Join / Renew / Gift Donate Shop Member Portal Language
Search
npsot_bluebonnet_full_color

Native Plant Society of Texas

Search
Close this search box.

Prairie Rose Chapter

MARCH 2022 NEWSLETTER

**ARCHIVED POST **

Please Mark your Calendar!

Our Spring Garden sale is scheduled for April 16, 2022 from 9 to 2

March 2022 Newsletter

After the dormancy of winter, March is our month of “re-birth”.  As we enter into spring on March 20, our plants come back to life, and most of us are eagerly awaiting them.  March is the time to prune your natives, particularly if you left the stalks and stems over the winter.  Plants such as Blue Mistflower and Turk’s Cap should be clipped to the ground as they both come up from their roots every year.  Plants such as Flame Acanthus should be pruned back as much as one-third to one-half, depending on your plant.

Look for some of our early spring plants as you’ll begin to see green appearing.  Keep on eye out for some of our early bloomers such as the Ten Petal Anemones.

 

We hope you’ll join us at the Acton Nature Center for Featherfest.

Instead of our March meeting, we will have a booth at the Acton Nature Center on March 26. It will be a fun day for everyone. We still need volunteers to help staff our booth and assist Sandra & Bob Reed in helping the kids make seed balls.  Seed ball times are 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Please click on the sign-up link below. The more who are able to sign up the better; we can always use extra help.  Whether you’ve been before or this is your first time, the Acton Nature Center is a great park with good nature trails

Click here to volunteer

Please join us for the 5th annual Feather Fest a celebration of birds and spring and welcoming the wildflower season.

Acton Nature Center
6900 Smoky Hill Ct.
(817) 326-6005.

Activities FREE to All!    
Live raptors!
Wildflower walks by Dr. Billy Teels 10:30 & 12:30
Crafts for children
Seed ball crafting 11:00 and 1:00
Educational booths

For more information on the Rio Brazos Master Naturalists https://txmn.org/rbc/

Directions to Acton, Texas on Lake Granbury and neighboring Granbury.
The Acton Nature Center street address is 6900 Smoky Hill Ct., Granbury, TX 76049.(817) 326-6005.

Click For Map >

 

Spring Migration 2022: How You Can Help Migrating Birds

Please turn out all non-essential lights from 11 pm – 6 am every night from March 1 to June 15, especially during the peak migration period of April 22 – May 12.

For more Information Click Here

HISTORY of Lights Out Texas

This effort was originally launched in 2017 by Houston Audubon and American National Insurance Company following a major bird collision event involving 400 birds in Galveston. Right around this time, Cornell Lab of Ornithology developed their BirdCast migration forecast maps using historical radar data. Later, Lights Out Texas took hold in Dallas-Fort Worth, led by Texas Conservation Alliance, The Perot Museum of Nature and Science, and Dallas Zoo. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Colorado State University supported these efforts and Texan by Nature helped with outreach in fall 2020. In 2021, Texan by Nature (TxN) collaborated with these organizations to lead Lights Out Texas at the statewide level in order to standardize the approach to messaging, communication, and volunteer efforts across all Texas organizations.

from https://texanbynature.org/projects/lights-out-texas/

Keep Your Eyes Peeled, Thousands Of Hummingbirds Are Headed Right For Texas 
Click above for article posted in Texas Nature February 14, 2022 by Katie Lawrence with maps

The Hummers are on their way. Are you prepared? Its a seasonal occurrence! Most Ruby-throated Hummingbirds arrive in Texas between mid-March and mid-May and breed from early April to early September. These birds depart for their wintering grounds from late July to mid-November.

Directions for making safe hummingbird food:

  • Mix 1 part sugar with 4 parts water (for example, 1 cup of sugar with 4 cups of water) until the sugar is dissolved.
  • Do not add red dye.
  • Fill your hummingbird feeders with the sugar water and place outside.
  • Extra sugar water can be stored in a refrigerator.

Plants that Attract Hummingbirds to Your Texas Garden…

  • Hummingbird Bush (Hamelia) …
  • Salvia. …
  • Trumpet Vine. …
  • Cuphea. …
  • Butterfly Weed. …
  • Lantana.

Ruby Throated Hummingbird  from All About Birds

 

 

 

**ARCHIVED POST**

**ARCHIVED POST LINKS & PICTURES MAY NOT WORK**

**ARCHIVED POST AUTHOR: prairierose

Receive the latest native plant news

Subscribe To Our News

Subscribe to emails from the Native Plant Society of Texas.

Receive emails when new posts are added 4-6 times per month, or receive an email once a month.

Subscribe

Or join us on social media

Facebook Youtube Instagram Camera

About the Region

New Braunfels, the location of our Fall 2024 Symposium, straddles both the Edwards Plateau Ecoregion and the Blackland Prairie ecoregion. Interstate 35 divides the city of New Braunfels; its path through the city closely parallels the boundary of these two ecoregions, with the Edwards Plateau on the west side and the Blackland Prairies region to the east. The Edwards Plateau area is also called the Hill Country; however, this general term covers a much larger area extending farther north. Spring-fed creeks are found throughout the region; deep limestone canyons, rivers, and lakes (reservoirs) are common. Ashe juniper is perhaps the most common woody species found throughout the region. Additional woody species include various species of oak, with live oak (Quercus fusiformis) being the most common. Sycamores (Platanus occidentalis) and bald cypress (Taxodium distichum) border waterways. This area is well known for its spring wildflower displays, though they may be viewed in spring, late summer, and fall, as well. According to Texas Parks and Wildlife, average annual rainfall in the Edwards Plateau ranges from 15 to 34 inches.

The Blackland Prairie extends from the Red River south to San Antonio, bordered on the west by the Edwards Plateau and the Cross Timbers, and on the east by the Post Oak Savannah. Annual rainfall averages 30 to 40 inches, with higher averages to the east. This region is dominated by prairie species. The most common grass species include little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) and Indian grass (Sorghastrum nutans) in the uplands and switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) in the riparian areas and drainages. Common herbaceous flowering plants include salvias, penstemons, and silphiums. This area has suffered greatly from overgrazing and agricultural use. Few intact areas remain, though many of the plants can be found along county roadsides throughout the region.

Our four host chapters (New Braunfels, Lindheimer, Guadalupe, and the Hill Country chapters) are located in one or both of the ecoregions above. However, the eastern portion of Guadalupe County also falls within the Post Oak Savanna ecoregion. Annual rainfall averages 35 to 45 inches, with higher averages to the east. A wide variety of hardwood trees are found, including several species of oaks, elms, and in the Bastrop area, loblolly pine (Pinus taeda). Grasses and forbs dominate in the open savannas, with most common grass being little bluestem. Ranching, agriculture, and fire suppression have allowed woody species to encroach on the once-open savannas.

Source: Wildflowers of Texas by Michael Eason