South Texas Botanical Gardens and Nature Center in Corpus Christi, Texas, occupies a 180-acre site that blends cultivated display gardens with native South Texas brushland. It began in 1987 with a one-acre cottage garden and nature trail, then moved to its present site in 1996 and continued to grow. Its major features include specialized gardens and plant collections suited to the local climate, including orchids, plumeria, bromeliads, cycads, cacti, and succulents. A mesquite nature trail crosses 30 acres of brush that supports diverse native plants and wildlife, giving the institution a dual identity as both a botanical garden and a nature destination.