityArts itself, visit the festival's website.

Education Spotlight

Summer Camps and Day Camps: Sign up now!

TDG's summer camps are an excellent way to get your kid to 'unplug' and get them out in nature during the summer!

Barry Garst, the American Camp Association's Director of Program Development and Research Application, said in an interview with Richard Louv, "Few places other than camps provide children with the opportunity and freedom to connect with nature and also caring mentors."

We offer a wide range of opportunities for your camper -- everything from day camps that focus on being Earth Friendly to a whole week looking at Butterflies & Bugs! See details here.

Erin Shields,

Education Manager

Volunteer at Texas Discovery Gardens

We love our volunteers at Texas Discovery Gardens! We have immediate daily needs for docents inside our Butterfly House. You can directly make visitors' experience at Texas Discovery Gardens meaningful and educational! Contact Marisa Hettinger, Volunteer and Program Manager, at Volunteers@TexasDiscoveryGardens.org or (214) 428-7476 x 240.

Art Exhibition

We are so excited to have Trayc Claybrook on hand for our next exhibition, Truth Beauty Chaos: an evolution of consciousness.

Saturday, May 26:

11 am to 1 pm: Community Art installation

6 pm to 8 pm: Opening Reception

6:30 pm: Artist talk

The Exhibition runs through August, 2012. Texas Discovery Gardens admission applies. $8/adults, $6/ages 60+, and $4/ages 3 to 11. Free for members or on Tuesdays (butterfly house admission regular price).

Our exhibitions are curated by Janet Reynolds.

Become a member today and save at our Butterfly Plant Sale!

Reliant Energy

There is still time to get a family membership to Texas Discovery Gardens for just $45! Members keep Texas Discovery Gardens going, and we're happy to have many new member specials and events this year. Another good reason to buy: Reliant Energy partnered with Texas Discovery Gardens for our Membership Drive! For new and renewed memberships sold by May, 2012, Reliant Energy will donate matching funds of up to $5,000 to the Gardens. Become a member here!

Donor Spotlight

The Dallas Council of Garden Clubs held its last meeting before summer break. We look forward to having them back out here when the weather cools, and we thank them for their additional donation of $100 for our programming and gardens.

Butterflies for Mom	Our butterfly scarves are such a hit they made the Dallas Morning News as a top buy for Mother's Day! Get your mom a special memento after taking her to our Mother's Day Concert with the Women's Chorus of Dallas.
Stop by our Gift Shop to purchase. Open Daily 10 am - 5 pm.

Become a Gardens Member Donate to Texas Discovery Gardens

Click here to donate or become a member.

Texas Discovery Gardens is a nonprofit educational organization supported in part

by the Dallas Park & Recreation Department.