Prairie Rose Chapter

Monday’s Meeting, Feb 25, 2019. Randy Johnson aka Organic Randy

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FEBRUARY MEETING

Why are we excited about this plant?
Come to the meeting and find out!
Cliff Brake Fern…Pellaea atropureae

 

Are your seeps running?  Have any perpetually wet or boggy spots on your property?  Have poor drainage?  Randy Johnson aka Organic Randy, will speak to us about dealing with damp soils and seeps at our Monday Meeting, February 25th at 6 p.m. at the Citizen’s Center (209 SW Barnard St).  Randy is well known in the area as an organic, native plant enthusiast.  He owns a nursery that specializes in locally grown natives that are as close as possible to those that grow in the wild.  Many of these plants are from local seeds, hand collected from the wild.

There was interest during our January meeting to purchase plants.  Randy will bring plants with him, available for purchase.  If you’d like to purchase larger quantities of any of these plants, you can order additional plants from Randy after the meeting.  Our plan is to include a plant list with the meeting reminder notice later this month.

 

On Tuesday, February 26th, at 10 a.m. Randy will lead a field trip at High Hope Ranch to look at seeps and damp soil areas.  High Hope Ranch is located at 3353 CR 2009, Glen Rose.

Whether you order plants or not, come learn from Randy about how and what to plant in your moist areas.

WORK Days

Small Flower… Baby Blue Eyes  Nemophila aphylla Hydrophyllaceae (Waterleaf family)

Thanks to everyone who worked in our native plant garden on February 2.  If you have a chance, drive by see how good it looks.  Also take a moment to look at a beautiful little plant that’s already blooming. . .and the bees love it!

 

 

March and April are busy growing seasons, so we’ll have two works days, the first and the third Saturday, 8:30-10:30 a.m.  Please come help if you can – you never know what you’re going to find in our little garden.

UPCOMING ACTIVITIES

Let’s get outside!  In March, April, May and June we will be conducting outdoor events instead of indoor presentations.

MARCH:    Feather Fest, March 23, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., Action Nature Center, close to Granbury. Feather Fest features crafts for children, bird/wildflower/nature walks, live raptors and presentations on birding.  We’ll be staffing a booth and need your help to do this.  We will provide the materials for and expert assistance            for kids to make native plant seed balls which they can take home and “plant”.

Seed ball demonstrations are at 11 and 2.  We need two shifts of volunteers: one shift to set up and staff our table(s) from 8 – noon, and one shift to staff our table(s) and tear down from noon to 3 p.m.   Please contact Marcia Miller at 817-929-5510 or 254-823-6669 to volunteer.

The Acton Nature Center is located at the END of Smoky Hill Court in Acton Texas. It’s a 74 acre refuge with 7 miles of hike/bike trails.  Admission is always free. Come enjoy the day with us and get to know the Nature Center too.

T-shirts:  Feather Fest t-shirts are available.  Most of us working will order and wear them, but it isn’t required.  If you’re interested, t-shirts must be ordered by February 21st. Contact Sara Paulsen (Rio Brazos Master Naturalist) at  spaulsen54@gmail.com.

Cost is:

Short sleeve S-XL    $8.00        Short Sleeve XX    $10.00

Long sleeve S-XL    $10.00       Long sleeve XX     $12.00

Color Options:  Orange, Maroon or Purple

Be sure and tell her you’re with the Prairie Rose Chapter of the Native Plant Society of Texas.  Our treasurer, Bonnie Colgin, will pay and pick up the shirts and you can reimburse her.

APRIL:  Native Plant Sale, Saturday, April 20, next to our native plant garden on the courthouse square, Glen Rose, Texas.  Donna Hagar will present a short program on native plants for shady areas.  More information to follow.

MAY & JUNE:  Walks/tours to see native plants in the wild.  More details will be provided later.

 

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**ARCHIVED POST AUTHOR: prairierose

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