Cherry Creek Community Garden

Meet the Firewheel. This wildflower is also known as Indian blanket–perhaps in part because the Kiowa considered this flower a symbol of luck. The Firewheel blooms from April to June and attracts butterflies and bees. These plants have traditionally been used for several medicinal purposes, including help with gastroenteritis, skin problems, and for nursing mothers.

These wildflowers are called Mexican hat–and so named because of their resemblance to the Mexican sombrero. Mexican hats will bloom from May to June and attract bees and butterflies. Once they go to seed, they will also attract birds.

The leaves can be made into a tea to help alleviate stomach problems, and the flowers can be made into a tea to help headaches. The boiled stems and leaves have been used as a wash for snakebite and poison ivy rashes–but we recommend you visit the doctor in case of snakebite.

One of our gardeners suggested we post photos of some of the many wildflowers in bloom at the garden along with a little information about them. What a great idea! Over the next several days, I’ll be posting information about these flowers here and on our Facebook page.

Here’s a little bonus before we begin with the wildflowers. While I was taking photographs of the flowers today, I noticed something trotting along the sidewalk toward the entrance of the walking path. It was a gray fox. It walked leisurely down the walking path toward Williamson Creek and paused for a moment. I didn’t have my telephoto lens, but I got as close as I could to get a picture before it took off. If you look closely at this photo, you might be able to see the fox’s ears, back, and a bit of the tail.

We’ve added new photos of our Earth Day Happy Hour under our photo gallery. You can also just follow this link to see them without navigating through the menu. Thanks to everyone who came out last night and helped us celebrate Earth Day. It was wonderful to see so many people enjoying the community portion of our community garden.

Join us at Cherry Creek Community Garden on Sunday, April 22, at 5:00pm to celebrate Earth Day with a community happy hour.

We’ll provide light refreshments. You bring a mug, glass, or smoothie shaker full of your favorite happy hour beverage. If sitting is important to you, be sure to bring a blanket or chair.

Do you play a musical instrument? Bring that, too. We’d love to see what kind of impromptu Cherry Creek Community Garden music festival we can create.

As we have done in the past, we will also be giving back to the greater Austin community by holding a donation drive. Our charity for this event is Austin Youth River Watch. This non-profit teaches high school students about environmental stewardship while also providing them with support and accountability to stay in school. They can use pre-paid credit cards or gift cards that can be used to purchase groceries and gas. They will take monetary donations as well.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Thanks, Gordon, for sharing this photo.

Cherry Creek Community Garden is in the running for a grant from Seeds of Change. The first part of the grant opportunity allows the public to vote for their favorite community or school garden. Please vote for our garden at this link. You can vote one time per day on each of your devices, so please bookmark the page and remember to visit each day until the voting closes on April 19. Thank you for your support!

Healthy soil grows robust produce. If you are interested in getting your soil tested, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension provides free testing. Follow this link to learn more about this service, get the proper form, and more.