Author: NPSOT-Wilco

Posted on

Field Trip: Godwin Ranch Preserve Plant Survey, Saturday, February 22, 2025

— by Cindy Chrisler

  • What:    Plant survey and tour of the Godwin Ranch Preserve
  • When:  1:00 PM to 3:00 PM, Saturday, February 22, 2025
  • Where:  Near the corner of DB Wood Road and Williams Drive in Georgetown. 
  • Members and non-members are welcome! No RSVP is required.

Join NPSOT members on the first of four scheduled plant surveys at the Godwin Ranch Preserve in Georgetown.  This 100 acre preserve is a mitigation for the construction of Lakeline Mall in Austin and will not be developed.

Park at the CVS Pharmacy and walk east along Williams Drive to the gated entrance (a quarter mile or less).  There will be a NPSOT sign at the gate.  If walking that distance is a problem, you may be dropped off at the gate but there is no parking along Williams Drive or in the preserve. 

There are no restrooms or water, so please plan accordingly. Bring your own water and snacks. 

Depending on the number of people who show up, we will take a walk around a mostly flat mowed path for about a mile and a half. There are some rocks and stumps that may pose a trip hazard, and walking sticks are recommended.  If time allows we may break up into groups to survey different habitats within the preserve. 

You may put observations on iNaturalist but please obscure any rare plants.  In addition to plants, you will see several species of birds.

If you have questions, please contact the Field Trip Committee (contact form here).

————–
See photos from some of our previous field trips in our Field Trip Album.

Field Trip Album

Posted on

February 13 Chapter Meeting: “The Tree Collectors: Tales of Arboreal Obsession” with Amy Stewart

Join NPSOT-Williamson County on Thursday, February 13, 2025, when our featured topic will be “The Tree Collectors: Tales of Arboreal Obsession” with NYT best-selling author Amy Stewart.  Free and open to the public. The meeting begins at 7:00 PM.  The guest presentation begins after a short business meeting.

  • Please note:
    • Our guest speaker will be joining via Zoom.
    • This month’s presentation will NOT be recorded for YouTube*.

==> This month’s in-person location is the Georgetown Public Library, 2nd floor, 402 West 8th St, Georgetown, TX 78626. Come early (6:30 PM) for expert advice, to check out the seed swap board, or just to visit.

==> To attend via Zoom, register at https://npsot-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/A_RDWrA4Qr2WIFIDHNRSiw#/registration

book cover

About our topic:  When Amy Stewart discovered a community of tree collectors, she expected to meet horticultural fanatics driven to plant every species of oak or maple. But she also discovered that the urge to collect trees springs from something deeper and more profound: a longing for community, a vision for the future, or a path to healing and reconciliation.

In this 45-minute talk, Amy introduces audiences to several of the remarkable people she met from around the world whose lives were transformed by their relationships to trees. Accompanied by her own hand-drawn illustrations of people and their trees, this talk inspires audiences to reconsider their own connections to trees – and maybe start a collection!

About our speaker: Amy Stewart is the New York Times best-selling author of fourteen books, including The Tree Collectors, The Drunken Botanist, Wicked Plants, and several other popular nonfiction titles about the natural world. She lives in Portland, Oregon.

photo of author
Photo credit Scott Brown

At every meeting, we give away a book — about native plants or the meeting topic — to one randomly chosen in-person attendee!

* If we have permission from our guest speaker, we record the presentation for our YouTube channel. (See a list of past topics at this link.)

Have an idea for a speaker?  Let Program Leader Susie Hickman know via  email to [email protected].

NPSOT-Williamson County meetings are free and open to the public. We hope you attend!  Meetings may be in person, virtual, or both, so be sure to check details in the meeting announcement. Meetings are announced on our website, our calendar and Facebook. See upcoming topics on our page Wilco Home or on our Calendar.

Posted on

Field Trip: Native Texas Nursery, Wednesday, February 5, 2025

— by Kathy Galloway

logo
  • What:    Tour Native Texas Nursery (wholesale only, not open to the public)
  • When:  9:45 AM – 12:00 PM on Wednesday, February 5, 2025
  • Where:  Native Texas Nursery, 16019 Milo Road, Austin, Texas, but we will meet first — at 9:45 AM — to carpool. We’ll meet at the Quick Trip at the intersection of Texas 130 and Webberville Rd (FM 969)
  • Members and non-members are welcome! No RSVP is required.

We are thrilled to announce an upcoming field trip to Native Texas Nursery.  The nursery is not open to the public, which makes this tour an exclusive opportunity.  On our visit, we will be given a tour of the nursery where we will learn about various native species they grow and the techniques they use to cultivate them. 

We will meet at 9:45 AM at the Quick Trip located at the intersection of TX 130 and Webberville Rd (FM 969) to carpool to the nursery, because of limited parking and unpaved drive to the nursery.

Remember, this is about a 35-mile drive from Georgetown so plan accordingly to arrive on time.  The most efficient route is TX 130 to Exit 444 then left on Webberville Rd (FM 969).

map

The Quick Trip is at the northeast corner of Texas 130 and Webberville Rd (FM 969).  

We look forward to seeing you on February 5 for what promises to be an enjoyable field trip to Native Texas Nursery.   You are invited to join some of the participants for lunch following the field trip.

If you have questions, please contact the Field Trip Committee (contact form here).

————–
See photos from some of our previous field trips in our Field Trip Album.

Field Trip Album