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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Boerne

A Tough Plant For The New Year

By Delmar Cain Since it is January it is a good time to look forward, since here in the Hill Country the summer can occasionally arrive in a hurry. But since it is early January I hope that it is not too late to take a quick peek backward as

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Leafs growing through a fence
Boerne

December 2011

NICE! Plant of the Month Quercus macrocarpa Family: Fagaceae – Beech Family Other Common Names: Burr Oak, Mossy Cup Oak, Savannah Oak Type: Large tree Natural Habitat: Stream bottoms and slopes in North and East Central Texas. Growth: Upwards of 80 feet. Spread is usually 40 feet or more. Deer

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Comanche Peak prairie clover

Dalea reverchonii, or the Comanche Peak Prairie Clover, has only been documented in three counties in the entire world: Parker, Hood, and Wise counties in North Central Texas.

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Boerne

Rethinking Riparian Management

By Delmar Cain Ideas and models can stay in our heads for years, especially when they are formed in our early years. But just because we get them early does not mean that they are valid. The right occasion to reflect on them may not have presented itself. If not

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Boerne

Drought Tough Plant

By Delmar Cain The middle of the fall season might be a good time to consider a few plants that have weathered this extended drought with a degree of class. My criterion for “weathering” is that the plant has progressed through a normal growth sequence in a natural location with

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Long, narrow, compound leaves that turn yellow, lemon, gold, and pumpkin in the fall.
Boerne

November 2011

NICE! Plant of the Month Juglans major Family: Juglandaceae Type: Medium sized, deciduous, edible nut bearing tree with chambered pith in shoots; related to Eastern Black Walnut, J. nigra and Little or Texas Walnut, J. microcarpa. Natural Habitat: Found mostly near stream banks in Central Texas; ranges from Central Texas

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Boerne

The Wonders of Rain And Another NICE Tree

By Delmar Cain There is simply no substitute for rain. Over the last few months I had tried to keep a few plants alive by hand watering with well water, only to watch their leaves turn pale green and wither. I would have bet that the plants were dead. But

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Rain lilies

Cooperia pedunculata, or more commonly known as Rain Lily, will pop up and bloom a couple of days after a good rain.

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Rollin’ on Armand’s bayou

**ARCHIVED POST ** Armand Bayou Nature Center is a 2500 acre preserve in the center of a highly urbanized area between Johnson Space Center and the Bayport Industrial District. It protects remnants of the region’s original ecosystems including wetlands, bottomland forest and tall grass prairies.

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Remember spear grass?

Remember the spear grass fights of our youth? Whether it was with friends, neighborhood kids or cousins, the first swimming trip of the summer usually began or ended with a spear grass battle.

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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