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WANT TO SAVE THE PLANET? START AT HOME!A KPC citizen-conservation project for schools, scouts, garden clubs, churches, families, and individuals.

Why is the Great Grow Out needed?Animals need plants - but not just any plants. Our native wildlife does best when given plants that they’ve been in partnerships with for thousands of years - native plants. The best way of helping wildlife then is to make sure that there are plenty of native grasses, wildflowers, trees, and shrubs around for them to eat, get much needed water, and find shelter.

Unfortunately, few native plants are sold at local home improvement stores and that’s where you come in! Great Grow Out volunteers grow and nurture native plants at their homes so that they can be used in restoration projects on the Katy Prairie, at local pocket prariies, and even at schools who are enrolled in our Prairie Builders School initiative. You decide which location you want to grow for.

Volunteers are also highly encouraged to keep some plants for their own use - hey, it's part of the fun!

KPC provides volunteers with the seeds and the know how; volunteer growers

provide the water, soil, pots, and time.

How can you get involved?(1) Volunteers first visit the Great Grow Out page and select which seeds they would like to grow based on the appearance of the plant and which animal(s) uses the plant. (2) Seeds are sent to

growers by Jaime Gonzålez(3) Volunteers use online instructions to

grow out the plants(4) Several months later plants are returned

to KPC for planting.

A KPC citizen-conservation project for schools, scouts, garden clubs, churches, families, and individuals.

HOME ON THE RANGEAt one time the majority of the Greater Houston-Galveston area was blanketed by the prairie. The Katy Prairie was a wonderful diverse part of this grassland wilderness.

A PROJECT OF

ABOUT PRAIRIE BLAZING STAR OR LIATRISFlying takes a lot of energy! Whether you are a monarch, a swallowtail butterfly, a bee, or a hummingbird you need flowers that provide high amounts of sugars.

Fortunately blazing stars (also known as Liatris) provide rich nectar which is high in sugar. The beautiful purple flowers make this prairie native easy to spot for prairie insects and make a very enjoyable flower for gardens and as cut flowers.

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I’m a Monarch...

...and I need Prairie Blazing Star!

AMAZING MIGRATORMonarch butterflies are amazing animals. Each year they travel (migrate), over several generations, thousands of miles between their winter home in Mexico and their summer homes in the United States and Canada.

Along the way they stop to feed on the nectar of flowers and lay eggs on milkweed plants.

Their bright orange color warns birds and other predators that they are poisonous!

SEEDS

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Collect SeedsVolunteers collect seeds in late summer

through fall at local prairies.

Seed Packing Pizza PartiesKPC organizes a series of seed packing pizza parties (gotta

have food!) where we typically pack 2,000 seed packets per party.

Planting Day!Volunteers are invited to participate in a big planting day on a KPC preserve, public park, or local school.

Distribute Seeds

Volunteer growers request seeds for growing

at home by contacting Jaime Gonzålez. Seeds are distributed from March - September.

DID YOU KNOW?The Katy Prairie Conservancy has protected nearly 18,000 acres of prairie lands since 1996!

A Year-round Activity

Return PlantsVolunteers return plants to KPC once the roots of their plants are starting to poke out of their 4” pots or 1 gallon pots.

Grow Seeds at Home or SchoolVolunteers grow plants at home or at school for several months using online instructions.

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katyprairie.org/ggo.html