Above average rainfall in Central Texas could mean good things for wildflower displays and the many wildflower enthusiasts that enjoy them each spring. "Wildflowers typically do well in El Nino years," said Mark Simmons, ecologist at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

The Austin Symphony closes its season of Sarah & Ernest Butler Pops concerts with Promenade Pops, May 11 & 12 at the Palmer Events Center. This year's Promenade Pops features Classical Mystery Tour: A Tribute to The Beatles, starring original members of the Broadway sensation Beatlemania.

The Native Plant Information Network (NPIN), already one of the most comprehensive online resources for native plant information, is now much more useful to landscaping professionals and home gardeners, thanks to a total redesign introduced this month by the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center at The University of Texas at Austin.

Austin Showcases Challenge X Student-Designed, Environmentally Friendly Vehicles

Poverty remains a big problem in the United States, and vast numbers of working Americans and their families lack health insurance and other basic goods. Yet, the mid-20th century ideal of a generous "welfare state" providing these basic goods to everyone seems dead.

Austin audiences will continue to experience the excellence of the Austin Symphony's 96th concert season when Maestro Peter Bay and the ASO welcome violinist Jaime Laredo and cellist Sharon Robinson for an evening featuring works by Wagner, Rózsa and Beethoven. Frost Bank and Slack & Davis proudly sponsor this concert.

Austin audiences have one final chance to experience the excellence of the Austin Symphony's 96th concert season on February 2 & 3 when Maestro Peter Bay and the ASO close their Classical Concert season with a percussive evening of works. Percussionist Evelyn Glennie joins the ASO for a night featuring works by Milhaud, Schwantner, Vivaldi and Respighi. Vinson & Elkins and Compass Bank proudly sponsor this concert.

Becoming a bona fide living music legend isn't as easy as it may look. First, you have to have a solid foundation of talent on which to build. Then you have to record songs that will stand the test of time. It certainly doesn't hurt to have a witty, bantering stage style that draws fans like college kids at Daytona Beach, or a hit television show viewed by 50 million people every week for three years.

The Austin Symphony Orchestra welcomes singer/songwriter Don McLean for its next Sarah & Ernest Butler Pops concert, March 17, 2007, at Riverbend Centre. This concert is being proudly sponsored by Altria Group.