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JANUARY 2020 NEWSLETTER
What an amazing winter wonderland we just had! I’m choosing to use this event as my official start to 2021 with a more optimistic, hopeful image in my mind than the craziness that has surrounded us. What a wonderful Sunday to have snow fall all day long, fireplace going, and no ice storm – the roads stayed clear.
We will continue to hold virtual meetings for as long as necessary. My hope is that by July or August we can begin to hold in-person meetings. We will keep a pulse on what’s happening and schedule an activity such as a tour or hike as soon as we can. In the meantime, we’ll strive to have a variety of interesting programs with a number of different speakers. One advantage of virtual meetings is that speakers can be further away and experts in their field. So please join us in enjoying these events.
JANUARY MEETING
INVITING THE PRAIRIE INTO YOUR HOME GARDEN
BY SUZANNE TUTTLE
JANUARY 25, 7 p.m. VIRTUAL MEETING
Texas is a prairie state. It therefore makes sense that local species of prairie wildflowers and grasses could be showy, low maintenance additions to your home landscape. In this presentation, Fort Worth-based plant ecologist Suzanne Tuttle gives her suggestions for commonly found species that might fit into your garden.
Suzanne Tuttle is a plant ecologist who retired in 2016 as Manager of the Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge after a 23-year career at the park. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from UT Arlington and an Associate of Applied Science degree in Horticulture from Tarrant County Junior College (now TCC). A member of NPSOT since 1992 and elected a Fellow of the Society in 2007, she has taught training classes for various chapters of the Texas Master Naturalists program since 1999 and is currently serving on NPSOT’s Native Landscape Certification Program Steering Committee. She also serves on the boards of directors for the Fort Worth Chapter of the Native Prairies Association of Texas and the John Bunker Sands Wetland Center in Combine, Texas.
DEMONSTRATION GARDEN
Glen Rose Courthouse Square
Christmas decorations are down and our new arbor greets visitors at the sidewalk. If you have any spare time, our garden needs some tender, loving care. We have a lot of weeds and invasives, so if you have some time please come down and help weed and clean up.
JANUARY PLANTS
It’s easy to look around in the middle of winter and think everything is dormant; after all, deciduous trees, shrubs and other plants have all dropped their leaves and provided us with their typical winter look. We have some relief in our Live Oaks and Junipers, but if that’s what you think, you’re missing what’s really going on!
The key to January and February is to LOOK DOWN.
Go into any field or pasture and look at all the small forbs. These are our future wildflowers (and yes, some true weeds). Many of these wonderful plants come up in the fall and overwinter, and we’re not just talking about Bluebonnets. Here are some pictures from my extended “yard”, only about 50 to 200 feet from my house. So much more than Bluebonnets. And if you’ve been seeing a lot of deer browsing, these nutritious plants are what they’re eating. We’re not identifying these for you. Look for yourself – go out and look down. If you want to know what’s there, use iNaturalist or any of the other programs available. They aren’t always accurate for Texas, but they’re frequently going to get you the family and possible the general idea of what plant it is. Using that knowledge, you can go to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center and type in the family and plant and see what’s in Texas that matches. It’s a great way to learn new plants and learn what’s around you.
For those of you who haven’t learned the word forb yet: a forb is a herbaceous plant that is not a grass, especially one that grows in a field, prairie or meadow.
FEBRUARY MEETING
BLACKLAND PRAIRIE – THEN AND NOW
BY CAROL CLARK
Please mark your calendars and plan on joining us on February 22 for Carol Clark’s talk on the Blackland Prairie. She’ll explore the plant communities the settlers found when first arrived and contrast that with what is currently left.
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