News and Upcoming Events
Be sure to check the chapter Website for last minute meeting and event cancellations due to inclement weather or other circumstances.
March Meeting - Tuesday, March 30 - Steve Nelle
"Riparian Plants - the Key to Healthy Creeks and Rivers"
See "Meetings" above for more information on the program.
We do not hold a meeting in November.
- The holiday party takes the place of the December chapter meeting. Check back here for dates, times, and details.
Members' Classes
Mark your calendar for the upcoming Member Class: Seed Gleaning 101. Barbara Lowenthal will share her expertise on seed gleaning Wednesday, March 17, from 10 AM util noon, at the Gillespie County Agricultural Bldg at 95 Frederick Road. Hopefully, the winter rains will produce an abundance of seed to glean, so come and learn how to harvest your share. Call Joyce Studer 830-685-3071 for more information.
Field Trips
The chapter is planning several field trips this year. As soon as dates are confirmed we will post them here. So far we are considering trips to
- Spring Creek (Kendall County) - Monday, May 20
Spring Creek is on private land. It consists of a trail along a limestone bluff overlooking an perennial creek. The creek bottom is accessible and has hardwoods and cypress, with ferns growing from the limestone bluff. The property includes 1,200 feet of creek, both running and pooled.
We will probably be able to access Spring Creek Cave ,which feeds Spring Creek. There is at least one interesting plant on the upper portion of the property. There are about 5 Heller's Marbleseed plants (in Enquist). They may still be blooming May. There are also Chatterbox orchids, Canyon mock orange, and a Sycamore-leaf snowbells.
Contact Jane Crone or Stephanie Sutton for more detail. Check back here for details, as they become available.
New Plant List Now Available
The chapter has a new plant list, Recommended Native & Adapted Plants for Hill Country Landscapes. The old list, generated by John Lipe over 15 years ago, badly needed updating. The old list is the one that AgriLife Extension offered on its "pamphlet wall" at their office on Frederick Road for many, many years. The new list is more comprehensive and provides more information and facts about each of the recommended species. The list is available in the form of both an MS Excel spreadsheet and an Adobe PDF.
The current revision of the new list is the first to "go public." We will make a NPSOT-entitled version of this revision available at the NPSOT booth for the 2009 Gillespie County Fair. Please look over the list for accuaracy and make suggestions you think might make the list more helpful. (Be aware, though, if you want to add your favorite plant, the committee responsible for the new list attempted to keep the list to one page, back and front. This required a lot of discussion and some judicious pruning.)
The chapter will offer a separate version of the list, entitled to show joint sponsorship, to the Gillespie County AgriLife Extension office once any errors shake out of this first revision.