Healing hands help heal the land
By Christine Powell
John Muir said, “When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world.” We saw that in Central Texas following the devastating wildfires in early September. The severity of the disaster was in part due to ignoring this principle and allowing the decay of a native ecosystem and creating higher risks of fire. read more »
Mexican plum
By Bill Hopkins
The blooms of Mexican plum or Prunus mexicana are sometimes described as “cherry blossoms” which makes sense because Mexican plums are in the same genus as cherry trees. read more »
Surviving the drought
By Marilyn Sallee
The extreme drought and heat of 2011 did a number on the landscape – record heat, record number of 100+ days, minimal rainwater. But native plants have good coping skills. We need to see their world through their eyes to know just how bad, or good, it was. read more »
Rising from the ashes
By David Mahler
Looking at photos depicting vast areas of the Bastrop State Park pines charred to the ground and covered in a white ash evoked sadness, as well as green scented images from long hikes through the pines over my last 40+ years in central Texas. Are the pines gone? Is Bastrop State Park changed forever? read more »
