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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. Please be prepared to follow the Visitor’s Executive Meeting Protocol.

Aldo Leopold and Environmental Citizenship with Susan Flader

Aldo Leopold is known best as a forester, wildlife ecologist, and author of A Sand County Almanac. But have you ever considered him as one who cared deeply about citizenship? Join Susan Flader, author of the first-ever Aldo Leopold biography, to explore what citizenship meant to Aldo at various stages in his life and career. We're willing to bet you'll leave thinking in […]

Free

Keep Flower Mound Beautiful Environmental Fair

Visit our outreach booth at the Keep Flower Mound Beautiful Environmental Fair! We'll have knowledgeable volunteers to answer your questions and help you get started turning your landscape into a climate friendly oasis! Flower Mound High School, 3411 Peters Colony (for your GPS) – In the back parking lot at Sagebrush Drive and Old Settlers Road

Free
Event Series Austin Chapter Meeting

Austin Chapter Meeting – Native Plant Seeds with Craig Bruska

Our September meeting will be a hybrid in person and over Zoom meeting. Our speaker will be attending via Zoom, and we will be sure to project the video for everyone to see.  The September Austin Chapter meeting is Tuesday, September 17, 2024.  The meeting address is: Lakewood Clubhouse, 7317 Lakewood Dr, Austin, TX 78750. Schedule: - 6:30PM Social time (both […]

September Chapter Book Club

Armadillos to Ziziphus by David M. Hillis Open to the public!Butt-Holdsworth Memorial Library 505 Water Street Kerrville, Texas

Chapter Leader Forum: Homegrown National Park® – Get on the Map!

Homegrown National Park® - Get on the Map!Training for chapter leaders, members, and guests Description:Our September 19, 2024, NPSOT Chapter Leader Forum provides training and a discussion with Homegrown National Park (HNP) representatives. Learn […]

Pines and Prairies Chapter Meeting – Tree Health After Extreme Weather Events

Open the Bulletin to find details about and links to the Native Plant Swap and Speaker. Location: SHSU The Woodlands Campus, 3380 College Park Dr, The Woodlands, Room 230Speaker: Allen Smith, Entomologist & Forest Health specialist with Texas A&M Forest ServiceTopic: Tree Health After Extreme Weather Events You can also attend via Zoom, by registering […]

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 […]

Tracking Shifts in Food Availability for Monarchs and Other Pollinators – September 24

Monarchs depend on a diverse suite of host plants along their migration path. Knowledge of when and where plants are leafing and flowering, and how climate change is shifting the timing, is critical for understanding availability of food resources. In this presentation I will describe how the USA National Phenology Network engages volunteer and professional […]

Free

The Monarch Butterfly Migration, San Antonio Chapter Meeting, Sept. 24

The Monarch Butterfly Migration Its Rise and Fall – a newly published book by Chapter Member, Monika Maeckle.  In this informative and interesting book, we learn about the natural history of the monarch butterfly migration from 1976 to the present woven with a lot of cultural history and memoir.

Organizational Meeting for Galveston Chapter

Interested in helping start a new Native Plant Society chapter specifically for the Galveston area? Join us for the first organization meeting at Unitarian Universalist Fellowship.

Collin County Chapter – The Amazing Life History Strategies of Parasitoids

Join us on October 1st to explore the amazing world of parasitoids!  Where do they live?  How do they survive attacks from their host? Are they dangerous or beneficial? Come ready to add several new words to your vocabulary, be awed by nature's crazy ways, and walk away inspired to help this important group of […]

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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