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Native Plant Society of Texas

Boerne Chapter

April Meeting – Tuesday, April 5, 2022, Cibolo Nature Center Auditorium. 6:30 pm Social Time ; 7:00 pm Meeting Announcements and Presentation

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April Meeting – Tuesday, April 5, 2022, Cibolo Nature Center Auditorium. 6:30 pm Social Time ; 7:00 pm Meeting Announcements and Presentation

Presentation: Larval Host Plants for Butterflies of the Texas Hill Country – Identification for some of the plants that support the seventy species of butterflies that our presenter, Merry Langlinais, has photographed for her book, Critters of Red Heart, The Winged Ones I, and for her new book.
 

Presented by: Merry Langlinais – Merry recently retired as President of Bandera Canyonlands Alliance. She claims only the title of Untrained Naturalist, honed over her lifetime, beginning as a five year old when her grandmother walked her deep into the piney woods of Mississippi to show her where the carpet of violets popped up purple every spring.

The meeting will be recorded for later viewing.

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**ARCHIVED POST AUTHOR: mbrown

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