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February Chapter Book Club

A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold Butt-Holdsworth Memorial Library 505 Water Street Kerrville, Texas

NISAW Webinar: Quagga mussel response in the Snake River, Idaho

Part of the National Invasive Species Awareness Week series In September 2023, the Idaho State Department of Agriculture confirmed the presence of quagga mussel in the Mid-Snake River near Twin Falls. These findings marked the first time a rapid response plan had been put into action for quagga mussels in Idaho. This plan has included […]

Free
Event Series Native Garden Workday

Native Garden Workday

Texas Museum of Handmade Furniture 1370 Churchill Drive, New Braunfels, Texas, 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.

National Invasive Species Awareness Week

NISAW is an international event to raise awareness about invasive species, the threat that they pose, and what can be done to prevent their spread. NISAW is powered by The North American Invasive Species Management Association (NAISMA), which supports local, state, tribal, federal, regional, and national organizations to make NISAW their own with these tools. […]

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 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 […]

NISAW Webinar: The Invasive Species Language Workshop

Part of the National Invasive Species Awareness Week series Communicating about invasive species can get complicated! On February 27-28, in partnership with NAISMA for National Invasive Species Awareness Week (NISAW), Sea Grant is proud to present The Invasive Species Language Workshop, bringing together invasive species researchers and science communication professionals to share best practices for […]

Free

Native Seed Selection & Planting Tips

Fredericksburg Chapter of Native Plant Society of Texas Hosts George Cates on February 27 Fredericksburg, TX — George Cates, Restoration Specialist at Native American Seed, will share his extensive knowledge about native seed selection and planting tips at the next meeting of the Native Plant Society of Texas (NPSOT), Fredericksburg Chapter on Feb. 27 from […]

News Magazine Spring Submission Deadline

The Native Plant Society of Texas encourages submission of articles, photos, pertinent news or other interesting information for publication. We reserve the right to edit all submissions for accuracy, relevance, length, grammar or for other reason. In matters of style our print publication generally follows the Chicago Manual of Style. Unless prior arrangements with the […]

NISAW Webinar: The Federal Interagency Committee on the Management of Noxious and Exotic Weeds

Part of the National Invasive Species Awareness Week series Please join members of the Federal Interagency Committee for the Management of Noxious and Exotic Weeds (FICMNEW) to learn more about the organization, hear highlights from 2023, get a preview of upcoming plans, and provide input on future federal coordination needs regarding invasive plant research and […]

Free

NISAW Webinar: Opportunities and Challenges for Preventing the Next Plant Invasion

Part of the National Invasive Species Awareness Week series In the past 50 years, the number of non-native species introduced outside their native range has doubled, leading to substantial negative ecological and socioeconomic impacts. This is a problem that will persist as species introductions continue to rise and impacts are intensified by climate change and […]

Free

Leopold Week 2024: Natural, Wild, and Free

"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 […]

Free

Leopold Week 2024 – Kickoff with Buddy Huffaker

What does“natural, wild, and free” mean today? Leopold Foundation Executive Director Buddy Huffaker begins the conversation and kicks off Leopold Week 2024 with an introduction to the speaker series and a special video message from U.S. Forest Service Chief Randy Moore. Register below for the entire series of Leopold Week events.

Free

NPSOT Spring Symposium

The NPSOT 2024 Spring Symposium is coming to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin March 2nd! Register now to celebrate native plants and attend in person or stream the event live! Get more information and register here.

Spring Symposium

March 2 - Spring Symposium  - Join virtually or in person at Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin! Registration is now open. For event details and registration click here. (In-person registration is now filled, but you can still register for the virtual symposium.)

NPSOT Spring Symposium

Save the Date for this hybrid event! More information to come... Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center4801 La Crosse Avenue, Austin, TX 78739

Texas Native Plant Art Exhibition Moves to Denton Public Libraries

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

Outreach: Growing Native Milkweed

Saturday, March 2 — Join us at Friendswood Garden Emporium for a presentation on how to grow native milkweed taught by Greg Pearson.

Nature Fest at Jesse H. Jones Park and Nature Center

The 20th Annual NatureFest will be held on March 2, 2024, at Jesse H. Jones Park & Nature Center, 20634 Kenswick Dr., Humble, TX 77338 (Phone: 281-446-8588). Pines and Prairies Chapter will participate by hosting an exhibit table.

Leopold Week 2024 – Drawing a Land Ethic

Visiting artist Max Sorenson will share the process and experiences behind RxReturn, his prescribed fire-inspired art series created during his time at the Leopold Foundation. The series is displayed at the Overture Center for the Arts in Madison, WI. Register below for the entire series of Leopold Week events.

Free

Texas Riparian & Stream Ecosystem Workshop – Upper Medina River Watershed – Bandera, March 5th

This workshop is being co-hosted by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and the Texas Water Resources Institute. The training will focus on the nature and function of stream and riparian zones and the benefits and direct impacts from healthy riparian zones. The riparian education programs will cover an introduction to riparian principles, watershed processes, […]

Free

Chapter Meeting at Cibolo Nature Center Auditorium

March 5- Chapter Meeting at Cibolo Nature Center Auditorium - 6:00pm - Social Time; 6:45pm - Chapter Announcements, followed by the Speaker Speakers: Rufus Stephens and Jan Wrede. Rufus is a Certified Wildlife Biologist and educator. He has worked as a wildlife biologist for 35 years, 23 years with TPWD. Rufus is one of the founders […]

Chapter Meeting, March 5

Chapter Meeting, March 5 As usual, the meeting will start with a social time at 6:00pm, at the Cibolo Nature Center Auditorium. Announcement will begin at 6:45pm, followed by the presentation.  For the social time, please bring any snacks/appetizers/desserts that you would like to share.  Speakers: Jan Wrede and Rufus Stephens. Topic: “Land Stewardship for […]

Collin County Chapter – Native Plant Alternatives to Invasives

Our March 5th chapter meeting will include a presentation by Deedy Wright on "I’m Being Invaded! What Can I Do?". Her talk will define the term “invasive” and discuss reasons for how and why these plants are here, and the damage they do to our environment. In addition, eco-region-specific native "alterNatives" are suggested for some of the more common invasive plants. Our program opens at 6:30, and at 7:00, Rodney Thomas, chapter president, will have a short chapter update, followed by the presentation.

Event Series Native Garden Workday

Native Garden Workday

Heritage Museum of the Texas Hill Country 4831 FM2673, Canyon Lake, Texas, United States

Please join us at the Heritage Museum to help maintain the Lindheimer Chapter's Demonstration Garden. Please bring water, closed toe shoes, gloves, and your favorite gardening tools. Contact Mickey Riviere […]

Leopold Week 2024 – 2023-24 Future Leaders Fellows

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 […]

Free

Our Texas Our Future at the Brauntex

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 […]

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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