Welcome to the Lakes and Pines Chapter
of the Native Plant Society of Texas
Founded in November of 2023, the Native Plant Society of Texas Lakes and Pines Chapter promotes research, conservation, and utilization of native plants and plant habitats of Texas through education, outreach, and example.
With towering pines and hardwoods, rolling hills and prairies, and lakes too numerous to count, our Chapter includes Wood and surrounding Northeast Texas counties and takes in two Level 3 Ecoregions: the East Central Texas Plains and the Western Gulf Coastal Plain.
Native Plants . . .
- Have grown and survived here for over 500 years
- Are drought-tolerant, naturally conserving our precious water resources
- Don’t need special pampering or fertilizing
- Are natural to their ecosystem: Texas has over 5000 native plants but very few grow state-wide
- Help us maintain biological biodiversity
- Provide habitat and food for birds, butterflies, bees and other wildlife
Texas Native Plant Database
Find the Perfect Texas Native Plant for Your Landscape HERE!
Lakes and Pines Chapter Meetings and Events
Our meetings are in person and open to the public. Chapter Meetings are generally held at 1:30pm on the first Wednesday of the month.
• 1:30PM – Greeting friends old and new
• 2:00PM – Meeting begins, starting with a special presentation about native plants or related topics followed by a brief business meeting.
• Monthly Doorprizes – Really cool items are being donated by our members for doorprizes.
• We currently meet at Bob Wells Nursery @ Sorelle Farms located at 975 County Road 2220 in Mineola, TX. Join us and bring a friend!
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Learn all about our NPSOT Lakes and Pines Chapter activities. See what our members are doing to incorporate native plants in their landscape. Discover ways you can make a difference in creating a beautiful, low-maintenance, environmentally friendly landscape.
Can’t remember the details about a Lakes & Pines event from a few months ago? You can always refer back to our informative monthly newsletter archives here.
Lakes and Pines News
June 12 Lakes & Pines Garden Tour – Riverby Ranch
On June 12 Lakes and Pines chapter members had the pleasure of visiting Brandon Hall’s Riverby Ranch in Cumby, Texas. He is working hard to convert the non-native plants to native. It was so much fun that we stood in the rain and talked about the ecoregion and its future
June 6 NLCP Level 1 Class: A Learning Experience!
The Lakes & Pines and Tyler Chapters of the Native Plant Society of Texas hosted the Level 1 Native Landscape Certification Program class at the Tyler Nature Center on Saturday, June 6. Thirty native plant enthusiasts attended the class which focused on Introduction to Native Landscapes and was taught by
July 1 Lakes & Pines Chapter Meeting: “Riverby Ranch – The Rewilding of a North Texas Century Farm” presented by Brandon Hall
A special presentation about the history, project background techniques, insights, and outcomes of restoration efforts on a 15,500 acre farm on the Red River. Scalable techniques will be provided for the everyday landowner if time allows.
June 3 Lakes & Pines Chapter Meeting: “Where Gardening Meets Stewardship” presented by Ann Reynolds
Ann is a life-long gardener with a passion for nature, birds and native plants. The presentation will highlight the conservation area of the iNaturalist app.
Bob Wells Nursery at Sorelle Farms in Mineola is a NICE nursery! They are a partner in the NICE (Natives Improve and Conserve Environments) Native Plant Partner program, a collaboration between the Native Plant Society of Texas and local nurseries around the state to offer native plants that are right for the local environment. Click here for more information about the Bob Wells Nursery at Sorelle Farms and be sure to check out the Showcase Garden video above (or on our YouTube site). To search for other area nurseries supporting the NICE Native Plant program click here. PLEASE SUPPORT OUR NATIVE PLANT PARTNERS!
Join thousands across America restoring nature in their own backyards. It’s fun, easy, and free!
Take the free challenge.
See more birds, bees, and butterflies in your yard while shrinking your lawn.
You’ll get 12 weeks of emails with doable steps, expert tips from leaders, a yard health scorecard, and fun rewards along the way. You’ll start by seeing how healthy your yard is today, and finish by celebrating how much it has grown!
This challenge is 100% free, powered by Wildr. We created it because nothing like this existed, and spreading this movement to every yard in America is too important to put behind a paywall.
Check out Wild Thumb, a free app from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation. Growing a few native plants or a pocket prairie is easy with this interactive step-by-step gardening guide. The mission to support pollinators and restore prairies in Texas starts here! Available for iPhone, iPad, and Android.
Adding your garden to the Homegrown National Park Biodiversity Map is now quicker and simpler than ever. This is one of the most impactful actions you can take to help NPSOT showcase the incredible habitat restoration work happening across Texas.
With just a short form and a single email confirmation, your garden will be counted toward our statewide effort to make Texas #1 on the map.
ADD YOUR GARDEN HERE ! Let’s grow native plants for Texas!
Winter 2026 Texas Native Plants Magazine
The Magazine for Native Plant Society of Texas Members
- Executive Update
- Symposium Recap
- Native Plant Database
- Good Host
- Bird Sanctuaries
- Native Grasses
- Making Peace with HOA
- Member News
- Early Spring Care
Native Plant Society State Virtual Events
These events are generally available on-line, are produced by NPSOT Chapters around the state and are accessible by all members.
Native Plant Society State News
Twilight in the Garden of Good and Evil: The Cultural Legacy of Jimsonweed
“Dead time lasts for one hour—from half an
Summer Survivors: Native Plants that Thrive in the Texas Heat
By Logan Dovalina, Rio Grande Valley Chapter I
NICE Summer 2026 Plant of the Season
Pigeonberry (Rivina humilis L.): Perennial ground cover for
Keep Up With Our Chapter Activities Through Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, or Email
