NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY OF TEXAS

Kerrville Chapter

Website:  www.npsot.org/kerrville

FEBRUARY  NEWSLETTER - 2005

NATIVES ON THE GROW

Dedicated to the understanding, preservation and enjoyment of the native flora of the Hill Country

LIFE CYCLES AND HABITAT OF NATIVE BUTTERFLIES

The program for our meeting on Tuesday, February 1 at 2PM will be given by Deborah Payne. It will be a slide presentation on The Life Cycle and Habitat of Native Butterflies and will include information on plants necessary for these butterflies as well as exhibits of live butterflies, caterpillars, eggs and chrysalis.

Deborah is a graduate of Texas A&M. She took a seminar on raising butterflies in 1997 and began by raising two species of butterflies- the monarch and the painted lady. In 1999 she founded the Fredericksburg Butterfly Ranch which was in operation until 2003 and was a delightful place to visit . She presently is a Consultant and Containment Director for the Butterfly House at Wildseed Farms in Fredericksburg. Deborah continues to raise butterflies and is establishing the plants needed for the red admiral, the malachite and the tiger swallowtail. She plans to bring the “Julia” butterfly with its eggs,  chrysalis, caterpillars and appropriate plants to the meeting.

The Kerrville Chapter of the Native Plant Society of Texas holds monthly meetings on the first Tuesday of the month (September through June) at 2:00PM usually at Riverside Nature Center, 150 Francisco Lemos St. in Kerrville.  These meetings are free and open to the public.  If you have any questions about the Native Plant Society of Texas or this program, please call Janey Crum at 238-3666 

Calendar

January 24 : 7PM at Riverside Nature Center, 150 Francisco Lemos St. - Master Naturalist Monthly Meeting -  Wildlife Photography-a slide show of prize winning wildlife photos.

January 25 at: 7PM at Gillespie County Historical Society Building, 312 W. San Antonio St.  The Fredericksburg Chapter of NPSOT presents -The Microbial Life of Soil- by Melinda Kneese of Oma’s Haus and Garten.

February 1 : 2pm at Riverside Nature Center:Deborah Payne of the Wildseed Farms Butterfly House – Life Cycles and Habitat of Native Butterflies

February 8:7PM Friends of Fredericksburg Nature Center, Gillespie County Ag. Extension Office, 95 Frederick Rd.,Fredericksburg- The Texas Horned Lizard

March 1 : 2PM at Riverside Nature Center-Pat McNeal of McNeal Growers- Landscaping with Native Plants

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS

BOB and JUDY RICHIE

DOOR PRIZES

Door Prizes will be available at our February meeting.  Each member or visitor who signs in at the Welcoming table receives a free ticket for the door prize drawings of native plants.

WILDFLOWER SPOTLIGHT

The first wildflower of the season has been spotted. Can you guess what it is? It is the Windflower or Wind Anemone (Anemone heteroplylla) . There are two blooming in my garden- one is white and one is purple. Such a treat to see amidst the brown growth surrounding it. This plant is a perennial. The leaves look like strawberry leaves. Seeds are available from our sponser Native American Seed.  Check your garden . You might have a treat there as well!

REFRESHMENTS!

Refreshments for our January meeting will be provided by Priscilla and Jim Stanley

Please send any suggestions or comments on this newsletter to the Editor: Julia Campbell jbcbell@ktc.com

Officers and Board Members – 2004-2005