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Plant Party: Monitoring Native Vegetation

Registration is now open!Join us on June 26th from 10:00 - 11:30 AM (Central) for "Monitoring Native Vegetation". We'll have 5 short presentations from experts in the field and will be […]

June Trinity Forks Business Meeting & Program-Establishing Pollinator Habitat with Local Government 

6:30pm – Social time7:00pm – Zoom opens and meeting begins We hope you can join our meeting in person at TWU's Ann Stuart Science Complex.  Campus parking is open after 6:00pm. If you can’t join us in person, we invite you to our Zoom meeting. ZOOM PARTICIPANTS ONLY: Please Register in advance for this meeting:https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYodeCtrzoiE9LnBQR0XcOYymsF2Li5-B4G After registering, […]

July 3: “Bees-Eye View of a Garden” with Linda Timmons

Chapter Meeting: "Native Bees" with speaker Linda Timmons /*! elementor - v3.22.0 - 17-06-2024 */ .elementor-widget-image{text-align:center}.elementor-widget-image a{display:inline-block}.elementor-widget-image a img{width:48px}.elementor-widget-image img{vertical-align:middle;display:inline-block}

Work day at RGVNPC – July 9

Come out and volunteer with us at the Rio Grande Valley Native Plant Center on South Padre Island. Bring your garden tools, water, and snacks. While mosquitos are not usually […]

Work day at RGVNPC – July 10

Come out and volunteer with us at the Rio Grande Valley Native Plant Center on South Padre Island. Bring your garden tools, water, and snacks. While mosquitos are not usually […]

Pines and Prairies Board Meeting

Zoom Link for meeting: https://npsot-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUpc-CuqDguGNUbrBJdLpfsumT0vT_Ic9Z2#/registration Agenda

Executive Committee Meeting

Native Plant Society of Texas (NPSOT) Executive Committee meetings occur monthly and any member may attend. Contact the Executive Director prior to the meeting at state@npsot.org for Zoom and applicable document links. […]

Water Saving Seminar – Rain Gardens: Where Beauty Meets Functionality

Join the Fort Worth Water Department in this in-person and online seminar. Designed to beautify the landscape, while at the same time taking advantage of water that would otherwise run down the storm drain, rain gardens, and bioswales are a great way to increase your rainwater harvesting capacity. Learn the basics of rain garden design […]

Free

Williamson County Annual Chapter Meeting, July 11

Join NPSOT-Williamson County Thursday, July 11, 2024, for our annual chapter meeting. Free and open to the public. The meeting begins at 7:00 PM.   Results of the chapter board election will be announced and membership anniversary pins will be presented (if the recipient attends in-person; if not attending this meeting in-person, the pins will be […]

Work day at RGVNPC – July 14

Come out and volunteer with us at the Rio Grande Valley Native Plant Center on South Padre Island. Bring your garden tools, water, and snacks. While mosquitos are not usually […]

No Chapter Meeting in July

We take the month off with chapter meetings, so please join us in August for the next chapter meeting.

Work day at RGVNPC – July 17

Come out and volunteer with us at the Rio Grande Valley Native Plant Center on South Padre Island. Bring your garden tools, water, and snacks. While mosquitos are not usually […]

Stewardship for Birds in Aquatic & Riparian Habitats

Speakers: Coauthors of Land Stewardship for Birds - Jan Wrede: Environmental Educator and Writer; Rufus Stephens: Wildlife Biologist Riparian corridors have the greatest diversity of bird species and the greatest abundance of individual birds compared to most other habitat types. Also, riparian birds are an excellent indicator of riparian and aquatic ecosystem health, and stewardship […]

Chapter Leader Forum

Please join us as Craig Bruska talks about the native seed library program that he set up between the Lindheimer chapter and the Tye Preston Memorial Library in Canyon Lake this year.

Belinda McLaughlin “Native Ground Covers”

Even the most perfect landscapes have problem areas - too hard to mow, too steep to maintain, too wet, not enough sunlight. Belinda McLaughlin will introduce all sorts of native […]

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=NUdBV3ZTSzFVMjJjTnpycjlQTGRJQT09.  We're […]

Seed Cleaning Workshop

Tuesday, July 23 – In-person class. Learn how to clean seed heads and harvest seeds.

Creating Pollinator Gardens Step-by-Step

If you want to create a pollinator garden, but don’t know where to start, this month’s speaker at Native Plant Society of Texas (NPSOT), Fredericksburg Chapter will share tips and […]

Work day at RGVNPC – July 25

Come out and volunteer with us at the Rio Grande Valley Native Plant Center on South Padre Island. Bring your garden tools, water, and snacks. While mosquitos are not usually […]

July Trinity Forks Business Meeting & Program – “Native Plants in Schools”

6:30pm – Social time7:00pm – Hybrid classroom/Zoom meeting opens. We hope you can join our meeting in person at TWU's Ann Stuart Science Complex.  Campus parking is open after 6:00pm. If you can’t join us in person, we invite you to our Zoom meeting.ZOOM PARTICIPANTS ONLY: Please Register in advance for this meeting:https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYodeCtrzoiE9LnBQR0XcOYymsF2Li5-B4G After registering, youwill receive […]

Work day at RGVNPC – July 26

Come out and volunteer with us at the Rio Grande Valley Native Plant Center on South Padre Island. Bring your garden tools, water, and snacks. While mosquitos are not usually […]

Work day at RGVNPC – July 29

Come out and volunteer with us at the Rio Grande Valley Native Plant Center on South Padre Island. Bring your garden tools, water, and snacks. While mosquitos are not usually […]

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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