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Native Plant Society of Texas

Enter your video in our contest

NPSOT Archive

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Videos can be easy to make and a lot of fun! Most digital cameras – and phones – have a video mode. You can even use your desktop computer to make a video out of one of your powerpoints. Just add a voiceover to it. You might be surprised at what you are able to do with just a little thought and equipment that you probably already have at home.

The contest is open to all our members.  Videos must feature some aspect of native plants or habitats or they can be about our organization. Videos should be at least 45 seconds in length and no more than 5 minutes maximum.

Here are some suggestions for  topics. For more inspiration check out entries from previous years at our YouTube channel.

  • Show and tell about a project you or your chapter is doing
  • Do an interview with a local official or “plant expert.”
  • A profile of a particular plant. Maybe one for your local NICE Program.
  • Film a walk through your own backyard garden or your chapter demonstration garden
  • Do a plant walk through a local park or field.
  • Presentation about the relationship and interdependence of native plants and wildlife.
  • Educational video on the Monarch butterfly migration through Texas.

Here is a video about a neighborhood plant swap in Austin that was submitted to our contest a few years ago.

When your video is ready send an email to video-contest@npsot.org to get a link for uploading your .mp4 or YouTube-ready video file. Videos must be received by September 1, 2019. The winning video will receive a cash prize of $100 and will be recognized during our fall symposium in League City.

Entries will be judged by a three-person panel consisting of Robert Kamper, Martha Peet and Kay Jenkins. All video entries will be posted on the Native Plant Society of Texas YouTube channel and they may also be displayed on our website and social media pages. 

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**ARCHIVED POST AUTHOR: Bill Hopkins

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