The City’s Wildflower Planting Program has gone to seed at Fire Station 7. This was the first of 34 sites (over 237 acres!) that have been selected for the wildflowers.
These sites were selected because of their median presence, accessibility for maintenance, and scheduled construction in mind. While these sound like boring reasons, we promise that it means they will be in the perfect spots throughout Denton. This is only the beginning of the project, and we expect to expand the planting to more Denton roadways, open space, drainage areas, TxDOT roadways, and even private property.
Community input was integral to planning and involved local experts such as Master Naturalists, Master Gardeners, the Native Plant Society, and Denton County Beekeepers. Many different City departments also worked on the WWP. The mission is to promote an improved and sustainable environment by replacing vegetation in key public spaces and public property with native plants and native wildflowers, focusing on four key goals:
Identify and design right-of-ways and open spaces – to be maintained by Denton Parks Maintenance crews;
Reduce Air Pollution and Greenhouse Gas Emissions – an estimated 36,000 lbs. CO2e avoided annually;
Sustainable Environment including reduction of soil impacts, improvement of soil health, water conservation, and soil health;
Promote public understanding through signage, community outreach, and an online presence.
We are delighted about this program and can’t wait to see it bloom!