News and Events

News and announcements from our committee chairs, board members, and chapter leaders. Subscribe to our mailing list to stay up to date. For chapter news, visit Chapters. If you are looking for a calendar of events, see our Events Calendar.

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Andy Wasowski

Andy Wasowski and his wife Sally were passionate advocates of native plants with many books to their credit and they also played an important role in the history of the Society.

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A Look At Some Of The Supporting Cast

By Delmar Cain Even though it is almost August this year I can enjoy taking a walk around the yard to see what plants are still making some headway in our Texas summer. It is especially fun to see that some of the background performers are doing just fine, thank

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Grants will support work in San Antonio

**ARCHIVED POST ** The Native Plant Society of Texas has recently received three grants which will support the work of its San Antonio Chapter. A grant of $5,000 from the John Newman Family Charitable Trust and a $10,000 grant from the Shield-Ayres Foundation will support the further development of the

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New landscaping at state office

**ARCHIVED POST ** Our state offices in Fredericksburg are boasting beautiful new landscaping thanks to generous donors and volunteers from the Fredericksburg Chapter. Fredericksburg Chapter members designed the garden and held work parties in May to install the landscape. Cooperating rains have helped tp produce a lovely new garden. Financing

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Grants received from Gage and Hershey foundations

**ARCHIVED POST ** The Native Plant Society of Texas has recently received a grant from the Alfred S. Gage Foundation in the amount of $1000 and a second grant from the Jacob and Terese Hershey Foundation in the amount of $5000. The grants will be used to support the fall

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Native Plants Work On A Public Site

By Delmar Cain OK, you have the land and the structure on a high, rock and caliche site. Now what do you do for low–maintenance landscaping in our sometimes rain/sometimes drought Hill Country. That is the problem that many have and that many will have to face if our area

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Maguire receives teaching honor

**ARCHIVED POST ** Cynthia Maguire, a past president of the Native Plant Society of Texas, is one of only nine educators in the U.S. to be elected as a 2012-2013 SENCER (Science Education for New Civic Engagements and Responsibilities) Leadership Fellow by the National Fellowship Board of the National Center

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A perennial sunflower for home or range

**ARCHIVED POST ** A new harvest has come in from the farm fields this week — a much anticipated harvest of our relatively new plot of Bush Sunflower. Last year, the harvest actually occurred during the worst drought in recorded history. This little perennial still made seeds although most were

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About the Region

Fall Symposium 2025 Logo - Teach for the Future

Salado, the location of our Fall 2025 Symposium, lies at the intersection of two ecoregions: the Edwards Plateau (Limestone Cut Plain) and Blackland Prairie (Northern Blackland Prairie).

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 fall Symposium host chapter, the Tonkawa Chapter, includes both of these ecoregions.

Source: Wildflowers of Texas by Michael Eason