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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Prairie Rose Meeting Reminder

**ARCHIVED POST ** MARCH MEETING REMINDER FEATHER FEST MARCH 23, 10 A.M. – 2 P.M. ACTON NATURE CENTER 6900 Smoky Hill Ct. FREE ADMISSION Enjoy a beautiful day outdoors Saturday at the Acton Nature Center.  For the fourth year, the Rio Brazos Master Naturalists are hosting Feather Fest, which includes

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Citizen Science Workshop on Monarch butterflies

**ARCHIVED POST ** NPSOT is hosting a Citizen Science Workshop on Monarch butterflies at the Botanical Gardens in Fort Worth on Friday, November 15.     **ARCHIVED POST** **ARCHIVED POST LINKS & PICTURES MAY NOT WORK** **ARCHIVED POST AUTHOR: jerin

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February Newsletter 2021

**ARCHIVED POST ** FEBRUARY MEETINGS BLACKLAND PRAIRIE – THEN AND NOW BY CAROL CLARK VIRTUAL MEETING, FEBRUARY 22, 7 P.M. For anyone who’s heard one of Carol’s previous presentations, you know what a great speaker she is.  We’re happy to welcome her back to talk about the Blackland Prairie.  Blackland

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December 2021

**ARCHIVED POST ** DECEMBER NEWSLETTER HAPPY HOLIDAYS December seems a good time to take a moment and reflect on the past year. This year we began working our way back to ìnormalcyî, although it seems to most of us that itís still a long way off. We held both our

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October 2022 Newsletter

**ARCHIVED POST ** OCTOBER NEWSLETTER What a relief our cooler weather has been going into fall.  While some of our days still seem a little too hot, these really cool evenings have been wonderful.  Our plants are certainly much happier with the changing temperature.  The hot summer has decimated some

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Spring Native Plant Sale at Riverside Nature Center

**ARCHIVED POST ** Mark your calendars for the Spring Native Plant Sale! Saturday April 16, 9am – 2 pm (or until sold out).  We are back in person at Riverside Nature Center! BYOW – Bring your own wagon (if you’d like).  We will help plenty of volunteers on hand to

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April Mtg – 4-18-22 John Watts

**ARCHIVED POST ** Our April meeting will be a virtual and in-person hybrid gathering.  You can join us at the Gaston Christian Center (8515 Greenville Avenue, Dallas, TX 75243) or over Zoom on Monday, April 18th at 6:30 for social time, 7:00 for quick announcements, then our program, “’Natural Born Botanist

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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