Richard Moya Park new site for Pollinators For Texas initiative
Pollinator Garden Planting Day Success!
On Oct. 26, the Balcones Canyonlands Chapter of Texas Master Naturalists celebrated a big milestone — the creation of a brand-new Pollinator Garden at Richard Moya Park!
About 100 plants representing 30 Texas native species were installed in a 1,700 sq. ft. garden, part of the Pollinators for Texas program made possible by funding from H-E-B. Our team worked hard all summer prepping the site and removing invasive Bermuda grass — and it paid off!
Nearby, another section of the park now features rescued native plants from the Central Texas Plant Rescue, giving high-value species new homes overlooking the historic Congress Avenue bridge. This area will soon bloom with seeded Texas wildflowers.
The day also included a BioBlitz with 200+ iNaturalist observations, trash cleanup, invasive removal demos, and bat monitoring!
What’s next:
The garden is officially open! Visit anytime the park is open — and stay tuned for volunteer days to help us weed, water, and watch it grow.
Huge thanks to everyone who planned, planted, organized, and nourished the crew with food and drinks. It truly takes a village — and ours is amazing.
🌻 June 21 – Community at Work: Garden Phase Two
Round two at Richard Moya Park was another great success! This time, we focused on installing edging and defining garden borders—and we did it alongside the community, hand in hand. Many hands truly made light work, and the early start let us beat the summer heat. Due to this, we had time to pause under the shade of one of their beautiful trees and enjoy a talk from Park Manager Benjamin Pargmann about the parks’s rich history and unique features.
Huge thanks to Travis County Parks Foundation and our local Native Plant Society for helping spread the word, and as always, to our phenomenal Master Naturalists. A big shout out of gratitude goes to Master Naturalist Zach Bower for agreeing to be site manager. He has a really great vision for community events around the garden.
We’re one step closer to a thriving pollinator haven thanks to each of you.
🌼 June 7 – Richard Moya Pollinator Garden: Day One Success!
We’re off to a fantastic start at the Richard Moya Pollinator Garden! Thanks to our hard-working Master Naturalists, dedicated community volunteers, and supportive park staff, we laid and mulched all 1,600 sq. ft—and even installed metal edging along the sidewalk.
The timing was perfect: just enough cardboard, just enough mulch, and we even wrapped up early! This was a true team effort, and the energy, collaboration, and commitment made for an inspiring morning of community-powered conservation.
📦 June 3 – It Takes a Village (of Cardboard!)
It turns out 1,600 square feet of cardboard is no small feat—but we’re getting there! Huge thanks to Joanna Fried for her collection of chip boxes, Gene Janulis for saving those giant TV boxes, and Erin Hollis for generously offering her covered pickup to store a truckload.
We hit the jackpot with a surprise alley find behind Taco Deli and the new Gold’s Gym—cardboard gold! Meanwhile, park staff is going above and beyond by preparing the site, scraping the area, and bringing in mulch. Gene and I dropped off a big batch of cardboard and then did our part for the chip cause at El Dorado Cafe.
A big thank you to Karen Rosel for a newly revised beautiful landscape design. The detail given to materials needed is really helping with planning.
See y’all Saturday morning at Richard Moya Park!
🌿 May 17 – For the Love of Parks Festival Recap
What a beautiful day at the For the Love of Parks Festival! A heartfelt thank you to the incredible Master Naturalists who braved the heat to help make this outreach event a standout success. It was inspiring to meet so many neighbors excited about the new pollinator garden coming to Richard Moya Park.
The community’s enthusiasm was contagious—and the plants, stickers, butterflies, and painted rocks were a huge hit with visitors of all ages! Grateful for the amazing teamwork and shared passion that’s helping us grow something truly special.
Update 5/19/25
Join the Richard Moya Pollinator Garden Club!
Sign up for upcoming garden days!
Original Post 4/25/25
The Pollinators for Texas initiative at Richard Moya Park is a great example of how partnerships between conservation groups and businesses can have a positive impact on local communities. By funding community-driven projects like this, H-E-B is helping the Texas Master Naturalist (TMN) program to restore essential pollinator habitats and raising public awareness about their significance.
With $3,000 in funding from H-E-B’s Pollinators for Texas initiative, the Balcones Canyonlands Chapter (BCTXMN) of TMN is installing a native pollinator garden at Richard Moya Park, marking their seventh pollinator garden since 2021. Their work not only provides crucial habitat for pollinators but also serves as an educational tool to encourage others to create their own pollinator-friendly spaces.
The garden works seamlessly with Travis County’s broader goal of expanding pollinator habitat, and the serene landscape of Richard Moya Park—bordered by Onion Creek and shaded by pecan and oak trees—makes an ideal location. The restored habitat will give visitors an opportunity to observe and learn about native pollinators, right in the heart of a community-focused park.
Beyond the pollinator garden, BCTXMN is collaborating with Central Texas Plant Rescue to develop a pocket prairie in the park, which will further enhance the ecological benefits of the Pollinators for Texas project.
Recent studies show that at least 22 percent of native pollinators are at an elevated risk of extinction. As pollinators continue to face habitat loss and environmental challenges, initiatives like this play a crucial role in reversing their decline. By increasing biodiversity, creating vital habitat, and engaging the public through education and volunteer opportunities, the Pollinators for Texas initiative is making a tangible difference—one garden at a time.