Author: NPSOT-Wilco

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September 10 Chapter Meeting: “Making Sense of Horticultural Jargon (and how it affects your plant choices)” with Carol Clark @ RR’s Bob Bennett Utility & Transportation Building

Join NPSOT-Williamson County on Thursday, September 10, 2026, when our featured topic will be “Making Sense of Horticultural Jargon (and how it affects your plant choices)” with Carol Clark. Free and open to the public. The meeting begins at 7:00 PM.  The guest presentation begins after a short business meeting.

The video recording of this month’s presentation will be available on our YouTube channel for 60 days after the video is published. We’ll post a blog announcement when the video is available.

About our topic: Ever wonder what some of those commonly used horticultural terms like “cultivar” really mean? Or witnessed an internet argument where you’re pretty sure people aren’t all defining a plant word the same way? This talk seeks to demystify some of the words that get used, and used poorly. Understanding the meaning of horticultural terms can also affect your plant choices and inform your plant wish list. We’ll use familiar examples to illustrate the concepts.

About our speaker: Carol Clark is an amateur botany enthusiast, a Texas Master Naturalist, Monarch Watch Conservation Specialist, and longtime member of the Native Plant Society of Texas. She and her husband own and operate Clark Haven, a wildlife preserve and custom wildflower seed business in Cooke County.

==> This month’s in-person location is new for our chapter! We’re at Round Rock’s Bob Bennett Utility & Transportation Building, 3400 Sunrise Rd, Round Rock, TX 78665.  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/s95I2lKfS4S4ytOWIaUkAA#/registration

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 wilco-chapter@npsot.org.

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 Home page or on the Calendar.

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Field Trip: Maidenhair Bimble @ Fern Bluff, Sep 26

— by Gary Bowers

  • What:    Maidenhair Bimble @ Fern Bluff (Great Oaks and Brushy Creek Road intersection under the bridge)
  • When:   Saturday, Sep 26, 2026, 9am – 11:00am
  • Where:  Brushy Creek Trail Segment, Round Rock
    •  Meet under the bridge at the public parking lot at the intersection of Great Oaks Drive, Brushy Creek Rd, and Hairy Man Road (Apple Maps or Google Maps).
    • See the map below.

Join us for this easy-going walk! We’ll wander east along the Brushy Creek trail alongside Hairy Man Road and stop to discuss native plants. As a bonus, you’ll learn the about the legend of the Hairy Man as well as why the area is called “Fern Bluff.” We will be walking off trail in several areas with uneven terrain.

Come dressed appropriately for the weather, bring your own water, bug spray, sunscreen, hat, walking stick, etc.  Open to the public!

map

Questions about the trip? Please contact the Field Trip Committee (contact form here).

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Trip Report: July 12’s Progressive Field Trip

— by Nancy Pumphrey

Eighteen people joined us for the Progressive Field Trip on Sunday, July 12, 2026.

group of people
Pollinator Garden at Williamson County Landfill. Photo credit: Nancy Pumphrey.

We started at the Williamson County Landfill Pollinator Garden in Hutto. We go out there on Sundays when the landfill is closed so no big trucks are zooming around. The day of the field trip, the garden was full of butterflies enjoying the Gregg’s mistflower. Grasses and sunflowers and lantana were blooming. Gary Bowers and the Wacky Weeders have done a great job tending the garden and keeping the plants looking good. We were visited by Sherrell Cordas, the Community Relations Manager for Waste Management. Waste Management presented the garden with a Wildlife Habitat Council (WHC) Certificate and also donated money for the garden this year. And even though July is not the best time to view the landfill garden we could see all the good work that has taken place.

blooming wildflower
Williamson County Landfill Pollinator Garden. Photo credit: Gary Bowers.

Our next stop was the garden in Murphy Park in Taylor — lots to look at as we walked around. The garden is a Monarch Waystation, with its restoration fueled by a grant from Bring Back the Monarchs.  We enjoyed seeing butterflies and bees on the plants. We noted the care taken to trim the pecan tree that has volunteered there. The garden is near the park’s pond which also sports an egret rookery. Some native sabal palms grow nearby in the park. Leland Haefner and his crew of volunteers have done a fantastic job stewarding this garden back to life.  The Taylor Parks and Rec department added the fencing and repaired the irrigation system so new plantings were protected as baby plants. The switch grass was impressive but will now need to be moved to a new location as the grasses are blocking the view.

egrets
Murphy Park. Photo credit: Frances Fortanely.

Our last stop was Plowman’s Kitchen in Taylor for a well deserved hydration and lunch break. This was a great outing, especially considering the heat!

We welcome all volunteers who might want to get involved in the upkeep and maintenance of either garden. Send an email to wilco-chapter@npsot.org for more information.

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See photos from this trip and many other field trips in our album =>

Field Trip Photo Album