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Fredericksburg Chapter

Newsletter

The links to the monthly newsletter from the Fredericksburg chapter President download well on computers and mobile tablets.

However, that may not be true on all phones. For a crisp rendition on your smart phone you may need to open with the free dropbox mobile app.

February 2025 Native News    Let’s get growing; Watch for Agarita ready to bloom; volunteer opportunities

January 2025  Native News – by Jonathan Watt, Chapter president;  news & notes about his garden; tips for getting native seeds ready for sowing; latest news, upcoming events, invitation to be actively involved in chapter leadership.

2024

Plant Natives,

The monthly newsletter from Deborah Simmons, President, Fredericksburg chapter NPSOT

December, 2024 Plant Natives.    Holiday party, Tuesday, Dec 3, 6:30 @ St Joseph’s Halle. New Board members join a strong team: Jonathan Watt, President; Lanis LeBaron, Secretary. Enjoy autumn’s gold and silver waves of grasses dancing in the breezes.

November, 2024 Plant Natives    No meeting in November, but the chapter is still active. Mark your calendar: Seed stomp November 8. Holiday party December 3.

October, 2024 Plant Natives   Mark your calendars: our members-only holiday party is December 3rd at 6:30 pm.; plant sale pickup is on Oct. 19;   Matt Kolodzie, proprietor of Friendly Natives Nursery, will share 25 tips from his 25 years of working with native plants at our next chapter meeting, October 22.

September, 2024 Plant Natives  Autumn is the best time of the year for Oct 19 plant sale. Prepare now.  NLCP class 1, Sept 14.    Kathy Saucier is our speaker this month: Learn how to select beautiful native ground covers to make a drought-tolerant meadow in place of your monoculture lawn.

August, 2024 Plant Natives  Register for the initial class of the Native Landscape Certification Program (NLCP). Class is scheduled on ZOOM September 14.// Rufus Stephens, certified wildlife biologist is our speaker for the month of August. 

July, 2024 Plant Natives    Learn to create a pollinator garden with Board member Holly Simonette  July speaker; Save seeds to replenish the ground cover for Cross Mtn.; donations for conservation efforts are appreciated.

June, 2024 Plant Natives   Do you love seeing critters in your garden? Deborah Simmons is our June speaker. She invites us to her property to share experience in gardening to attract wildlife.

May, 2024 Plant Natives  Speaker this month: Shannon Brown founder of ERA; Day Family scholarship available for a Gillespie Co. senior; it’s spring. the hummingbirds are here and the hill country savanna is ready for them.

April, 2024 Plant Natives   Paula Stone sets the stage for designing the garden as this month’s speaker. Tune in to our  YouTube channel to review the month’s speaker presentation or to attend the meeting. Members vote on changes to chapter By-Laws this month.

March, 2024 Plant Natives  Cheryl Hamilton addresses invasives this month and offers strategies for removal; Spring to the Wild Side, our spring member plant sale is this month. “Hope is the thing with leaves that perches in the soul.” Spring is here.

February, 2024 Plant Natives:  This month’s speaker: George Cates from Native American Seed will talk about Hill Country native wildflower and grass seeds. Growing bluebonnets from seed. Look for the promises of spring that are beginning to peak out.

January, 2024 Plant Natives:   There is life in a Hill Country winter. The question is where to find it and how to sustain it;     Robert Edmondson, January speaker. “What happened to our understory?”

Echoes From the Past is the  history of our chapter archived in the chapter’s newsletter. It is frequently in the voice of the residing president and reflects the vision of those boards of directors. We hope you will be able to refresh your own vision in walking with the pioneers of the Fredericksburg chapter of the Native Plant Society of Texas.

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About the Region

New Braunfels, the location of our Fall 2024 Symposium, straddles both the Edwards Plateau Ecoregion and the Blackland Prairie ecoregion. Interstate 35 divides the city of New Braunfels; its path through the city closely parallels the boundary of these two ecoregions, with the Edwards Plateau on the west side and the Blackland Prairies region to the east. The Edwards Plateau area is also called the Hill Country; however, this general term covers a much larger area extending farther north. Spring-fed creeks are found throughout the region; deep limestone canyons, rivers, and lakes (reservoirs) are common. Ashe juniper is perhaps the most common woody species found throughout the region. Additional woody species include various species of oak, with live oak (Quercus fusiformis) being the most common. Sycamores (Platanus occidentalis) and bald cypress (Taxodium distichum) border waterways. This area is well known for its spring wildflower displays, though they may be viewed in spring, late summer, and fall, as well. According to Texas Parks and Wildlife, average annual rainfall in the Edwards Plateau ranges from 15 to 34 inches.

The Blackland Prairie extends from the Red River south to San Antonio, bordered on the west by the Edwards Plateau and the Cross Timbers, and on the east by the Post Oak Savannah. Annual rainfall averages 30 to 40 inches, with higher averages to the east. This region is dominated by prairie species. The most common grass species include little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) and Indian grass (Sorghastrum nutans) in the uplands and switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) in the riparian areas and drainages. Common herbaceous flowering plants include salvias, penstemons, and silphiums. This area has suffered greatly from overgrazing and agricultural use. Few intact areas remain, though many of the plants can be found along county roadsides throughout the region.

Our four host chapters (New Braunfels, Lindheimer, Guadalupe, and the Hill Country chapters) are located in one or both of the ecoregions above. However, the eastern portion of Guadalupe County also falls within the Post Oak Savanna ecoregion. Annual rainfall averages 35 to 45 inches, with higher averages to the east. A wide variety of hardwood trees are found, including several species of oaks, elms, and in the Bastrop area, loblolly pine (Pinus taeda). Grasses and forbs dominate in the open savannas, with most common grass being little bluestem. Ranching, agriculture, and fire suppression have allowed woody species to encroach on the once-open savannas.

Source: Wildflowers of Texas by Michael Eason