Native Plant Society of Texas

Leopold Week 2024: Natural, Wild, and Free
2024-03-01 08:00 - 2024-03-08 17:00 (America/Chicago)
“Perhaps such a shift of values can be achieved by reappraising things unnatural, tame, and confined in terms of things natural, wild and free.”

Aldo Leopold ended the foreword to A Sand County Almanac with this quote in March of 1948. His collection of essays reveals what “natural, wild, and free” meant to him back then. But what does it mean to us today?

Join us March 1-8 for Leopold Week 2024 to explore this question and discover how you can more deeply connect to the land community. With one click of “Save my spot,” you will be registered for all eight of these free, virtual speaker sessions.RegisterRegister

Register for the virtual speaker series with the button below.

Texas Native Plant Art Exhibition Moves to Denton Public Libraries
2024-03-02 09:00 - 2024-03-31 18:00 (America/Chicago)
We want everyone to know that the Texas Native Plant Art Exhibition has moved to three Denton Libraries for the month of March.

Library Addresses

South Branch – 3228 Teasley LaneEmily Fowler – 502 Oakland StreetNorth Branch – 3020 North Locust Street

Josephine Keeney, Converting Grass and Invasives to Texas Native Plants, North Central Chapter Meeting
2024-03-07 18:30 - 20:30 (America/Chicago)
Frank and Josephine will take you through the removal of the the invasive species, methods of blocking their return and the finding, propagating and planting of Texas native plants.

After retiring from her Bridal Shop in 2005 Josephine saw an article in the newspaper about a local resident that was growing native plant in her yard. After meeting with this person she started jumping in to Texas native plants with both feet, including getting her yard certified as a Texas Wildscape and Wildlife Habitat.

In the early 2000s she joined four plant and conservation groups and that lead to heading up the propagation effort for the Molly Hollar Wildscape greenhouse in 2006. Four mornings a week you’ll find her “hands in the dirt” at one of the local area parks or natural areas. To take care of more Arlington parks she needed help so in 2019 she started the Arlington Pollinators Group with ten volunteers that rotate between five area parks.

This presentation focuses on how to preserve the native flora, make your yard beautiful and provide habitat for birds, bees and butterflies. This method conserves water, fossil fuel, labor and reverses air pollution. While this is not a true restoration project, it does incorporate 148 different species from all over our state of Texas, including some that are indigenous to our immediate area.

Josephine and Frank are active NPSOT members as well as being active in other organizations that focus on keeping things natural! This will be a practical learning experience for those of us who would like to incorporate more native plants in our yards, but are not sure how best to proceed.

Fort Worth Botanic Garden in the Rose Room

3220 Botanic Garden Blvd, Fort Worth, Texas 76107

6:15 pm Socializing & snacks 6:30 pm Business meeting and announcementsThe presentation will follow our business meeting.

This meeting is hybrid; in person with a virtual Zoom option.

Advance registration is required to receive the Zoom link: Zoom Registration

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Leopold Week 2024 - Ed Yong and “An Immense World”
2024-03-07 19:00 - 20:00 (America/Chicago)
Human senses offer just one experience out of millions on earth. Ed Yong, award-winning journalist and author of An Immense World, will take us beyond the limitations of our human perception to better understand the wonders and wildness of our diverse planet.

Register below for the entire series of Leopold Week events.

Leopold Week 2024 - 2023-24 Future Leaders Fellows
2024-03-08 19:00 - 20:00 (America/Chicago)
For nine months, the Future Leaders Fellows have been immersed in the work of the Aldo Leopold Foundation and the landscape that inspired Leopold’s A Sand County Almanac. Join the fellows as they reflect on growing their land ethics and look forward to the rest of their conservation careers.

Register below for the entire series of Leopold Week events.

Second Saturday Workday at Cibolo Nature Center Demonstration Gardens - March 9
2024-03-09 09:00 - 12:00 (America/Chicago)
March 9 – 9:00am – Noon – Second Saturday Workday at Cibolo Nature Center Demonstration Gardens.

Please bring work gloves, hat, water, sun and insect protection.

Our Texas Our Future at the Brauntex
2024-03-09 14:00 - 15:30 (America/Chicago)
Mark Saturday, March 9, 2 p.m. on your calendar for the Brauntex Theatre in downtown New Braunfels! The Lindheimer and Guadalupe chapters of NPSOT have organized a showing of five short documentary films commissioned by HEB. Click on the HEB image above for a film trailer. These films were produced by Fin & Fur Films and spotlight impactful Texans helping conserve & protect our state; the films will be followed by a panelist discussion and audience Q&A. Tickets range from 14 to 15 dollars, including theatre fees. Our chapter has been invited to have representatives in lobby, along with other chapters, to greet and visit with attendees. Link for tickets is HERE.

H-E-B and NPSOT Presents: an Our Texas, Our Future film series Saturday, March 9th
2024-03-09 14:00 - 16:00 (America/Chicago)
The Native Plant Society of Texas, in cooperation with H-E-B, is proud to present five short documentary films about Texas. These films were produced by Fin and Fur Films, the makers of Deep in the Heart: A Texas Wildlife Story. After the screening, there will be a panelist discussion and audience Q&A with Dr. Sara Weaver and Dr. Jason Sawyer, who participated in the making of the docuseries.

Location: Brauntex Theatre 290 W SAN ANTONIO ST, NEW BRAUNFELS, TX

Pollinators and Native Plants at Nature Discovery Center - Hybrid Clear Lake Chapter Meeting
2024-03-11 18:15 - 20:30 (America/New_York)
Please join us for our chapter meeting in person or online!

6:15 Doors Opens – UHCL Bayou Building, Room 22306:40 Zoom Opens6:45 Business Meeting6:55 Plant of the Month7:00 Guest Speaker

Located in Russ Pitman Park in Bellaire, the Nature Discovery Center is dedicated to preserving a four-acre nature park and leading programs that ignite appreciation for nature among all ages. Eric Duran will discuss what the Center has done for pollinators, the native plants featured in the Native Pollinator Garden and the common (but possibly not well known) pollinators found there.

About the Speaker

With 19 years of dedicated service, Eric Duran serves as the Head Naturalist at the Nature Discovery Center. Over the past three decades, he has immersed himself in wildlife biology and nature education. Eric’s experience spans various fields, including ornithology, herpetology, entomology, grassland restoration, and ichthyology. His adventurous spirit has led him to guide in the Amazon rainforest of Ecuador, survey ducks on the Arctic Tundra, count frogs at Armand Bayou Nature Center, and conduct shark surveys in Florida Bay. Eric has a keen interest in amateur entomology, pollinators, and native plant wildscaping.

In-person – Parking Pass Required

Parking passes required. Martha Richeson will be passing out parking passes Monday evening. Watch for her bright blinking vest on the sidewalk between the Bayou Building and the Pay Station near the Recreation center. If you miss out on the NPSOT parking passes, you will need to buy a parking pass from the pay station. DO NOT park in faculty/staff parking.

Map and Directions – The meeting will be held in Room 2230 of the Bayou Building at UHCL.

University of Houston-Clear Lake2700 Bay Area Blvd.Houston, TX 77058

Online – Zoom

Register in advance for this meeting. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

This is a FREE EVENT. 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: npsot.org.

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

Pines and Prairies NLCP Committee Meeting
2024-03-11 19:00 - 20:00 (America/Chicago)
Dear NLCP Committee Members,

This Monday begins our first meeting of 2024. We will meet at 7:00pm on the 2nd and 4th Monday of the month on this Zoom link:

https://npsot-org.zoom.us/j/87628189964?pwd=[REDACTED]

We’re a small committee, and we don’t get to see each other in person very often, so please plan to join with your camera on.

See you Monday!

—

Jay Gowen, NLCP Chair, Pines and Prairies Chapter, 832-513-5785 (cell)

Habitat Workday @ EIH
2024-03-12 09:00 - 11:00, 2024-03-19 09:00 - 11:00 (America/New_York)
Habitat volunteers help weed and mulch flower beds, plant native plants, maintain pathways, and trim trees and bushes. Volunteers may also help clean out the pond on select work days.

No experience necessary—we’ll show you what goes and what stays

Bring your own tools or use ours (we have gloves too)

Don’t forget to bring a reusable water bottle, hat, and sunscreen!

Volunteers must be 18 or older to participate in EIH’s workdays unless prior arrangements have been made.

We do not hold workdays when the university is officially closed. Also, workdays are canceled during inclement weather, though a light sprinkle or drizzle rarely keeps us out of the garden. If you’re not sure, please call 281-283-3950 or 281-283-3045, and we’ll let you know if we’re digging in.

LocationEnvironmental Institute of Houston (Click link for Google Map)University of Houston-Clear LakeNorth Office Annex (NOA) 1 Building2700 Bay Area Blvd.Houston, TX 77058

Chapter Meeting - Native Groundcovers as an Alternative to Native Turf Grasses
2024-03-12 14:00 - 15:00 (America/Chicago)
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.

NPSOT Website Committee
2024-03-12 19:00 - 20:00 (America/Chicago)
Open to any members who help manage content on their chapter or committee website.No registration required.

Join Zoom Meeting

Meeting ID: 897 7771 6314Passcode: [REDACTED]

Native Garden Workday
2024-03-13 09:00 - 11:00 (America/New_York) | Texas Museum of Handmade Furniture, 1370 Churchill Drive, New Braunfels, Texas, 78130, United States
Please join us at the Texas Museum of Handmade Furniture to help maintain the Lindheimer Chapter’s native demonstration garden. Please bring water, closed toe shoes, gloves, and your favorite gardening tools. Contact Craig Bruska at craigbruska@hotmail.com for details and to confirm the workday.

Aquatic Habitat Management on Private Land - March 13 TPWD Webinar
2024-03-13 18:30 - 19:30 (America/Chicago)
Brittany Chesser with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

More information coming soon.

Register for this virtual event here.

Drop by Drop: The Impact of Small Changes with Jessica Woods - Williamson County Chapter Meeting, March 14
2024-03-14 19:00 - 20:30 (America/Chicago)
Join NPSOT-Williamson County on Thursday, March 14, 2024, when our featured topic will be “Drop by Drop: The Impact of Small Changes” with Jessica Woods, City of Round Rock Water Conservation Coordinator. Free and open to the public. The meeting begins at 7:00 PM. Our guest speaker’s presentation begins after a short business meeting.

About our topic: During warm weather, a large amount water is used outdoors on lawns and landscapes and much of it is wasted. With Central Texas still experiencing drought and low lake levels, we want to prevent water waste. This presentation will cover the current drought conditions and several steps homeowners can do to effectively use water. Conservation programs the City of Round Rock offers will also be covered.

About our speaker: Jessica Woods has worked as the City of Round Rock’s Water Conservation Program Coordinator since 2009. She manages all aspects of the growing city’s conservation program, drought outreach, and education efforts on a tight budget. Jessica earned a Master’s of Applied Geography degree from Southwest Texas State University. She’s the Texas Section AWWA Conservation and Reuse Division Chair and a certified Master Naturalist. She enjoys spending time outdoors, attempting to garden, and lounging around water with a good book and cold drink!

NOTE: this month’s in-person location is the Round Rock Public Library, 200 E Liberty Ave, Round Rock, TX 78664.

The original meeting announcement is here on the Williamson County Chapter’s blog page.

Lake Mineral Wells State Park Pollinator Garden Work Day, Volunteer Opportunity, Cross Timbers Chapter, Mineral Wells, Saturday, 3/16/2024 at 10 a.m.
2024-03-16 10:00 - 12:00 (America/Chicago)
🌿 Calling All Native Plant Enthusiasts! 🌿 Be a Pollinator Protector! 🐝🌸

Join us for a morning of volunteer magic at Lake Mineral Wells State Park. 🌼✨

You can help maintain the pollinator garden at Lake Mineral Wells State Park! 🌼🦋 This wonderful community effort supports our local ecosystems and provides habitat to facilitate the important work of pollinators. This garden provides educational information to visitors and is utilized by the park staff to explain the importance of native plants and their benefits.

Here are some suggestions on clothing and what to bring:

Work Clothing: Wear comfortable work clothing appropriate for the weather. Layers are great for adjusting to changing conditions.

Gloves: If you have gardening gloves, bring them along. They’ll protect your hands while working with plants and soil.

Gardening Tools: If you own any gardening tools, such as nippers, shovels, spades, pitchforks, or wheelbarrows, feel free to bring them. Buckets and brooms are also useful. These tools can be incredibly helpful for various tasks.

Water: Stay hydrated! Bring a water bottle to keep yourself refreshed during the work.

Hat: A hat with a wide brim provides shade for your face, neck, and ears, protecting you from direct sunlight. It helps prevent sunburn and reduces the risk of skin damage caused by UV radiation. In case of cooler weather, wear a hat to keep warm.

Additional Details:

If the temperature is below 40°F or if it’s raining, the workday will be canceled.

For any specific questions or further information, you can reach out to Cindy Crump at cindyleecrump@gmail.com.

For these months, here are some details of plans

March: Clearing dead materials and cutting back dead stems

April: Mulching the beds and hunting for natives in the park to transplant to the garden

Location:

Lake Mineral Wells State Park, 100 Park Road 71, Mineral Wells, Texas.

Before entering the park gates, take a left into the administration building parking lot.

No entry fee required.

Meeting Point:

Meet at the garden located near the administration building entrance (before paying at the gate).

Let’s come together and contribute to the beauty and health of our local environment! 🌿🌸

"Spring Fling at Chandor Gardens" Volunteer Opportunity, Cross Timbers Chapter, Weatherford, Saturday, 3/16/2024
2024-03-16 10:00 - 16:00 (America/Chicago)
Volunteers Needed

Are you passionate about native plants and their importance? Do you enjoy sharing knowledge with others? If so, we have an exciting opportunity for you!

Volunteers are needed to staff our Cross Timbers Chapter booth at the Spring Fling. As part of our mission, we aim to educate the community about native plants and their significance. By volunteering at our booth, you’ll have the chance to share information about our chapter and promote the value of native plants. Bonus: Free admission to the event if you volunteer at least 2 hours.

About “Spring Fling at Chandor Gardens”

🌷We’re ready to fling into spring at Chandor Gardens! Join us for a bloomin’ good time at our Spring Fling on March 16th from 11 am to 3 pm! 🌼 Talented artists will take center stage, showcasing, demonstrating, and selling their one-of-a-kind arts and crafts! 🎨 The vibes will be as lively as the colors of the flowers, with live music and delicious food! Bring your friends and family for a beautiful day at Chandor Gardens! 🌸 Admission — Adults: $5; Kids 12 and under: Free

To Volunteer

Please contact Christie Tull at 817-307-9307 or greenwoodfarminc@aol.com and let her know your availability. She has arranged a shady spot for our booth this year.

Collin County Master Gardener Show
2024-03-16 10:00 - 2024-03-17 16:00 (America/Chicago)
Be sure to save the dates of March 16 and 17th for the Collin County Master Gardener Show. The annual show is held at Myers Park in McKinney. More information is available on the website.https://ccmgatx.org/events/the-garden-show/

Beaumont Chapter Meeting
2024-03-18 18:00 - 20:00 (America/Chicago) | Tyrell Park, 6088 Babe Zaharias Drive, Beaumont, Texas, 77705
Join us for our monthly chapter meetings. You do not need to be a member to attend. We meet the 3rd Monday of each month.

Meeting Location: Tyrrell Park – 6088 Babe Zaharias Drive, Beaumont, TX 77705

We meet in the Binks Horticultural Center in the Beaumont Botanical Gardens area of the park.

NPSOT Dallas March 18, 2024 meeting with Dusty Rhoads: "Prairie in Your Pocket - How Folks Can Restore the Texas Horned Lizard with Native Plants”
2024-03-18 18:30 - 20:30 (America/Chicago)
Many folks remember seeing Horned Lizards (aka “Horny Toads”) in bygone decades, including here in Dallas. This talk explores how everyday Texans can use native plants to link, increase, improve, and create populations, habitat, & food webs for the prosperity and “comeback” of the Texas Horned Lizard.

Read more….

ZOOM our monthly meetings at: https://npsot.us9.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f20269a37974d8413fc79c831&id=12aa33f97f&e=d2e8f28b23 If needed, use: Meeting ID: 837 2523 6133 / Passcode: [REDACTED]

Plant Propagation Class
2024-03-19 10:30 - 12:30 (America/Chicago)
Join us for a plant propagation class at EIH. Learn how to propagate by cuttings and by seed. A UHCL parking permit is necessary.

March 19, Tuesday10:30 am – 12:30 pm

LocationNorth Office Annex 1 (NOA 1) Training RoomEnvironmental Institute of Houston (Click the link for Google Maps)University of Houston-Clear Lake2700 Bay Area Blvd.Houston, TX 77058

Austin Chapter Meeting - Hello Invasives! Goodbye Texas! - March 19
2024-03-19 19:00 - 20:00 (America/Chicago)
“What harm can there be in planting one plant in my backyard? Just because it has Japanese, Chinese, Asian, Italian or Mediterranean in its name it will be OK, won’t it?” they ask.

It’s easy to think that the plants we cultivate in our landscapes don’t have much impact on our environment, but they do! Learn what makes plants invasive, the damage they can cause, and some easy ways to avoid these problems if you choose appropriate native plants that like to grow in our crazy weather and difficult soil—or lack thereof!

Deedy Wright is a life-long Texas gardener. Her particular interests are native plants and invasive plants. She has been an active member of the Native Plant Society of Texas (NPSOT) since 1996. She has completed multiple native plant courses at the Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center and Texas A&M, and the Texas Invaders training on invasive plants.

In addition Deedy was a certified Master Gardener for 15 years in Bexar and Guadalupe counties, with specialist training in propagation and vegetable gardening.

A retired secondary language arts and social studies teacher, Deedy has taught adult continuing education classes on various gardening topics in the San Antonio area.

Here is a list of resources and native alternatives to invasive that Deedy provided.

This is a virtual meeting using Zoom. Please register in advance for this meeting: https://npsot-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0rcOuhrjIsHdAacA24SXf3wI1pm42kvmkg

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Virtual Chapter Leader Forum, 03/21/24: Website Plant Database - Tools for Your Native Plant Sale!
2024-03-21 12:00 - 13:00 (America/Chicago)
Topic: Website Plant Database – Tools for your Native Plant Sale!

Description:

This forum is co-hosted by Claire Sorenson and Craig Dalton:

Claire will discuss and demonstrate the native plant database and how to complete the form in order to add plants to the database. Craig will discuss and demonstrate what tools are available on the NPSOT website to help facilitate chapter plant sales, including how to add a plant sale page to a chapter website and how to select the plants from the database.

Presenters:

Craig Dalton and Claire Sorenson, Austin Chapter

When: Thursday, March 21, 2024 (Third Thursday) 12 – 1 pm

Zoom Registration Link:

https://npsot-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIofuChpzMqGNUxtIoDNs2ZRj9MpmeA9C24

Register in advance for this meeting. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Chapter Leader Forums provide a place for discussion and questions regarding NPSOT state and chapter issues. Let’s share ideas and support one another in growing the organization and supporting the mission!

Restoring Riparian Buffers Throughout The City of Houston - March 21
2024-03-21 19:00 - 20:00 (America/Chicago)
Photo Courtesy of Cassidy Kempf

Riparian buffers, or the forests along our bayou systems, are critically important for water quality and wildlife habitat. However, many of these forests have been removed or degraded throughout Houston’s development. Through the City of Houston’s Riparian Restoration Initiative, the Houston Parks and Recreation Department is working to restore riparian buffers in every park that is adjacent to a bayou or waterway – reaching over 70 parks in the process. Since 2017, over 25 riparian buffers have already been restored through this initiative. Join us to hear about the methods they used, their lessons learned, and the importance of these riparian buffers.

About the Speaker – Cassidy Kempf

Cassidy Kempf has worked for the last four years in the Houston Parks and Recreation Department’s Natural Resources Division. As Habitat Restoration Manager, Cassidy oversees both prairie and riparian habitat restoration projects throughout the City’s park system. She has also contributed to environmental planning and policy efforts including the Nature Preserve Ordinance and the upcoming departmental Water Management Plan. Prior to employment with the City, Cassidy worked for the Houston Arboretum and Nature Center and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality’s Galveston Bay Estuary Program. She has a Bachelor of Science in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and a Bachelor of Arts in Policy Studies from Rice University.

Our monthly chapter meetings are held on every 3rd Thursday, January – November. Our meetings are free and open to the public thanks to our members and sponsors.

Join us in person at 7:00 pm! Come at 6:45 pm for a meet and greet with snacks.

Houston Arboretum and Nature Center

610 Entrance (preferred)120 W Loop N FwyHouston, TX 77024

Woodway Entrance4501 Woodway DriveHouston, TX 77024

Meetings will also be live-streamed and recorded for later viewing.

Return to Houston Chapter Page

Pines and Prairies March Chapter Meeting
2024-03-21 19:00 - 20:00 (America/Chicago)
Join other Pines and Prairies members to swap plants and spring garden stories.

Business: Sign for a committee, suggest chapter activities, meet President Bob Dailey to talk about chapter business!

Speaker: Jay Gowen, “Landscaping with Native Volunteers”

(In-person only this month)

YMBL South Texas State Fair - Champions For Nature
2024-03-23 08:00 - 2024-03-24 17:00 (America/Chicago)
Join us at the YMBL South Texas State Fair – Champions For Nature

Location: 7250 Wespark Beaumont, Texas 77705

McKinney Falls Bastard Cabbage Pulling
2024-03-23 09:00 - 12:00 (America/Chicago)
We have an opportunity to help eradicate Bastard Cabbage at McKinney Falls State Park this Saturday, March 23 from 9-12am. If you’d like to help rid the park of this invasive species please email Marisa Fushille at mfushille@gmail.com

Gardening with Natives
2024-03-23 10:00 - 14:00 (America/Chicago)
Part of the Wise County Horticultural Club event “A Garden Affair,” Wise County Fairgrounds, Women’s Building, 3101 FM 51, Decatur

Adding native plants to your landscape can support out local pollinators and other critters, improve your soil and reduce your maintenance and costs. Come let Lynda Harvey, Denton County Master Gardener and member of the Native Plant Society of Texas offer some ideas and tips for success.
