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Native Plants: the cool thing about summer

By July 5, 2017
Malvaviscus | TRWD

Summer has officially begun, and we can definitely feel the heat. Not only do we need water to cool us off, but our landscapes may need extra water, too.

Summertime can be a struggle to know if you are watering your grass and plants enough so that they can survive the Texas heat. Not only do you have to worry about keeping your landscape looking good, but also how it might affect your wallet. Don’t fret because there is a solution – native plants.

According to the United States National Arboretum, a native plant is one that occurs naturally in a particular region, ecosystem or habitat without direct or indirect human intervention. This means native plants have been surviving way before any of us helped them along. They have adapted and evolved to local environmental conditions and do not require as much water as plants imported from other areas. Native plants also do not require a lot of maintenance once they establish themselves.

Since it can be a little intimidating trying to decide which native plants you should use, we thought it would be helpful to give you some examples. Like our Facebook page and over the next 8 weeks, we will share native flowers, shrubs and trees you can plant in your garden like this one from Texas Superstar.

Lake Current Level Conservation Level* Level Difference**
Arlington 550.22 550.00 0.22
Benbrook 696.15 694.00 2.15
Bridgeport 820.87 836.00 -15.13
Cedar Creek 322.34 322.00 0.34
Eagle Mountain 644.69 649.10 -4.41
Lake Worth 591.19 594.00 -2.81
Richland-Chambers 315.67 315.00 0.67
*Conservation Level: The permitted level of water an entity is allowed to hold in a lake. Any amount above the conservation level is used for the temporary storage of flood waters and must be released downstream.
**Difference: Amount above or below conservation level.
For more information read our daily reports or the TRWD Lake Level Blog.

Check out the TRWD OneRain portal for a visualization of this information and more.

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