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.

March 2012
NICE! Plant of the Month (Melampodium leucanthum) Family: Asteraceae Other Common Names: Rock daisy, Plains blackfoot Type: Perennial Growth: Low growing 6 to 18 inches tall, normally wider than tall. Deer Resistance: Yes Wildlife: Nectar for bees, butterflies and insects. Seed for birds Light Tolerance: Full sun to part sun
Ten Years of NICE!
By Delmar Cain It could still freeze but this warm weather really feels like spring. Kip Kiphart has been sending pictures of small blooming plants and thinks that just because I stayed in a Holiday Inn once that I should be able to identify them. Of course he is wrong.

The case against tropical milkweed
Should you plant non-native tropical milkweed to attract and sustain Monarchs? It could do more harm than good.
Our friends are back, but for how long?
**ARCHIVED POST ** “They” are back. I told my friend Kip Kiphart that I thought that I had seen one last week in Boerne and another at my house a few days later. But the ones that I saw were some distance away and neither slowed down to say hello.
Bexar Roots March 2012
**ARCHIVED POST ** from 2012-03-01 Click Here **ARCHIVED POST** **ARCHIVED POST LINKS & PICTURES MAY NOT WORK** **ARCHIVED POST AUTHOR: tmaslonka **
Letting Nature Make The Call
By Delmar Cain At the last meeting of the NPSOT in Boerne, Wendy Leonard, a Park Naturalist for the City of San Antonio Natural Areas, gave an interesting presentation about her research on the Bracted twist-flower (Streptanthus bracteatus), a beautiful flower found in colonies in only a few places in
Healing hands help heal the land
Members of several Native Plant Society chapters joined with Master Naturalists and Master Gardeners, garden club members, hundreds of school children, and many other sponsors and participants to help heal the wounded lands after the devasting wildfires of 2011

February 2012
NICE! Plant of the Month (Chrysactinia mexicana A. Gray) Family: Asteraceae (Aster Family) Type: 1-2 ft. tall and wide, evergreen shrub, very aromatic leaves with woody base, forms rounded mound. Natural Habitat: Lower Edwards Plateau, Trans-Pecos into NM and Mexico on caliche and limestone south facing hillside outcrops. Growth: Slow
Damianita—Cold Hardy and Drought Tolerant
By Delmar Cain I am sure that it goes without saying that age does not necessarily improve everything. The creaks in my knees that show up with the changes in temperature are not an improvement. Apparently age and changing temperatures have not improved the USDA hardiness zone map that was
Bexar Roots February 2012
**ARCHIVED POST ** from 2012-02-01 Click Here **ARCHIVED POST** **ARCHIVED POST LINKS & PICTURES MAY NOT WORK** **ARCHIVED POST AUTHOR: tmaslonka **
Vacancies filled on executive board
**ARCHIVED POST ** At the January meeting in Fort Worth, the State Board filled vacancies for Vice President Finance and Vice President Administration. Gailon Hardin was appointed to the head financial job, a position she previously held in 2006 and 2007. She also served as President in 2009. Gailon is
New chapter in Victoria
**ARCHIVED POST ** A new chapter in Victoria was recognized during the State Board meeting in Fort Worth. The new chapter is calling itself the Bluestem Chapter. Martha McAlister has been elected president and Kay Dillingham will serve as treasurer. Unfortunately two chapters were decommissioned during the same board meeting.