Roger was Director of Horticulture at the Texas Discovery Gardens for over 7 years and was the Director of Botanical Gardens /Wildlife Biologist at the Heard Natural Science Museum for the prior 11 years.
Usually known as “the Snake Man” by local youths, he has been doing snake programs for Boy Scouts for almost 25 years and taught the Reptile Study Merit Badge at several Boy Scout National Jamborees in Virginia. He also taught the Herpetology section of the Master Naturalist program for several chapters for almost 20 years.
His huge live, native Texas snake collection was one of the best in the state and was used to create the Heard’s widely acclaimed Rat Snakes to Rattlers exhibit and the following exhibit Venomous Snakes of Texas.
Both Roger and his wife are active birders, traveling widely to view new or unusual species. In 2007 and 2008 they were selected to be part of the Cornell University search team for the Ivory Bill Woodpecker in Arkansas. For many years Roger was on the board and was Christmas Bird Count Compiler for the Prairie & Timbers Audubon Society and past-president of the Texas Herpetological Society. He and his wife are also active members of the Dallas Paleontology Society. Insects, too, are a favorite subject! He has been collecting butterflies and moths since the third grade and did research on gall insects at Texas A & M.
Despite his vast background in animals, Roger’s greatest expertise is in plants. From 1976 to 1982 he was Assistant Director at Texas Discovery Gardens until forming his own landscape company which he still operates part-time.
A specialist on Pollinator Gardens, he has not only created a huge Butterfly Garden and Hummingbird Garden of national acclaim at Texas Discovery Gardens. He has created noteworthy pollinator gardens at the Heard Museum, the Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge, the Dallas Mayor’s Pollinator Garden, and for numerous schools throughout the DFW area. Roger had a weekly column for several years in the Dallas Morning News on plants and gardening and continues to write articles about nature in several publications.
