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.

  • Chapter or Committee

Bexar Roots June 2012

**ARCHIVED POST ** from 2012-06-01 Click Here **ARCHIVED POST** **ARCHIVED POST LINKS & PICTURES MAY NOT WORK** **ARCHIVED POST AUTHOR: tmaslonka **

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What I learned about rainbarrels

**ARCHIVED POST ** Remember last summer? Surely you remember last summer. Last summer pushed me over the edge. I had been mouthing for months about building rain barrels, had gotten information from the Internet and other sources, had even seen one made. Yet I dithered.

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Pink flower head in sunshine
Boerne

No Mercy for the Musk Thistle Either

By Delmar Cain Some of our citizens have a way of motivating others. Jan Wrede, naturalist, author, and former research director at the Cibolo Nature Center, does it as well as anyone. Her well founded concern about Malta starthistle has created an educational buzz in the community, inspiring many to

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Boerne

Desert Willow—A Cool Plant For A Hot Spot

By Delmar Cain Desert willow. Isn’t that a wonderful name for a tree in the Southwest? It evokes a cool and refreshing spot to find relief from the sun in a hot dry climate. But it was more than just a cool name that induced the Boerne Chapter of NPSOT

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Bexar Roots May 2012

**ARCHIVED POST ** from 2012-05-01 Click Here **ARCHIVED POST** **ARCHIVED POST LINKS & PICTURES MAY NOT WORK** **ARCHIVED POST AUTHOR: tmaslonka **

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Board proposes changes to Bylaws

**ARCHIVED POST ** The State Board recommended one amendment to the Bylaws at the April quarterly meeting and signaled that additional changes to the Bylaws and to the Standing Rules were likely to be presented at the upcoming July meeting. All changes to the Bylaws must be approved by the

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Boerne

Malta Starthistle—A Really Bad Actor

By Delmar Cain Growing up in East Texas I hated sandburs. You have probably seen the kind that I am referring to. Since it is a grass (Cenchrus echinatus), it hides in a yard until it matures in the late spring or early summer. Then it extends a long stem

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Branch covered solid in bright pink blossoms.
Boerne

April 2012

NICE! Plant of the Month Mexican Buckeye (Ungnadia speciosa) Family: Sapindaceae (Soapberry Family) Other Common Names: Buckeye, false buckeye, monillo Type: Rapid growing spring flowering tree (small specimen), thicket or tall shrub Natural Habitat: From the Edwards Plateau west to the trans-Pecos and into southern New Mexico and northern Mexico

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Green-yellow plants on waters edge
Boerne

Mexican Buckeye—A Good Suggestion For the Plant Sale

By Delmar Cain My, my what a wonderful spring so far. I don’t know how much our long-term drought condition has been helped, but the rain, coming as it has in small but frequent amounts, has removed drought as a daily conversation topic. And the wildflowers are beginning to bloom

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About the Region

2026 Fall Symposium Logo

This low-elevations region of Texas extends inland from the barrier islands, about 60 or so miles, and stretches from Brownsville to Louisiana. In total, it covers about 9.5 million acres, with a high point of 150 feet in elevation. More than 1000 species of plants can be found in this region. On the southern end, species more common in Mexico (such as Sabal mexicana) and Central America occur.

The barrier islands provide us with dune systems, and clay flats to the inland side, which have species found in these areas alone. Many plants here, such as Ipomoea pes-caprae (beach morning glory), can be found throughout tropical regions of the globe. I’ve encountered the same species on the beaches of Guam.

Once inland, vast marshes and wet prairies occur. Occasionally, oak (Quercus fusiformis) groves can be found. Common grasses include species of Bothriochloa, Paspalum, and Sporobolus; eastern gamagrass (Tripsacum dactyloides); and switchgrass (Panicum species). Many rivers and creeks cut through the Gulf Prairies, and along these riparian areas various species of trees, Sabal minor, and other plants adapted to clay soils can be found. Due to overgrazing, farming, and fire suppression, woody species such as mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa) and huisache (Acacia farnesiana), and invasive species such as chinaberry (Melia azedarach), Brazilian pepper (Schinus terebinthifolius), and Chinese tallow (Sapium sebiferum) have increased and displaced our native flora.

Source: Wildflowers of Texas by Michael Eason