By Bill Ward
Published in The Boerne Star on August 10, 2007
Mark your calendars! The last Friday and Saturday in September, the Boerne Chapter of the Native Plant Society of Texas (NPSOT) will offer community-outreach events that include book signings, art exhibits, and tours of local yards which are landscaped with native plants.
“Sign On Harvest Moon” on Friday, September 28 will give the Boerne community an incomparable opportunity to meet authors of several of the most popular books on Texas native plants. As an added feature, this event also will present the works of some local artists who specialize in Texas flora. Not only that, the festivities will include delicious food and drink. All for a $10 donation to the Boerne Chapter of NPSOT. It will be a fun and interesting evening, to say the least!
Saturday, September 29, the Boerne Chapter of NPSOT will again team with the Cibolo Nature Center to sponsor the popular Fall Tour of Yards. Last year’s tour drew crowds from all over this part of the Hill Country.
In the Texas Hill Country these days, among newcomers and old timers alike, there is a noticeably increasing appreciation of our native vegetation. One of the most common questions asked by folks who are just tuning into the native flora is, “What is a good book I can read on these plants?”
“Sign On Harvest Moon” will present authors of user-friendly books on native wildflowers, shrubs, trees, vines, and grasses, as well as on Hill Country land stewardship — all under one roof at the Cibolo Nature Center!
Throughout the state, probably the most popular wildflower book is “Wildflowers of Texas” by Geyata Ajilvsgi. It is arranged by color of the flower to make identification easier. Geyata will have copies of the second addition of this book to sell and autograph. Also, she would be happy to sign any of her several older books you might want to bring from your home library.
J. David and Margaret Bamberger will have copies of “Water from Stone – The Story of Selah, Bamberger Ranch Preserve” by Jeffery Greene. This book tells the inspiring story of restoration of Hill Country land on the Bambergers’ now-famous ranch north of Blanco. Margaret illustrated this book, and she will bring some of her art work to show and sell.
“Texas Trees – A Friendly Guide” by Cox and Leslie lives up to its name. This book is a must for anyone interested in identifying trees in Texas. Paul Cox, San Antonio Botanical Garden botanist, and Patty Leslie Pasztor, naturalist and ethnobotanist, will be there to sign copies of their popular book. In addition, these two people are a great source of information about native plants of all kinds. Bring your questions and plant-identification problems. These authors are just as friendly as their book.
Brian and Shirley Loflin will bring their innovative book on grass identification, “Grasses of the Texas Hill Country.” Their book is designed to allow the average person to recognize the common grasses of this area. Beautiful color illustrations and easy-to-follow steps take much of the mystery out of identifying native grasses.
Botanists of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department have just produced a one-of-a-kind field guide on our rarer native plants. Jackie Poole and Jason Singhurst will show off their new book “The Rare Plants of Texas: a Field Guide.” This should be a fascinating volume for us, because the Hill Country is home to a large share of those rare plants.
Boerne’s own Jan Wrede has written the most useful book on identification of the woody vegetation of this area. “Trees, Shrubs, and Vines of the Texas Hill Country” should be on everyone’s book shelf, because many of the plants illustrated in this book are not included in other popular books on Hill Country flora. If you do not yet have the book, you can buy it at “Sign On Harvest Moon.”
Next month’s column: some words on the art work and the yard tours.
