Austin/Travis County
Take the kids/grandkids to family Nature Nights on select Thursdays during July at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. The topics include Fossils on July 9, Birds of Prey on July 16, Bees on July 23, and Stream Ecology on July 30. Grounds open 6 – 9 p.m. Fee: $1 per person; free for members and EcoExplorers. See www.wildflower.org/nature/.

Visit the Hartman Prehistoric Garden and seven other specialty gardens at Zilker Botanical Gardens on the south bank of the Colorado River near downtown Austin. Open regular garden hours (7 a.m. – 7 p.m.) on Independence Day, July 4. See details at www.zilkergarden.org/index.html

Corpus Christi
Enjoy the big pink spoof of the third annual Flamingo Fandango, opening July 1 at the South Texas Botanical Gardens and Nature Center, 8545 S. Staples St. The gardens will feature outrageously dressed pink plastic yard flamingos costumed by professional and just-for-fun artists alike. Runs through Labor Day, Sept. 7. Visit www.stxbot.org or call 361-852-2100 for details.

Attend the "Passion for Plumeria" seminar, Saturday, July 11, 9 -11 a.m., at the South Texas Botanical Gardens and Nature Center. Plumeria Society members will discuss tips on purchasing and raising these exotic, tropical beauties and lead a tour of the center’s 100-plant Plumeria Garden and Willoughby Viewing Platform. They will also preview the society’s July 18 sale, set for 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. at the Garden Senior Center, 5325 Greeley. Seminar fee: $6, $3.50 for Botanical Gardens and Nature Center members (includes admission). For reservations, call 361-852-2100. Visit www.stxbot.org/events.htm for details.

Dallas and Collin County
Celebrate the Fourth of July with “Booms and Blooms at Texas Discovery Gardens.” Fair Park offers free admission to the park all day, free access to the beautiful organic gardens, and free admission to museums from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. Live music begins at 4 p.m., and a fireworks show begins at dusk, about 8:45 p.m. (Bring a lawn blanket and come early for best seating.) Visitors will also be able to see the progress on the new two-story Rosine Smith Sammons Butterfly House and Insectarium, scheduled to open in September. Visit www.texasdiscoverygardens.org/upcoming_events.shtml.

Enjoy free music at Texas Discovery Gardens every Sunday afternoon in July, when the Fine Arts Chamber Players present the “Basically Beethoven Festival.” Professional musicians from across North Texas perform inside the air-conditioned Grand Hall at Fair Park A pre-concert recital series, “For the Love of Music,” showcases talented young musicians, beginning at 2:30 p.m. each Sunday. The main concerts begin at 3 p.m. See www.texasdiscoverygardens.org/upcoming_events.shtml.

Watch the sun set over White Rock Lake while listening to music on the concert lawn at the Dallas Arboretum during the Cool Thursday Concert Series, every Thursday this month, 7:30 – 9:30 p.m. July 2 – Four Way Street; July 9 - Christies Ex; July 23 – Le Freak; July 30 – Fast Lane. Visit http://dallasarboretum-store.stores.yahoo.net/cool-thursdays.html.

Discover the secrets of home-grown herbs at “Herbs and Herb Container Gardens,” a class scheduled for Saturday, July 18, 10 – 11 a.m., at Texas Discovery Gardens. Includes a tour of the Scent Garden and Heirloom Rose Garden. Appropriate for ages 12 and up. E-mail TDG@TexasDiscoveryGardens.org or call 214-428-7476, ext. 1.

Learn about “Native North American Indian and Hispanic Herbal Traditions” at the July 25 meeting of the North and Central Unit of the Herb Society of America. Presenter will be July Griffin, Ph.D., author, Master Gardener, Master Herbalist and Certified Horticulturist. The group meets at 9:30 a.m., with program at 10:30 a.m., in the conference room at North Haven Gardens, 7700 North Haven Road. Open to the public. For additional information, call 972-881-9428

Fort Worth/Tarrant County
Celebrate the Fourth of July weekend at an Old-Fashioned Family Fireworks Picnic featuring the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra performing at the Fort Worth Botanical Garden. This popular concert will be offered three times – Thursday, July 2, Friday, July 3, and Saturday, July 4. Then finish the weekend at the 1812 Overture concert on Sunday, July 5. The event includes a performance by one of the 2009 Cliburn International Piano Competition medalists and closes with Tchaikovsky’s explosive 1812 Overture performed by the orchestra in tandem with a breathtaking fireworks display. Gates open at 6:30 p.m., concerts begin at 8 p.m. Advance ticket prices begin at $15. See details at www.fwbg.org/calendar.php.

Houston
Shop for plants that beat the heat at the Mercer Arboretum’s Summer Plant Sale, this Saturday, June 27, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Plants offered will include tropicals, gingers, natives, shade plants, and more. The Mercer is located at 22306 Aldine Westfield Road in Humble. Members of The Mercer Society may shop early at 8 a.m. See www.hcp4.net/mercer/index.htm.

Join the Lunch Bunch at the Mercer Arboretum for “Made in the Shade” on Wednesday, July 8, noon - 2 p.m. Learn what grows best in the shadows of other plants and which plants shun the sun at this gardening presentation. Bring a sack lunch to enjoy during the program. Call (281) 443-8731 for reservations.

San Antonio
Enjoy Concerts Under the Stars at the San Antonio Botanical Garden this month: Joe Posada on July 9 and Henry Brun and the Latin Playerz on July 23.  Gates open at 6 p.m.; music starts at 7 p.m. $5 general admission; members free. Bring blankets and lawn chairs. Visit www.sabot.org to learn about food options.

Washington County
Celebrate July with events in Brenham and Washington County, when the schedule will include parades, fireworks, outdoor concerts, grape crushings, theatre productions and tours of historic sites in places like Washington-on-the-Brazos. Post-Independence Day events include the “Hot Nights, Cool Tunes” Saturday evening concert series, held on Brenham’s historic downtown square.  Performers include Abbey Rode with Already Gone on July 11, the ‘80s rock band Suede on July 18, and the Big Otis Show Band on Aug. 1. Click on the calendar link at www.BrenhamTexas.com for details, or call 1-888-BRENHAM (273-6426) for a visitor’s guide.