Native Plant Society of Texas

Drought-Tolerant Native Plants: Nothing Works Like Natives - Williamson County Chapter Meeting, April 11
2024-04-11 19:00 - 20:30 (America/Chicago)
[4/14 Replaced handout link, handout was updated. 4/3 Event updated to add link to handout]

Join NPSOT-Williamson County on Thursday, April 11, 2024, when our featured topic will be “Drought-Tolerant Native Plants: Nothing Works Like Natives” with Randy Pensabene. Free and open to the public. The meeting begins at 7:00 PM. Our guest speaker’s presentation begins after a short business meeting.

NEW Randy has provided a handout ==> (link updated Apr 14) click this link to download the handout.

About our speaker: Randy Pensabene is past president of the Native Plant Society of Texas, Williamson County Chapter, and is involved in the chapter’s native plant garden projects and native plant sales. She has also converted her yard from the typical hedges and non-natives to a beautiful low-water, National Wildlife Federation Certified Wildlife Habitat using Texas native plants. She enjoys sharing her enthusiasm for our Texas native plants and teaching others about their beauty, drought-tolerance, and benefits.

NOTE: this month’s in-person location is the Georgetown Public Library, 2nd floor, 402 West 8th St, Georgetown, TX 78626.

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

Heard Museum Native Plant Sale - Heard Members Only
2024-04-12 16:00 - 19:00 (America/Chicago)
The Heard Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary in McKinney will be hosting its annual Spring Native Plant Sale from April 12th to 14th. We are proud to partner with the Heard Museum on this event, which is renowned as one of the longest-running, largest, and best native plant sales in the state.
On Friday April 12th, there will be a pre-sale session exclusively for Heard Members from 4:00 to 7:00 pm. The sale opens to the public on April 13th (9:00 am to 5:00 pm) and April 14th (1:00 pm to 5:00 pm).
Stay tuned for more details about the sale in the coming weeks. We look forward to seeing you there!

Who Are We? - April 13
2024-04-13 09:00 - 11:00 (America/Chicago)
Join us for our first chapter meeting! We will present the overall mission of the Native Plant Society of Texas and our focus on the Rio Grande Valley. We will discuss the features and programs that the state program brings and how we plan to adapt them to our region.

We will be meeting in-person at the South Texas Ecotourism Center in Laguna Vista. For those that can not join us in-person, we are planning to offer a virtual option which we will post as the date gets closer.

After our planned 1 hour chapter meeting, stay a while longer as we explore the South Texas Ecotourism Center with a native plant walk.

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

Questions? rio-grande-valley-chapter@gmail.com

(Our Chapter Meetings will be held monthly on the 2nd Saturday and begin at 9am.)

Native Plant Container Gardening - May 11
2024-04-13 09:00 - 11:00 (America/Chicago)
Join us as we welcome Matt Kauffman, well-known Rio Grande Valley native plant enthusiast. Matt will share his experience and knowledge from years working with native plants in his container garden.

We will be meeting in-person at the South Texas Ecotourism Center in Laguna Vista. For those that can not join us in-person, the meeting will be streamed live on our YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/@RioGrandeValleyChapter-npsot.

After our planned 1 hour chapter meeting, stay a while longer as we explore our upcoming Native Landscaping Certification Program.

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

Questions? rio-grande-valley-chapter@gmail.com

(Our Chapter Meetings will be held monthly on the 2nd Saturday and begin at 9am.)

2024-04-13 09:00 - 12:00 (America/Chicago)
April 13 – 9:00am – Noon – Second Saturday Workday at Cibolo Nature Center Demonstration Gardens.

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

Second Saturday Workday at Cibolo Nature Center Demonstration Gardens - April 13, 9:00am to noon
2024-04-13 09:00 - 12:00 (America/Chicago)
Second Saturday Workday at Cibolo Nature Center Demonstration Gardens.

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

Lantana Earth Day Event
2024-04-13 09:00 - 12:00 (America/Chicago)
Lantana’s North Amenity Center, 11555 Lantana Trail, Lantana

The Native Plant Society of Texas will be hosting a booth at this fun event. We’ll have information for you as well as knowledgeable volunteers to answer your questions. Please stop by and say “Hello.” Happy gardening!

Heard Museum Native Plant Sale
2024-04-13 09:00 - 17:00, 2024-04-14 13:00 - 17:00 (America/Chicago)
The Heard Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary in McKinney will be hosting its annual Spring Native Plant Sale from April 12th to 14th. We are proud to partner with the Heard Museum on this event, which is renowned as one of the longest-running, largest, and best native plant sales in the state.
On April 12th, there will be a pre-sale session exclusively for Heard Members from 4:00 to 7:00 pm. The sale opens to the public on April 13th (9:00 am to 5:00 pm) and April 14th (1:00 pm to 5:00 pm).
Stay tuned for more details about the sale in the coming weeks. We look forward to seeing you there!

Library Talk Series - A Conversation About Invasive Plants
2024-04-13 10:30 - 11:30 (America/Chicago)
A Conversation about Invasive Plants / What they are / Why They’re Harmful / And How We Can Do Better for the Environment by Pam Lienhard at Butt-Holdsworth Memorial Library

This program will discuss what plants are considered invasive; the difficulty in recognizing and controlling invasive plants; the damage they might cause to the environment; why native plants are better for our habitat; and offer suggestions on which native plants are suitable substitutions in your landscape.

A handout of common invasive plants of the area and suggestions for native Texas plant alternatives will be available.

Healthy Parks Healthy People
2024-04-13 15:00 - 19:00 (America/Chicago)
Healthy Parks Healthy People at Bentsen-RGV State Park in Mission.

Our chapter will have an outreach table where we will run a native plant scavenger hunt as part of the Children in Nature event. You can stop by to say hello or volunteer to help out.

Questions? rio-grande-valley-chapter@gmail.com

Beaumont Chapter Meeting
2024-04-15 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 April 15th, 2024 meeting with Janet D. Smith: The Right Plant in the Right Place
2024-04-15 18:30 - 20:30 (America/Chicago)
It’s not just the placement of plants in your yard, but in the world that will sustain life as we know it. Plants that feed the local insects are the base of the food web and give us a planet we can live on.

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]

Habitat Workday @ EIH
2024-04-16 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

Austin Chapter Meeting - Effective Use of Natives in the Landscape - April 16
2024-04-16 19:00 - 20:00 (America/Chicago)
Join us for part 2 from last month’s topic with Deedy Wright. Last month she told us how to avoid invasive plants, and this month will go into what are better native choices and how to effectively use them in your landscape. The topic is targeted at beginners or frustrated intermediate gardeners.

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.

This is a virtual meeting using Zoom. Please check back closer to this meeting to register to get the Zoom for this meeting.

Register in advance for this meeting:https://npsot-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwtc-2rqD0iGtYJPdJFgc-egNO4rLRYnyVk

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

Here are some resources that Deedy has provided:

Deciding on Plants for Your Landscape

Landscaping and Plant Resources–Travis County

Don’t Rock Your Landscape

Cues of Care Is it a weed patch

Invasive Species Alternatives List and References

Field Trip: Bayside Regional Park
2024-04-17 08:30 - 11:00 (America/New_York)
Stop by Bayside Regional Park anytime between 8:30 and 11 a.m. for a tour of the demonstration garden. Martha Richeson and Sandy Parker will be leading the tour.

LocationBayside Regional Park (Google Maps)4833 10th St.Bacliff, TX 77518

April Chapter Book Club
2024-04-17 12:00 - 13:00 (America/Chicago)
Noah’s Garden by Sara SteinButt-Holdsworth Memorial Library 505 Water Street Kerrville, Texas

Chapter Leader Forum - Apr 18
2024-04-18 12:00 - 13:00 (America/Chicago)
Topic: How to Navigate the Member Portal, Find State Forms and Materials, and More!

Description:

We know that navigating the Member Portal and Dropbox can be challenging, so we are here to help. Meg will tell you how to log on to your Member Portal and look through all the resources that are available to you for running your chapter. Bring your questions. Let’s go through them! We hope to have all state staff at the meeting so we can address a variety of questions.

Presenters:

This forum is hosted by Meg Inglis and state staff members.

When: Thursday, April 18, 2024 (Third Thursday) 12 – 1 pm

Zoom Registration Link:

https://npsot-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwsfuygqD8uG9WkaNAeL2ywzbpa6zOVtPkR

Pines and Prairies April Chapter Meeting
2024-04-18 19:00 - 20:00 (America/Chicago)
Speaker: Della Barbata of Native Prairies Association of Texas

Venue: SHSU – The Woodlands Campus, 3380 College Park Drive, The Woodlands

Speaker: Della Barbato of the Native Prairies Association of Texas

This is a hybrid meeting. The link will be sent via email.

Predatory Garden Insects from the Nature Discovery Center - April 18
2024-04-18 19:00 - 20:00 (America/Chicago)
Join us to have a look at the various predatory insects that can be found in the native plant gardens at the Nature Discovery Center, such as assassin bugs, ladybird Beetles, and Wasps. We will also talk about what you can do to encourage them to stay and prey in your garden.

About the Speaker – Eric Duran

Eric is the Head Naturalist at the Nature Discovery Center in Bellaire, Texas. Eric is the primary educator there. He has been an educator and naturalist at Armand Bayou, Houston Zoo, Moody Gardens, Patuxent Research Refuge, Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, and Sacha Lodge in Ecuador. He has fieldwork experience with sea turtles, amphibian call counts, reptile surveys, shark surveys, various bird counts, nest box surveys, and King Eider monitoring on the Arctic Tundra. His activities outside of work include herpetology, wildlife/pollinator gardening, science blogging, entomology, bird watching, hiking, baking, vegetarian cooking, and social activism.

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

Spring Native Plant Sale - For Members Only
2024-04-19 15:00 - 18:00 (America/Chicago)
Spring Native Plant Sale for Members Only

Herff Farm Teaching Barn, 33 Herff Road, Boerne, Tx 78006

Volunteer for Plant Walk at Hugh Ramsey Nature Park
2024-04-20 08:00 - 10:00 (America/Chicago)
Come out and volunteer with us as we provide a native plant walk at Hugh Ramsey Nature Park in Harlingen. We will be showcasing the park’s native plants to master naturalist from the South Texas Border Chapter PLUS we may have a second tour for a group of UTRGV professors as they seek to learn more about our RGV ecosystem; 8am – 10am.

If anyone would like to help with the tour, let me know. rio-grande-valley-chapter@gmail.com

Collin County - Pollinator Garden Tour
2024-04-20 08:30 - 13:00 (America/Chicago)
We are holding a Pollinator Garden Tour on Saturday, April 20, 2024 from 8:30 am – 1:00 pm. We have three gardens on the tour – in Celina, McKinney and Fairview. Please RSVP to Rodney Thomas (rook.thomas@yahoo.com / 214-533-8756) if you plan to join. Below are the gardens that will be visited, in order:1) Cynthia Alexander – 6420 CR 127, Celina; from 08:30 to 09:302) Rodney Thomas – 7812 San Jacinto Trail, McKinney; from 10:00 to 11:003) Tony Manasseri – 433 Long Cove, Fairview; from 11:30 to 12:30.

Spring Native Plant Sale
2024-04-20 09:00 - 12:00 (America/Chicago)
Don’t miss this chance to add new native plants to your landscape and support our local NPSOT chapter and Riverside Nature Center.Sale is held at Riverside Nature Center, 150 Franciso Lemos St., Kerrville, Texas.

Spring Native Plant Sale
2024-04-20 09:00 - 12:00 (America/Chicago)
Our annual Spring Native Plant Sale will be held at Riverside Nature Center, 150 Francisco Lemos St., Kerrville, Texas on Saturday April 20th from 9am until noon (or until sold out).

Knowledgeable plant docents to answer questions

Personal shoppers to assist in selecting plants and navigating the sale

See many of the sale plants in matrue form throughout the nature center

Tax free on all purchases

Native plants offer several benefits for your landscape and family. Benefits such as producing a smaller carbon footprint, water conservation, and are low maintenance. They are also a healthier choice for your community and family because fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides are not necessary. Native plants increase biodiversity by providing a healthy habitat for all living things.

Spring Native Plant Sale - Open to the Public
2024-04-20 09:00 - 13:00 (America/Chicago)
Spring Native Plant Sale – Open to the Public. At the Herff Farm Teaching Barn, 33 Herff Road, Boerne TX 78006.

Plant sale
2024-04-20 09:00 - 13:30 (America/Chicago)

Lake Mineral Wells State Park Pollinator Garden Work Day, Volunteer Opportunity, Cross Timbers Chapter, Mineral Wells, Saturday, 4/20/2024 at 10 a.m.
2024-04-20 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.

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! 🌿🌸

Earth Day Celebration in Mercedes
2024-04-22 17:30 - 19:00 (America/Chicago)
Come celebrate Earth Day in Mercedes. We will have an information table to share who we are with the community. If anyone would like to help staff the table, let me know.

Questions? rio-grande-valley-chapter@gmail.com

Chapter Meeting - Gabriel Torres - Planting and care of native trees.
2024-04-22 17:45 - 20:00 (America/Chicago)
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.
