Nature

The Dallas Public Library's Seed Library, housed in an old card catalog, offers free vegetable, fruit, and herb seeds to patrons, fostering urban agriculture. Classes are available, and no library card is needed. Seed donations support the expanding program, which aims to engage and sustain Dallas's gardening community.

DFW secured second place globally in the iNaturalist City Nature Challenge, with participants documenting over 2,500 species across 34,000 observations. Local nature enthusiasts, including Tracy Fandre, who logged the most observations, and Sam Kieschnick, who identified the most species, showcased the Metroplex's rich biodiversity.

North Texans are preparing for the City Nature Challenge, held April 27-30, to defend their title. Hosted by iNaturalist, the global event involves over 70 cities. DFW enthusiasts, led by Sam Kieschnick, aim to record the highest number of local plant and animal observations.

The Monarch Butterfly Habitat Exchange, developed by multiple environmental organizations, offers incentives for Texas landowners to restore monarch butterfly habitats, combating significant population decline. The program finances habitat restoration from Mexico to Canada via crowdsourcing, increasing monarch populations while providing economic benefits to landowners and contributors.

The Tyler Museum of Art presents "Sticks and Stones," a retrospective of Fort Worth artist Helen Altman. Displaying works from 1992 onwards, the exhibit reflects Altman's fascination with nature, blending realism and surrealism with elements of nostalgia. It explores themes like artificiality and irony, on view until June 3.

Seedling Farm, led by Dr. Owen Lynch, was established to address South Dallas's food desert and job desert challenges. Located at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center, it distributes thousands of seedlings annually, fostering local agriculture and economic revival through partnerships and community involvement.

Keep Dallas Beautiful revived in 2017 aims to beautify Dallas with projects like installing a Healing Garden at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Led by Brenda Finch, the group focuses on beautification, litter reduction, and environmental education, with support from the city and volunteers.

When people think of Jane Goodall, most probably envision the venerable grey-haired matriarch of wildlife and environmental conservation, now 83. The National Geographic Studios new documentary Jane aims to introduce audiences to a very different version.

A pair of turkeys will be dining on a rich buffet of veggies and grain at a local sanctuary this Thanksgiving instead of being the main course, thanks to a Fort Worth woman. She’d raised chickens all her life and poultry husbandry was something of a family art.

Grand Prairie will host the Texas State Arbor Day celebration on Nov. 3 at Grand Central Park. The event includes tree giveaways, entertainment, and educational booths, highlighting the city's commitment to tree preservation and the Living Memorial Forest Program.