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Chapter Meeting – Native Groundcovers as an Alternative to Native Turf Grasses

March 12 @ 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm

Kathy Saucier has been a member of NPSOT since January 1992 and is a Fellows Member. She has been with the Trinity Forks chapter since 1992 and now has dual membership with the Fredericksburg and Kerrville Chapters. Her experience includes many years of identifying natives in the field under the tutorage of Shirley Lusk (see NPSOT award in her name) and was trained by TPWD as a certified Wildscape instructor when the program came out in the 90’s. She is co-chair of the Trinity Forks Chapter plant sale and loves to propagate plants. Her experience is not totally north Texas though.

She grew up in the Hill Country and now resides on the 1904 Leyendecker family farm in SW Gillespie County. Her first landscaping with natives were plants naturally growing here in Gillespie County. She has lived here since 2018 and is learning the different climate, soil and critter issues dealing with growing natives. She especially enjoys discovering what grows here locally/native to our area and promoting their attributes. She has identified about 190 species on their 40 acres and added another 150 TX natives to it as well. And she keeps a nursery going that currently has over 1200 pots. Many of these will be going into her landscape when the new house is finished. Her interest does not stop at native plants but includes birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, dragonflies, butterflies and everything else that crawls.

We meet at Riverside Nature Center, 150 Franciso Lemos St., Kerrville, 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