SPI Celebrates Earth Day with Native Plants Sale

by Tony Vindell/LFN

South Padre Island celebrated Earth Day with a meditation labyrinth and a native plant sale.

And although Monday, April 22 was the day to think about what Mother Earth has to offer, there still is plenty of time to buy drought tolerant trees and shrubs such as retamas, wild olives, anaquas, lantanas, durantas, hibiscus, plants that produce wild flowers and pitaya bearing cactuses.

And the place to go is the Native Plant Center on the north end of the Island business district.

The NPC has been open since 2016 but, since a part of its operation depends on other sources of income such as grants and donations, the facility still is going through a constant state of construction.

At the information center, visitors can learn the different aspects of this region’s flora.

In the back, there is a nursery where hundreds of trees, bushes, plants and other shrubs are for sale.

Several ponds where mangroves will be planted are in the works.

Also, a labyrinth made with rocks is a part of the center that is run by Teebs Thorbjorsen and Zack Williams.

“We opened the center in 2016,” Thorbjorsen, who migrated to this country from Norway, said. “We are still doing work as we keep adding other things here and there.”

During Earth Day, the center was selling each plant and tree for $5, or a few dollars cheaper than regularly.

Tracy McAllister of Alamo said she was glad that she stopped by.

“This is awesome,” she said. “These are the kinds of plants we need but we can’t find.”

The NPC is located at 6809 Padre Blvd, South Padre Island, TX. For more information visit nativeplantcenterspi.org.