Clear Lake Chapter

Chapter Meeting: Butterfly Gardening for Houston and the Texas Gulf Coast

Monday, October 13 • 6:15 p.m.
Hybrid Meeting

6:15 Doors Open – UHCL Bayou Building, Forest Room (1430)
6:40 Zoom Opens
6:45 Business Meeting
7:00 Guest Speaker

Join us for an evening of delicious pizza, exciting door prizes, and the chance to connect with others while learning something new. Bring your own beverage.

Along with many species of wildlife in our country, populations of Texas Gulf Coast butterflies are increasingly threatened by habitat loss and other factors. In this presentation, we will learn what butterflies need to survive and complete their life cycle, as well as ways we can help them in our own yards by planting natives. Join us for an inspiring and illuminating journey into the magical lives of one of nature’s most wondrous creatures, the butterfly.

About the Speaker

Elizabeth White Olsen is a landscape designer in Houston. She is the co-founder of GO Native Landscaping for Birds and Butterflies, along with her husband, birder Glenn Olsen. She has published a book of poetry, and her book on butterfly gardening opens for pre-sales in October 2025. Find her at elizabethwhiteolsen.com.

In-person – Parking Pass Required

Clear Lake Chapter Members: If you have a pass, don’t forget it – you will not get another one if you picked one up previously. If you need your new pass, arrive early enough to pick one up in the meeting room and place it in your car.

Visitors: Non-members may purchase a pass for $5, or “rent” one — if returned at the end of the meeting, the $5 will be returned. Temporary parking permits may also be purchased at the kiosk in front of the Recreation Center or via T2 Mobile Pay.

DO NOT park in faculty/staff parking (enforced 24/7).

Bayou Building, Forest Room (1430)
University of Houston-Clear Lake
2700 Bay Area Blvd.
Houston, TX 77058

Meetings are open to members and non-members. If you would like to become a member, you may join online. For more information about the Native Plant Society of Texas and the benefits of membership please visit: www.npsot.org.

Hosted by the Environmental Institute of Houston, University of Houston-Clear Lake.

About the Region

2026 Fall Symposium Logo

This low-elevations region of Texas extends inland from the barrier islands, about 60 or so miles, and stretches from Brownsville to Louisiana. In total, it covers about 9.5 million acres, with a high point of 150 feet in elevation. More than 1000 species of plants can be found in this region. On the southern end, species more common in Mexico (such as Sabal mexicana) and Central America occur.

The barrier islands provide us with dune systems, and clay flats to the inland side, which have species found in these areas alone. Many plants here, such as Ipomoea pes-caprae (beach morning glory), can be found throughout tropical regions of the globe. I’ve encountered the same species on the beaches of Guam.

Once inland, vast marshes and wet prairies occur. Occasionally, oak (Quercus fusiformis) groves can be found. Common grasses include species of Bothriochloa, Paspalum, and Sporobolus; eastern gamagrass (Tripsacum dactyloides); and switchgrass (Panicum species). Many rivers and creeks cut through the Gulf Prairies, and along these riparian areas various species of trees, Sabal minor, and other plants adapted to clay soils can be found. Due to overgrazing, farming, and fire suppression, woody species such as mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa) and huisache (Acacia farnesiana), and invasive species such as chinaberry (Melia azedarach), Brazilian pepper (Schinus terebinthifolius), and Chinese tallow (Sapium sebiferum) have increased and displaced our native flora.

Source: Wildflowers of Texas by Michael Eason