Native Plant Society of Texas

Belinda McLaughlin "Native Ground Covers"
2024-07-22 13:00 - 14:00 (America/Chicago)
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 plants that can help resolve those difficulties in our landscapes AND add beauty and diversity to our gardens. She will get you on your way toward filling every corner of your yard – even the tricky ones – with our beloved Texas natives.

Chapter Meeting - Diagnosing and Treating Native Plant Problems
2024-07-22 17:45 - 20:00 (America/Chicago)
Andrew Labay, horticulturist & plant biologist from San Antonio Botanical Gardens

Meeting at the New Braunfels Public Library meeting room.
Social 5:45 pm, Business 6:15 pm, Program at 6:30 pmZoom link and passcode in January newsletter and on website.

2024-07-22 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
2024-07-23 09:00 - 11:00, 2024-07-30 09:00 - 11:00, 2024-08-06 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

Seed Cleaning Workshop
2024-07-23 11:00 - 13:00 (America/Chicago)
Come learn how to clean seed heads to harvest seeds during this hands-on workshop! Participants will be able to take home several types of seeds, including Firewheel, Baptisia, milkweed, Basketflower, Bluebonnet, Scarlet Sage, Winecup, and Coreopsis. Participants will also help prepare seeds for Community Outreach. Bring gardening gloves.

LocationEnvironmental Institute of HoustonUniversity of Houston-Clear Lake2700 Bay Area Blvd., NOA IHouston, TX 77058

Creating Pollinator Gardens Step-by-Step
2024-07-23 19:00 - 20:30 (America/Chicago)
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 resources for going from blank slate to recognized pollinator garden.

Holly Simonette, owner of Enchanted Fredericksburg Ranch & Glassblowing and communications director of the Fredericksburg Chapter of Native Plant Society of Texas, will discuss how she and her husband, Paul, created a beautiful pollinator garden/picnic area out of the destruction from Winter Storm Uri. Simonette will be speaking at the next meeting of the NPSOT Fredericksburg Chapter on July 23 at 7 p.m. at St. Joseph’s Halle in Fredericksburg.

The Simonettes are restoring their 22-acre ranch to native Texas wildflowers, shrubs and grasses. The Pollinator Garden Assistance and Recognition Program (PGARP), a partnership between the Hill Country Master Naturalists and NPSOT, recognized their pollinator garden in September 2022. The garden is open to the public Fridays and Saturdays from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. and by appointment. (Closed August & September) More information about PGARP is available at https://txmn.org/hillcountry/pgarp/.

The Fredericksburg NPSOT chapter holds its monthly meetings on the 4th Tuesday of the month at St. Joseph’s Halle (212 W. San Antonio St., Fredericksburg). There is a social time with snacks at 6:30 p.m. and the meeting starts at 7 p.m. The public is invited to attend in person and via online streaming (www.youtube.com/@fredericksburgtexasnativeg4884). More information is online at Facebook (@fbgtxnpsot), Instagram @npsot_fredericksburg_chapter, and https://npsot.org/chapters/fredericksburg/. Meetings are free and open to the public.

Work day at RGVNPC - July 25
2024-07-25 07:00 - 10:30 (America/Chicago)
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 bad, bring some bug spray just in case. We start early to take advantage of the cool mornings and stop when the day gets hot.

Questions? rio-grande-valley-chapter@npsot.org

Learning the Aquatic Plants of Texas: Habitats, Ecology and Identification
2024-07-25 09:00 - 17:00 (America/Chicago)
By: Casey Williams, NPSOT’s 2022 Shirley Lusk Memorial Award award recipient. Casey is recognized for collecting ~ 350 specimens, with a focus on aquatic plants of Texas, with collections housed at the Botanical Research Institute of Texas in Fort Worth and the University of Texas at Austin.

Seminar Location: Meadows Center for Water and the Environment San Marcos, Texas

What makes an aquatic plant “aquatic” ?

Do you want to learn how to ID those “water weeds” or “sea weeds” and why they may not be “weeds” at all? Did you know that many of Texas’ native aquatic plants are surprisingly drought tolerant? Ever ponder your Potamogetonaceae?

Come learn about the remarkable, generally ignored, native aquatic plants of Texas ( with some emphasis on non-native species too)!

Encounter the diversity of Texas’ aquatic flora from swamps of east Texas to the arroyos of west Texas and in between. Texas is home to a variety of aquatic plants mostly unknown to amateur and professional botanists alike. Enjoy a day by the beautiful San Marcos Springs while we learn about the wet plants of Texas.

For more information visit https://aquaticfloraofTexas.rsvpify.com

July Trinity Forks Business Meeting & Program - "Native Plants in Schools"
2024-07-25 18:30 - 20:30 (America/Chicago)
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 a confirmation email containinginformation about joining the meeting.

Native Plants in Schools presented by Haeley Giambalvo, founder of the web site Native Backyards web, author of the book Native Plant Gardening for Beginners, and winner of the 2023 Digital Media Award for outstanding work in digital media.
Public Welcome. Free Admission. Hosted by the Native Plant Society of Texas – Trinity Forks chapter.

This presentation discusses how teachers, students, parents, and community volunteers can incorporate native plants into their school gardens and yards.

Resources provided during Haeley’s talk include the Native Plant Society of Texas’ native plant School Garden Starter Guide, School Garden Examples, a downloadable Native Plants for Kids presentation, and free curriculum and activities resources for making learning about native plants fun.

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Work day at RGVNPC - July 26
2024-07-26 07:00 - 10:30 (America/Chicago)

Chandor Nature Trail "Spruce Up", Volunteer Opportunity, Cross Timbers Chapter, Weatherford, Sunday, 7/28/2024 at 9 a.m.
2024-07-28 09:00 - 11:00 (America/Chicago)
Spruce Up Days

Please join us for the Chandor Nature Trail “Spruce Up” volunteer day from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Late comers are welcome. Interested volunteers can contact Cross Timbers trail steward Christie Tull, at greenwoodfarminc@aol.com or call 817-307-9307. See you on the trail!

Note: New Summer Hours for Spruce Up volunteers — 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. (last Sunday of June, July and August)

About the Nature Trail

Chandor Nature Trail is just under one mile long and is open for hikers and their leashed dogs free of charge during Chandor Garden hours. The Garden’s address is 711 W Lee Street in Weatherford.

Work day at RGVNPC - July 29
2024-07-29 07:00 - 10:30 (America/Chicago)

Work day at RGVNPC - July 30
2024-07-30 07:00 - 10:30 (America/Chicago)

Work day at RGVNPC - July 31
2024-07-31 07:00 - 10:30 (America/Chicago)

Contest Deadline
2024-07-31 08:00 - 23:30 (America/Chicago)
Last day to submit an entry for one of our 2024 contests. If you want to enter one of your photos, videos, or your chapter newsletter, visit the Membership Portal then click on Annual Contests in the left hand pane.

Taylor Garrison, The Inner Workings of Vegetative Diversity: Monocots, Dicots & Beyond, North Central Chapter Meeting
2024-08-01 18:30 - 20:30 (America/Chicago)
It has long been known that healthy ecosystems thrive from and by diversity. The needs of wildlife include food, water, and shelter. Plants provide all three. But to take it further, there are specifics in the relationships between which types of plants, what other living things rely on or interact with plants, and the arrangement of plants that can affect the ecological health of an area. The fun part? The “area” can be your ¼ acre pocket prairie or a 10,000-acre ranch or preserve. The tools are all the same in interpreting and managing a prairie regardless of size. The recipe though can be different. This presentation will broadly cover what prairies area, what they need to function, the importance of monocots (aka grasses and such), forb diversity and their importance, woody species (the good, bad, and ugly), and lastly genetics of prairie plant species and we can help.

Bio: Taylor Garrison is a private lands biologist with TPWD covering Dallas, Ellis, Kaufman, Navarro and Freestone Counties. Originally form Corpus Christi, Texas, Taylor obtained his BS in Range & Wildlife Management from Texas A&M University-Kingsville and his MS in Range & Wildlife Management from Sul Ross State University-Alpine. This background and time spent on family & friend ranches near Utopia and Luling, brought on a deep interest in the wildlife, plants, ranching, and most aspects of outdoor recreation. His primarily role with TPWD is to work with private landowners to help better their land for wildlife. Taylor has leadership roles in prescribed fire, landowner outreach, native grassland restoration, plant ID, and is the current vice-chair of the Northeast Texas Conservation Delivery Network, an organization meant to coordinate conservation efforts amongst professionals and guide cost-share assistance for landowners in the Eastern 1/3rd of Texas.

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.

Register in advance for this meeting:

https://npsot-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIkcemoqDovH9Qb5PdbLPQN_ipqLjhCzESG

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

Q3 State Board Meeting - Aug 3
2024-08-03 13:00 - 17:00 (America/Chicago)
Chapter members are welcome, but not everyone may vote. Voting members include chapter presidents, executive officers, and state standing committee chairs.

Native Plant Society of Texas members receive an email with a registration link about one week prior to the State Board meeting. Please watch for it and come to the meeting!

Collin County Chapter - Identifying the Native Trees of North Texas
2024-08-06 18:30 - 20:30 (America/Chicago)
Our August 6th Chapter meeting will include a presentation by Lisa Travis on “Identifying the Native Trees of North Texas”.

The program opens at 6:30 with social time and testing of connections. At 7:00, Rodney Thomas, our chapter president, will give a short chapter update, followed by Lisa’s presentation. The meeting will conclude with a Q&A session.

You can attend the hybrid meeting in person at the Heard Museum in McKinney or online via Zoom – https://tinyurl.com/yn85nbzd

Meeting ID: 885 5459 6572 ; Passcode: [REDACTED]

No registration is required, and the meeting will be recorded.

Lisa Travis retired from teaching in 2017, and in 2018 became a Texas Master Naturalist in the Blackland Prairie Chapter. She has served on the Education/Training Committee since 2019, and was the Training Director for the classes of 2022, 2023, and 2024. She created the award-winning tree identification brochure, “Trees of North Central Texas” which helps identify 45 of the most common trees in the DFW area. She is active on iNaturalist and serves as a trail guide at several locations.

NPSOT Tree ID printableDownload

NPSOT-Houston Board Meeting
2024-08-06 19:00 - 20:00 (America/Chicago)
The Houston chapter is always looking for dedicated volunteers who are passionate about the native plant mission in their city. Join our team to participate in important habitat, outreach, and planning efforts the support our mission. Anyone is welcome to attend our board meetings on zoom. We would love to have you join one of our committees and start the fun and rewarding work that goes into our various projects.

We use Slack to organize and communicate. Please email us at nphouston1@gmail.com for the slack link.

Meeting ID: 845 237 64852Passcode: [REDACTED]

Return to Houston Chapter Page

Gardening for Monarchs & Other Wildlife Using Native Plants
2024-08-07 09:00 - 16:30, 2024-08-09 09:00 - 16:30 (America/Chicago)
As part of the National Wildlife Federation’s Monarch Stewards Certification Program, the Federation is offering Gardening for Monarchs & Other Wildlife with Native Plants in your Ecoregion.

This interactive two-day workshop will be hosted online (via Zoom) on August 7th (9:00 am-4:30 pm CST), and August 9th (9:00 am-4:30 pm CST), with plenty of breaks and time for Q & A. We will send a link to the meeting 2 days beforehand, via email.

Main Topics:

How gardening for monarchs benefits many other wildlife species

The human benefits of native gardening

Importance of gardening with native plants

Components of a native garden

Creating native gardens, what to keep in mind

Providing themed native gardens

Growing your own native milkweed, the successful technique

Basics of Landscape Designing (includes exercises)

Installing and maintaining your new native garden

Learn more at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/gardening-for-monarchs-other-wildlife-using-native-plants-virtual-tickets-906938666967?aff=oddtdtcreator

August 7: "Ecological Site Descriptions and the Effect on Plant Communities" with Brandon Bing
2024-08-07 14:00 - 15:30 (America/Chicago)
Chapter Meeting – “Ecological Site Descriptions and the Effect on Plant Communities” Plus “How To Use the Soil Web Survey” – Presented by Brandon Bing, Natural Resource Conservation Service

Join us for the August 7 Lakes and Pines Chapter Meeting to hear Brandon Bing discuss the topic of Ecological Site Descriptions and the Effect on Plant Communities.

Clear Lake Chapter Fall Plant Sale - Tree & Shrub Pre-order
2024-08-08 00:00 - 2024-08-23 23:59 (America/New_York)
Tree & shrub pre-order is open from August 8 to 23.

Purchase online, pick up on October 5 from 8 to 11 am at the in-person plant sale.

These individual orders will be prepaid and picked up at the Plant Sale on October 5. The trees and shrubs catalog is in addition to the over 2,000 plants that will be available October 5.

All sales final. Inventory is subject to availability. In the event that an item becomes unavailable, a refund will be issued for that item.

Note: We will have a limited inventory of other trees and shrubs available at our plant sale.

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

The Native Aquatic Plants of Texas - Williamson County Chapter Meeting, August 8
2024-08-08 19:00 - 20:30 (America/Chicago)
Join NPSOT-Williamson County on Thursday, August 8, 2024, when our featured topic will be “The Native Aquatic Plants of Texas” with Casey Williams.

Free and open to the public. The meeting begins at 7:00 PM. Our guest speaker’s presentation begins after a short business meeting.

Updated July 22: We will know closer to the date whether or not this guest presentation will be recorded for NPSOT-Williamson County’s YouTube channel. Check the NPSOT-Williamson County calendar for the latest info about plans to record this meeting. The meeting will be recorded for YouTube. The video will be published asap after the meeting date.

About our topic: While familiarity with Texas’ native flora is improving, many people overlook the diversity of Texas’ aquatic plants. This presentation will provide a basic understanding of what constitutes an aquatic plant, why they are important and highlight varying habitats and species found throughout Texas.

About our speaker: Casey is an aquatic ecologist and plant ecologist for a private consulting firm. He has been involved with aquatic plant biology, conservation and restoration since graduate school at Texas State University where he mapped and studied the aquatic plants of the San Marcos and Comal springs. He currently resides in San Marcos, Texas and spends his free time kayaking, hiking and traveling to find…. you guessed it. More aquatic plants.

NOTE: this month’s in-person location is the Georgetown Parks & Rec Administration Building, 1101 N College St, Georgetown, Texas 78626.

The link to register on Zoom is below.

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

Pollination: What's Next?
2024-08-10 09:00 - 11:00 (America/Chicago)
For the Rio Grande Valley Chapter’s August meeting, we welcome Mike Heep from Heep’s Native Plant Nursery, who will share the detail of Fruit and Seed Formation that we often don’t think about.

If you are unable to attend in person, tune in to the Live Stream on our YouTube channel.

Location: South Texas Ecotourism Center, 501 Hwy 100, Laguna Vista, Tx.

Questions? rio-grande-valley-chapter@npsot.org

Planning a Public Space Pollinator Garden & Grant Application Walk Through - Clear Lake
2024-08-10 09:00 - 12:00 (America/Chicago)
NEW DATE! Join us on Saturday, August 10, in person or online. If you already registered, your registration will be automatically transferred to the new date.

Learn about our Native Pollinator Habitat Grant program, how to plan a pollinator garden for public spaces, and what the committee is looking for in an application.

LocationEnvironmental Institute of HoustonUniversity of Houston-Clear LakeNorth Office Annex I (NOA I) Building2700 Bay Area Blvd.Houston, TX 77058

Need to attend virtually? Click here to register for our Zoom option.

About the Native Pollinator Habitat Grant Program

The Clear Lake Chapter of the Native Plant Society of Texas awards grants to nature centers, schools, educational groups and others to help fund development and maintenance of pollinator habitats using native plants, shrubs or trees on public sites in Brazoria, Galveston or Harris Counties of Texas. Priority is given to projects located in Brazoria Co., Galveston Co., and the southeast quadrant of Harris County.

Click here to learn more about the grant program.

Mike Munsil "Native Plants in a Permaculture Environment"
2024-08-12 17:30 - 18:30 (America/Chicago)
Mike will define permaculture and briefly introduce its principles and ethics. He will then discuss the contrast in viewpoints between those who focus on permaculture and those who focus on native plants. Mike will introduce the concept of food forest, providing a list of edible native plants in Texas.

Houston Audubon in the Landscape – Native Plants, Birds, and Stewardship - Hybrid Clear Lake Chapter Meeting
2024-08-12 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 13336:40 Zoom Opens6:45 Business Meeting6:55 Plant of the Month7:00 Guest Speaker

Native plants play a major role in the mission of Houston Audubon. As an accredited Land Trust, their efforts go above and beyond birding, as they serve as stewards of over 4,000 acres of land in the Greater Houston Region. This presentation will offer a dive into native plant production at their Natives Nursery, how their “Bird-Friendly Spaces” initiative is rejuvenating landscapes, and provide information on their already bird-friendly sanctuary system.

About the Speaker

Gabriel Durham manages Houston Audubon’s Bird Friendly Community Program, which includes Lights Out Texas, Bird-Friendly Spaces, advocacy efforts, the native plant nursery, and community partnerships. If you are looking for ways to make Houston and the surrounding area more bird-friendly via going lights out, policy change, infrastructure change, or want to get your space recognized as a bird-friendly space, feel free to reach out! Gabriel has over a decade of experience in green space management in the Houston region and is a certified LEED Green Associate as well as a Texas Master Naturalist in the Gulf Coast Chapter.

In-person – Parking Pass Required

If you have a pass, don’t forget it – you will not get another one if you picked one up previously. If you need a pass, arrive early enough to pick one up in Room 1333 (meeting room) and to place it in your car. DO NOT park in faculty/staff parking (enforced 24/7).

Map and Directions – The meeting will be held in Bayou Building Room 1333 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.
