Houston Native Prairies Association Monthly Newsletter
Please join us in exploring, restoring, enjoying, conserving, and learning about our local prairies!
In lieu of an October HNPAT meeting, HNPAT joins CPP and CEC to present the Wild About Houston Film Festival on October 17 We hope to see you at Rice University for this film event!
We have a lot of fun things planned for this year!
Costal Prairie Partnership - 2018 PRAIRIES & POLLINATORS: A REGIONAL CELEBRATION, September 22, 2018 - November 10, 2018
Friday, October 19 - Prairie Restoration Roundup
@ Texas City Prairie Preserve - Join Houston's most skilled prairie experts for presentations about the challenges and opportunities for prairie restorations both in rural and suburban contexts
Saturday, October 27 - Urban Pocket Prairies by Light Rail - Join Jaime González, of the Coastal Prairie Partnership, on an inner city adventure as we visit several current and future urban pocket prairies in the heart of the city - including the Texas Medical Center and Rice University. We'll travel between stops by METRO light rail. Hiking is required for this field trip.
Saturday, November 3 - Seaborne Creek Nature Fest in Rosenberg (Texas Master Naturalist/Coastal Prairie Chapter) - Join the Texas Master Naturalists - Coastal Prairie Chapter for an exciting day of activities, speakers, wagon rides, and hikes celebrating our native prairies. Click here for more information.
Wednesday, November 28 - SAVE THE DATE - Prairie Stampede at Houston Zoo. Annual awards presentation and gathering of the coastal prairie community. A HNPAT & CPP event.
HNPAT is on Facebook! Like us to get updates on our activities. We're also on MeetUp. We have a MeetUp for our monthly meetings and one for our Deer Park Prairie workdays. Join our MeetUps for reminders about our activities! Sign up
This year’s Fall Prairie Day on September 29 was essentially cancelled due to weather. The official events such as lunch, insect tent, etc. were cancelled during mid-week due to predictions of inclement weather. Some volunteers were still planning to continue with their activities such as Pat Merkord’s transects, Damien Carey’s bird survey, Glenn Merkord’s workday, NPSOTH field trip, and of course the indoor “PrairiePlants for Pollinators in Urban Gardens” talk at the La Porte Library.
However, there were four hardy souls eager for a tour! They had rain boots and rain gear. Since it was only lightly raining, we set out. Two of them are experience foragers and wanted to know what prairie plants are edible. That stumped me beyond the common dewberry and boneset, which is blooming now (Late flowering boneset (Eupatorium serotinum) was used by Native Americans and early settlers as an herbal medicine to relieve the symptoms of dengue fever, an illness that cause such severe muscle spasms that the bones felt like they were breaking). They were happy to collect seeds. One of them took pictures and some seeds. Another was comparing plants of DPP with the ones in the natural area that he manages in Dallas.
Our 2018 appeal was a success! Thank you!
Thanks to all who donated to HNPAT’s (Houston Chapter – Native Prairies Association of Texas) September Fundraiser! This fundraiser is in lieu of a silent auction fundraiser, which we have had at the past two Prairie Stampedes.
The monies raised will support us for 2019: for meeting facility, for speakers fees and travel expenses, for special events such as Prairie Days at Deer Park Prairie, moth night, and members’ event. Special thanks to Glenn Merkord and Frank Ohrt and others who reduce our meeting expenses by bringing food to the meetings and to Mark and Drea Morgenstern who donated prairie plants for the meeting attendees.
Although the official fundraiser is over, we take donations throughout the year! To donate to HNPAT (your Houston Chapter), go to this link, scroll down to the “Make a Donation” box, write in the amount, and then in the “Comment” box write “This donation is for the Houston Chapter – HNPAT“. Or you may bring your donation check to the meeting and give it to either Hazel Potvin, our treasurer, or Mary Waters, our president. If writing a check, please write “For HNPAT” on the memo line.
Here an event Della Barbato, NPAT’s Director of Education for Lawther Deer Park Prairie (della_barbato@texasprairie.org), is planning:
Texas Master Naturalist Prairie Workshop - October 20, 9:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Octoberworkdays for Deer Park Prairie are the 10th and the 27th. RSVP to Glenn@merkord.com or call Glenn at 936-827-7978 or Lan Shen at shen.gcmn@gmail.com. Please check the DPP Calendar, for last minute changes. Address of the house on the prairie is 1222 E. Purdue Lane, Deer Park 77536. Please do not park along the curb, directly in front of our neighbors’ houses. You are welcome to just show up at 9:00 a.m. on the workday, but we do notify RSVP recipients about scheduling changes.
The monthly bird survey is scheduled to take place on October 27th at 7:30 a.m. Come join Damien Carey for the survey and learn about the bird life we have at DPP! Please contact Lan Shen for more information on the bird survey and to verify date.
Please wear closed-toed shoes and long pants. Sunscreen, hat, insect repellent, long-sleeved shirt and water are recommended. Visitors must sign a liability release before going on the prairie. Liability releases can be downloaded at https://houstonprairie.org/visit-dpp/
Tour Deer Park Prairie! We'd love to show you around this gem of an urban prairie. Please email HNPAT@TexasPrairie.org for more information.
The Katy Prairie Conservancy has organized several seed collecting trips this fall, some to prairies not usually open to the public. All are welcome to participate. Take a look and sign up!
Fall 2018 Seed Collecting Schedule
Hi Seed Collectors,
Fall is the major seed collecting season for our coastal tallgrass prairie. Trips have been scheduled to collect at some of the best local prairies, so join us to enjoy a morning outdoors with fellow conservationists, learn from prairie experts, and help prairie habitats with your volunteerism.
Time: 9:00 a.m. - noon. Meet at Nash Prairie. Park on County Rd 255 (Orozimbo Rd.) and walk across the street to the prairie. We will meet at the start of the gravel road - the red marker on this map.
Join us for a weekend seed collecting opportunity. Time: 9:00 a.m. - noon. Meet at Nash Prairie. Park on County Rd 255 (Orozimbo Rd.) and walk across the street to the prairie. We will meet at the start of the gravel road - the red marker on this map.
At Bulb Mart on Friday, Saturday, October 12-13, Houston gardeners can buy a flat of 9 LOCAL native plants. From Doris Heard, Garden Club of Houston Member: "There are 18 plants [in 4-inch pots] in each flat and two of each species. So far we have put together 50 flats. There is some slight variation in [the] flats. I think they are going to be priced at $35.00 per flat."
These easy to grow native plants can be tucked into the existing garden and will benefit our native and migratory wildlife - the butterflies, birds, bees, and more.
Prairie Restoration Roundup, Prairie Plantings, and Pollinator Bioblitz highlight Prairies & Pollinators: A Regional Celebration!
Each fall our prairie partners in Greater Houston host a wonderful series of events
focused on prairies and pollinators. These events include inspiring public prairie plantings, restoration workshops and skills building classes, nature festivals, a bioblitz, prairie hikes, urban pocket prairie tours, monarch butterfly celebrations, film nights, and more! We call this collective offering Prairies & Pollinators: A Regional Celebration.
This year's Prairies & Pollinators events will run from September 22-November 10, 2018. If you'd like full details and registration links to all of the these events please visit this webpage for more information.
Here is just a small sampling of all of the events:
October 5 to 22 - Texas Pollinator Bioblitz (across Texas) - Help count and document our region's rich pollinator community using the iNaturalist app.
October 8 - Seed Collect @ UH Coastal
Center - Join Lan Shen to collect prairie seeds for a variety of projects and keep some for your home garden.
October 19 - Prairie Restoration Roundup @ Texas City Prairie Preserve - Join the region's best prairie restorationists to learn cutting edge prairie restoration and research techniques.
October 20 - Prairie Pandemonium @ Armand Bayou Nature Center - Participate in the oldest public prairie planting in the region.
November 3 - Prairie Planting at Robert C. Stuart Park (Houston Parks)- Help Houston Parks & Recreation build more prairie habitat in city parks.
November 10 - Putting Down Roots @ KPC's Indiangrass Preserve - Help KPC restore the Flat Out Wonderful Indiangrass Preserve.
Video of the Month
Understanding Prairie Ecology:
Field Studies at the UH Coastal Center
Dr. Stephen Pennings, of the University of Houston, discusses the pioneering research happening at the Texas Institute for Coastal Prairie Research and Education, oftentimes called the UH Coastal Center.
This site is one of the last and best remaining "platinum" prairies in the Greater Houston region. There is a new restoration effort at the Institute working to control Chinese tallow and open up more prairie for mowing and burning.
On the Calendar
Upcoming HNPAT Monthly Programs
October 17 – Wild About Houston Film Festival at Rice University
November 28 - Prairie Stampede
Prairie Workdays
Armand Bayou Prairie Fridays
Join the volunteer team at Armand Bayou Nature Center every Friday from 8:30 a.m. until noon for stewardship work. Check their website at www.abnc.org to become a registered volunteer.
Artist Boat Coastal Heritage Preserve Workday
September 20, 2018 at 9:00 am – 12:00 pm Artist Boat hosts monthly Open Workdays at the Coastal Heritage Preserve where interested volunteers can come out and help restore the native coastal prairie ecosystem. Workday tasks include planting native grasses, treating and removing invasive species, and more! Come to a volunteer work day & make your mark on the Coastal Heritage Preserve! From 9am-12pm.
Katy Prairie Conservancy
Volunteer days every Tuesday, Friday and Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Indiangrass Preserve, 31950 Hebert Rd, Waller, TX 77484. Work in the native plant nursery, participate in prairie restoration projects - there's always lots to do at Katy Prairie! Contact Allen Brymer for more information.
Sheldon Lake Prairie Restoration
Volunteer days every Tuesday morning from 8:00 a.m. - noon, 14140 Garrett Road. Contact John Egan for more information. Sheldon Lake also hosts a regular wetland restoration volunteer day every Wednesday morning from 9:00 a.m. - noon. Contact John Egan for that one too!
Texas City Prairie Preserve
Looking for a way to get your hands dirty and get back to nature? Become a Nature Conservancy volunteer! We’ve established a robust volunteer program at our Texas City Prairie Preserve, a 2,300-acre expanse of coastal prairie and marshland just south of Houston. Established in 1995, the preserve provides vital habitat for more than 280 different bird species. Its coastal grasslands also act as natural buffers during storms and hurricanes, absorbing and dispersing water from storm surges and floods, making Texas City Prairie a critical component of the Conservancy’s ongoing effort to restore and protect the Gulf Coast.
We're hosting volunteers the second Friday of every month, and welcome eager volunteers of every background and ability level. Work days will include a variety of opportunities, from removing invasive species and harvesting native seeds to planting marsh grasses and tending the butterfly garden.
Volunteers should wear jeans, closed-toe shoes, a long-sleeved shirt and hat. Please bring a refillable water bottle and work gloves (if you have them); the Conservancy will provide tools, gloves, sunscreen, water and snacks.
If you have questions or would like more information, please contact Adriane Arnold at adriane.arnold@tnc.org or (409) 941-9114.
