Clear Lake Chapter

Chapter Holiday Potluck & Gift Exchange

Members and Guests of the
Native Plant Society of Texas – Clear Lake Chapter

Join us for Food & Fun on

Monday, December 11 at
6:00 p.m. in the
Forest Room (B1418), Bayou Building
University of Houston-Clear Lake

The Clear Lake Chapter’s annual Holiday Potluck will be held in the Forest Room of the Bayou Building on the UHCL campus. The party will include a garden gifts exchange (unwrapped), a native plant bingo and a delicious potluck supper. All will be IN PERSON!!

You may bring your own meal if you would rather not participate in the potluck dishes. Everyone will need to bring their own cup or glass, plate, and silverware. Iced tea and water will be available.

To avoid everyone bringing a delicious desert, it is suggested that if your last name begins with:

A-C – bring an Appetizer
D-J – bring a Salad
K-P – bring a Main Dish
R-Z – bring a Desert

Parking

It will be very necessary to have your ORANGE parking pass displayed on your dashboard Monday night. If you don’t have a current parking pass, be on the lookout for members Joe B. and Ford H. who will be in the parking lot handing out passes. Do not park in faculty/staff parking. Campus map and directions.

Gift Exchange

Please bring an unwrapped gift(s) to participate in the gift exchange. Participants will get a raffle-style ticket and as numbers are drawn, winners will choose something from the table. “What sort of thing should I bring?” Well, if you are crafty or artistic, share some of your work. Have fruit trees? Bring fruit. Grow plants? Bring one or two (but bring in a bag to prevent soil loss in the room). Collect native seeds? Have two copies of a favorite plant book? Garden gloves, hand tools, field books—all are suitable items for people with similar interests to your own. Please note that you absolutely do not need to buy anything new.

Yard Signs

NPSOT yard signs will be available for sale at the meeting. Cash, check, and credit card accepted.

Member sign, $20
Biodiversity sign, $25

Bingo

Like last year, we will have several rousing rounds of plant bingo. Brush up on your native plants to win a prize!

Volunteer

We have a few spots open for volunteers. Set up begins at 5 pm. Click here to sign up!

Meetings are open to members and non-members. If you would like to become a member, you may join online. For more information about the Native Plant Society of Texas and the benefits of membership please visit: www.npsot.org.

Hosted by the Environmental Institute of Houston, University of Houston-Clear Lake.

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