Hill Country Conservancy Violet Crown Trail Butterfly Garden

Priorities: Ecological Restoration – Native Habitat Creation – Trail System Support
Challenges: Disturbed Construction Soils – Establishing Vegetation in a Public Corridor
Solutions: Soil Decompaction and Amendment – Native Seeding – Temporary Irrigation System

The Violet Crown Trail is a first-of-its-kind regional trail system in Central Texas, connecting Zilker Park to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center across 13 miles, with long-term plans to extend the trail to Hays County. During trail construction, Maas Verde was engaged as a subcontractor to restore an area previously used for construction staging.

The scope of work focused on rehabilitating heavily compacted soils by decompacting and amending the site to support healthy plant growth. A native seed mix was installed to reestablish vegetation and stabilize the disturbed area while aligning with the surrounding ecology.

In addition to seeding, Maas Verde designed and installed a butterfly garden using native plants and boulders to create habitat within the trail corridor. A temporary above-ground irrigation system was installed to support plant and seed establishment, supplied by a 600-gallon water drum. The system required precise calculations to ensure adequate water distribution while remaining flexible for eventual removal.

This restoration effort demonstrates how ecological design and construction can successfully repair disturbed landscapes and enhance public trail environments.