Copy
Houston Native Prairies Association
Monthly Newsletter
Prairie News

Silkgrass (Pityopsis graminifolia) in seed
June 2018 Meeting Notes
 
Join us Wednesday, June 27 for a program,  "Cultivating Native Plants from Seed", presented by Wally Ward – 6:30 p.m., talk starts at 7:00 p.m., at the Red Cross Building at 2700 Southwest Freeway, easy access and free parking! Wally pp
Conoclinium coelestinum (Blue Mistflower) Seedlings
 
Wally Ward will present a program on native plant propagation.  Cultivating plants successfully from seed is something like law practice:  many times cases turn on the facts. An experimental frame of mind and information from experts can bring success, especially with native plants. Occasional crop failures are also a learning tool,  he shall be blunt about what can go wrong, too. Many desirable natives are difficult to obtain as mature plants, so some expertise and success with seeds can festoon a garden with nectar and host plants for butterflies, bees, moths and beetles plus hummingbirds. He shall review topics relating to soils, seed storage, seed sprouting and care of seedlings.

Wally was born in Atlanta and spent his first six years across the street from a creek valley and large park in the Collier Forest section of Atlanta, where he would see nuts and seeds sprouting all around. He also resided in Camp Hill, PA; Alexandria, VA; and Bartlesville, OK in addition to Houston. Frequent trips to California and Florida  introduced him to the flora of those areas as well. He learned to sprout “easy” seeds such as from zinnias, marigolds and the like to assist his mother’s highly successful flower-arranging activities with the National Capital Area Federation of Garden Clubs  including making flower arrangements for a dinner at the Ford White House during his family’s long tenure in the Washington, D.C., area. His non-botanical career included practicing law; serving as a commercial arbitrator; being employed as a gas-industry lobbyist; and being a public-affairs and an environmental-compliance manager in the oil patch.
 

We have a lot of fun things planned for this year! 
  • Pollinator Workshop, Wednesday June 20. Space is Limited.  Please register (Della_Barbato@TexasPrairie.org).
  • Invasive Species ID and Removal Workshop (co-hosted with CPP) on June 23  Registration is Open!
  • Moth week evening event at DPP on July 28, beginning at 8:00 p.m.
  • SAVE THE DATE and join us on our Fall Prairie Day, September 28, 2018.
    Wednesday, October 17 - SAVE THE DATE - Houston GREEN Film Series @ Rice Media Center, 6:30PM - 9PM. In lieu of an October HNPAT meeting, HNPAT joins CPP and CEC to present this film event.
  • 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.
  • Plus interesting programs every month! (See On the Calendar below)
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
 
May Members Only Event on the Prairie

 
In May we hosted our members at a beautiful evening on the prairie.  We sipped wine and had some snacks, while Wild Orchids of Texas author Joe Liggio shared fascinating tidbits about all of our amazing Texas orchids.  We were privileged to witness the prairie "put it's evening clothes on" and come alive around us as we walked the trails and enjoyed the view! from the observation deck.  An altogether lovely evening.  Be sure your membership is up-to-date so you won't miss out on any of our special members events

Photos of CNC at Deer Park Prairie

by HNPAT


               

 

City Nature Challenge (CNC) ended over a month ago. However, for completeness, we are blogging the result (scroll to the bottom) and showing some photos of CNC at Deer Park Prairie on our Spring Prairie Day.
 

 

Authors Visit Deer Park Prairie

Within eight days at the end of May two authors visited Deer Park Prairie! At our members day on May 19, Joe Liggio (center in photo below), author of Wild Orchids of Texas, talked about orchids in Texas. Then a week later, Michael Eason, author of Wildflowers of Texas and his dog, Ferdinand von Roemer, visited during our fourth Saturday workday.


      Pollinator Workshop
      Wednesday June 20, 2018
      6:00 pm — 8:00 pm
      Lawther-Deer Park Prairie Preserve
      1222 E. Purdue Lane, Deer Park

Space is Limited. Please register by emailing Della_Barbato@TexasPrairie.org
 
Please Join us for our Pollinator Workshop to enjoy the wildflowers and wildlife at Deer Park Prairie. Come see a land that looks much as it did in 1836, when the soldiers marched to San Jacinto.

Native Prairies Assoc. of Texas Director of Education Della Barbato
is at Deer Park Prairie!



 

We are thrilled to welcome Della to Lawther Deer Park Prairie!  Della was appointed NPAT’s Director of Education in April of 2018 for Lawther Deer Park Prairie and is hard at work developing an educational program including student activities, training teachers to teach the prairie and facilitate a partnership with local school districts, businesses and other NGO’s in the Greater Houston Area.  She is also developing grassland biome curriculum to include demonstration trunks and activities to be taken to local schools for presentation in classes.

Della has been dedicated to the Earth and its ecosystems for almost 20 years.  Since 2011 she has owned an environmental education business called Earth Voice where she facilitates tailored, entertaining, interactive programs to various audiences.  Her goal is to educate and motivate audiences to nurture a connection to their environment and community.

Della previously served as Education Director for two environmental non-profits, is a Master Naturalist and is a board trustee for the Citizens Environmental Coalition.  In 2014 Della was awarded a travel grant to Cambodia where she co-facilitated several zero waste and recycling workshops in a community-based ecotourism village. She is a former Montessori middle school science teacher and seed biology technician.

Della has a B.S. and M.S. in horticulture from Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, with a focus on seed physiology and enjoys being in nature, photography and bird watching.  Her greatest passion is travel and she has visited 26 countries.  Della can be reached at della_barbato@texasprairie.org.

Below are events Della is planning open to the public or teachers:

June 20 - Pollinator Workshop at DPP (flyer attached)
 
July 18 - Prairie 101 Teacher Workshop (flyer attached)
 
July 24 - Prairie 201 Teacher Workshop (Teachers have attended 101 and have working pocket prairies on campus, with KPC)
 
TMN Prairie Workshop - Sometime in October
 


June workdays for Deer Park Prairie are the 13th and the 30th. 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 June 30th 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.
On the Calendar

Houston Native Prairies Assoc. of Texas

June 20th - Pollinator Workshop
June 23rd - Invasive Species ID and Treatment Workshop at DPP (co-hosted by Coastal Prairie Partnership)
June 27th - Wally Ward will present a program on native plant propagation.

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

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 on the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of the month.  Call Mary Warwick at 409-770-0722 to let her know you will be there.

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.  

Upcoming HNPAT Programs

  • July 25 – Moths by Stuart Marcus,  Trinity River National Wildlife Refuge Manager
  • August 29 – Whooping Crane Conservation by Dr. Wade Harrell, Aransas NWR Whooping Crane Coordinator
  • September 26 – TEAM (Texas Ecosystem Analytical Mapper) Project by Amie Treuer-Kuehn, TPWD
  • October 17 – Wild About Houston Film Festival at Rice University
  • November 28 - Prairie Stampede
     
https://houstonprairie.org/2018/06/08/2018-moth-week/national-moth-week/
Stuart Marcus, Trinity River National Wildlife Refuge Manager, will be giving a talk on moths on Wed., July 25 at the HNPAT meeting.
Moth Night on the Prairie will be 8:00 PM - 10:00 PM on Sat., July 28.
There will be a walk on the prairie while it is still light and cooler.
Moth Night proper will start, when it gets dark enough, probably around 9 PM.
Katy Emde & John Schneider will set up black (UV) light and sheet to attract night insects.
Our Prairie Partners


unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences 

 






This email was sent to <<Email Address>>
why did I get this?    unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences
Houston Chapter of Native Prairies Association of Texas · c/o NPAT · 415 N. Guadalupe St. PMB 385 · San Marcos, TX 78666 · USA

Email Marketing Powered by Mailchimp