NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY OF  TEXAS

  Kerrville Chapter
NOVEMBER  NEWSLETTER - 2003

NATIVES ON THE GROW

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

November Program: 

Backyard Wildscapes

Rufus Stephens of the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department will give a presentation entitled “Creating a Backyard Wildscape” at our November meeting on Tuesday, November 4^th beginning at  2 PM .  Texas Wildscapes is a habitat restoration plan for both rural and urban areas.  The goal is to provide places for birds and small mammals to feed and drink, escape from predators and raise their young.  Stephens will describe the steps to transform any yard into a habitat that is attractive wildlife, as well as to humans.

Using native plants attracts a variety of wildlife.  Hummingbirds, for example, are attracted to tubular flowers such as salvia, coral huneysuckle and cardinal flower.  You can also attract songbirds to feast on mulberry, beautyberry or black cherry trees that you have planted.  Imagine sharing territory with wildlife and experiencing the thrill of seeing a creature in the wild without having to leave your own backyard.

You can do more than just attracting birds.  Every species has its own specific habitat requirements.  If you know these  requirements, chances are good that whatever you desire – butterflies, frogs or even lizards – will be visiting your site.  Learn how your backyard can become a certified Texas Wildscape.

Stephens is a Wildlife Biologist with experience working in both urban and rural counties.  He has a Bachelors degree in Wildlife Biology from Texas A&M.  Come join us to learn how your can make your property more inviting to wildlife, and how to attract diverse species to your backyard.

FALL FIELD TRIP to “LOS RINCONES”
Saturday, November 1^st
Meet at 10:15 AM at Riverside Nature Center

Los Rincones is the property of the late John and Karen Galley, who were charter members of our NPSOT Chapter over ten years ago, and strong supporters of native plants.  They maintained their land in its natural state with native plants (and without livestock).  

Los Rincones has five box canyons, and yet is located only about 10 minutes from downtown  Kerrville .  The property is now in a conservation land trust.  It is not open to the public, but arrangements have been made for a tour for our Chapter.   

This Field trip has two parts:

1.  The first part is an easy walk to enjoy native plants and scenic views around the house and driveway.  Folks not participating in the more strenuous hike can leave after this event.

2.  The second part is more strenuous and involves walking down into the box canyons.

Please bring water and a sack lunch. 

Please wear sturdy footwear.  The hike may be moderately strenuous on some steep terrain.

Our plans on Saturday, November 1^st are as follows:

Meet at  Riverside Nature Center at  10:15 AM .

10:25 AM  Carpool to Los Rincones

Hike into the canyon(s) to view native plants, scenic beauty, and more.

Eat lunch and hike back out of the canyon by 2 PM

Calendar

Saturday, November 1^st  at 10:15 AM:  NPSOT – Kerrville Fall Field Trip to Los Rincones (see article above)  Meet at Riverside Nature Center to car pool.

Saturday, October 25  from 9 AM to noon:  “Fall Wildflowers and Prairie Restoration” by Janis Merritt of San Antonio Natural Resource Department at Cobolo Nature Center in Boerne. Learn how to start and maintain a wildflower meadow or native grass andwildflower prairie on your property.  She will present a slide show on local prairie restoration.  There will be a wildflower identification walk around Cibolo.  Bring your own wildflowers for identification.  Cost:  $10/member, $15/member couple; Non-members: $12/person, $18/couple

Tuesday, November 4 at   2 PM: “Backyard Wildscapes” by Rufus Stephens of Texas Parks & Wildlife at NPSOT – Kerrville Chapter meeting at Riverside Nature Center, 150 Francisco Lemos St., Kerrville..(see article above)

Wednesday, November 5 at 9 AM:  “Participatory Garden Nurturing” at the Kerrville Library.  (See article below.) 

Wednesday, November 5 at 10 AM:   Organic Gardening in the Texas Hill Country by J. Howard Garrett, the Dirt Doctor at  Riverside Nature Center – sponsored by  Riverside Nature Center

Saturday, November 8 from 9 AM to noon Trees and Understory = Food and Cover for Wildlife! by Mark Peterson, TFS and Rufus Stephens, TPWD at  Cibolo Nature Center in  Boerne.  All over the Texas Hill Country, land is being cleared for development and an excessively high white-tailed deer population is preventing regeneration of our hardwood trees.  Come learn the dynamics of forest ecology and how hunting and other land management practices can benefit native plants and the wildlife that depend on them for food and cover.  Cost: $10/member, $15/member couple; Non-members: $12/person, $18/couple

 

  Native Plant Display Garden at the Kerrville Library

After some discussion and input from our members, we have decided to maintain our  Native Plant Demonstration Garden  behind the Kerrville Public Library for one more year to see if we can develop additional support for this most worthwhile project.  The purpose of the Native Plant Society of  Texas is “to promote the conservation, research and utilization of the native plants and plant habitats of  Texas , through education, outreach and example.”  Our  Library Garden is a principal means of achieving this purpose in our Chapter since our native plant demonstration garden provides education, outreach and example to the public.  We have had positive responses from folks strolling through the garden telling us how much they enjoy the garden.

 

We did have more volunteeers in October, which we greatly appreciate.  We do encourage others to join us, to learn about native plants, to have fun, or to contribute to a project that is enjoyed by our community.  Call John Quinby at 367-4612 or Gwynn Jackson at 792-5997 for more information.

HIGHLIGHTS of the  NPSOT STATE SYMPOSIUM
in FREDERICKSBURG

Dorothy Mattiza, a founding member of our Chapter and its President in 1993, was honored as a Life Member of the Native Plant Society of Texas.  Mattiza owned and operated Gunsight Mountain Nursery in Tarpley, one of the first native plant nurseries, from the early 1980s until a few years ago.  We are pleased to have her major contribution to native plants in Texas formally recognized by NPSOT.

This four day Symposium was a wonderful learning event, from the lectures as well as from discussions with members from other Chapters throughout the state.  It is difficult to pick just a few highlights to share.  

The talk on Ecology of Native Plants:Stabilizing Creeks and Cleaning Water by Rufus Stephens, TPWD, discussed the many benefits of having a riparian zone rich with diverse native plants to hold the soil during floods vs. the common practice of removing most vegetation from the stream banks.  In Native Plants for Butterflies, Colby Dinges reminded us that we need to maintain a diversity of native plants to provide for the specific requirements of different butterfly species.  Many native plants that are not big or showy are important to butterflies.

Paul Cox, co-author of Texas Trees, A Friendly Guide, gave a very informative and humorous Overview of the Vegetation of the Edwards Plateau.  In Native Grass Restoration, David Bamberger discussed the steps in the restoration of his Selah Bamberger Ranch in Blanco County.  He described how building low stonewalls across eroded gullies could collect soil during rains, and over a period of years, heal the gulley back to grassland.  

Bobby Crabb, of our Chapter, gave an excellent overview of Cactus of the Edwards Plateau and Llano Uplift.  In The Floral Apostles of Central Texas, Barney Lipscomb described the remarkable achievements of the early botanists, despite incredible hardships.  In Endangered Means We Still Have Time, Flo Oxley, the Conservation Officer at Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center explained how the extinction of one native plant can have a snowball effect on the animals and people that use that plant, sometimes in ways that are not recognized until after the plant is lost.  We want to thank the Fredericksburg Chapter, especially Mike and Jennifer McBride and Jane Crone, for their enormous amount of planning and hard work to bring us this fine Symposium.

There were so many excellent field trips that it was difficult to choose which ones to attend.  At Enchanted Rock State Natural Area, we hiked to the top of the dome studying geology and native plants.  Additional hikes provided hands-on identification of native grasses and wildflowers.  We also visited the Giles Ranch: Ranching with Native Plants in Comfort.  This 10,000 acre ranch, which has been in the family since 1885, is managed to utilize the native vegetation to maintain 1 animal unit per 10 acres.  The animals are diversified in their dietary needs so that he can manitain on every 36 acres, the equivalent of 1 cow, 10 angora goats, 6 sheep and 3 deer, generally without supplemental feed.  

The 7,000 acre Shield Ranch in Dripping Springs has granted conservation easements on 6,000 acres to the Nature Conservancy and the City of Austin to prevent development of the ranch.  The Shield Ranch continues to be managed as a working cattle ranch, with 1 cow/46 acres and 1 deer/25 acres.  The Ranch has a good diversity of native plants, including abundant wildflowers, an understory for wildlife, and successful hardwood regeneration.  This diversity is managed by periodic prescribed burns to maintain a savannah (islands of trees and shrubs on a grassland).  We saw palafoxia, thryallis, agalinis, woolly ironweed, brickell-bush, white heliotrope, Texas aster, cudweed, and black dalea, in additon to the more commonly-seen  wildflowers. 

NOW BLOOMING!

	Photo by  Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Native Plant Information Network Image Gallery Palafoxia Palafoxia callosa

Palafoxia is an erect, open, branched plant 1- 2.5 feet tall that can be found on all soil types in the Hill Country.  Its narrow linear leaves are 1-2“ long.  The leaves appear to be gray-green due to a covering of very fine hairs.  The composite flower has no ray flowers, only white to pink disk flowers.  This annual blooms from June to November.  We found Palafoxia in scattered throughout the sunny grassy pastures on the Shield Ranch.

Reference:  Wildflowers of the Texas Hill Country by Marshall Enquist, p.242.

CHANGES IN OUR PLANT RAFFLE

Our Board has decided to modify our monthly Plant Raffle this year to give everyone an equal chance to take home a native plant.  When both members and guests sign in at our welcoming table, each person will be given one free raffle ticket.  Raffle tickets will not be sold, as in previous years.  For our October raffle, we purchased native plants from the  Riverside Nature Center “Down By the Riverside” Mostly-Native Plant Sale.

REFRESHMENTS!

Refreshments at our October meeting were provided by Jim and Priscilla Stanley.

Refreshments at our November meeting will be provided by Kathleen and Gale Holloway.