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Native Plant Society of Texas

Contest winners announced

NPSOT Archive

Winners of the 2021 members contests were announced during the Annual Awards Presentation on October 9. In addition the annual awards previously announced were formally presented at the event, which was conducted over Zoom and YouTube Live. Watch a video recording of the complete ceremony.

The Kate Hillhouse Chapter of the Year Award is given by the president to the chapter that has best exemplified the mission of the Society in the previous year. This year Kim Conrow presented the award to the Fredericksburg Chapter. The Fredericksburg Chapter will display the award for a year until is awarded again the next year.

Bill Hopkins announced the winners of the various contests, which were determined by a panel of judges using scoresheets to award points in various categories to each contestant.

Photo Contest

The photo contest attracted over 50 entries. Winners were chosen in ten different ecoregions, as shown in the table below. View a slideshow of all the entries here. No awards were given for the Arizona/New Mexico Mountains ecoregion or the High Plains ecoregion. Best of Show was shared by Tom Lebsack of the Austin Chapter for his photo of Longspur Columbine and Robert Kamper of the Williamson County Chapter for his close-up of a Prairie Celestial.

Newsletter Contest

In the chapter newsletter contest the judges selected the Highland Lakes newsletter, edited by Lee Winkler, as the best chapter newsletter.

View the winning entry here.

Judges gave high scores for the clean, wide-format easy-to-read layout and the simple narrow banner. They added that content from a relatively large number of contributors was another plus.

Video Contest

The video contest winner was Pamela Parker Caird of the Williamson County Chapter. Pamela’s outstanding entry, titled Going Wild with Natives in Texas, is jam-packed with information, including an interview with Kelly Simon, author of Texas Wildscapes: Gardening for Wildlife, and information from Pamela’s own experience wildscaping her family’s property in Liberty Hill.

The video contest judges also awarded an Honorable Mention to the entry by Rachel Cywinski of the San Antonio Chapter, citing the originality of the concept.

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