Blog – Page 143 – NPSOT-Williamson County Chapter

January 13, 2020May 10, 2023

Program Summary for January 9: Oak Trees for Williamson County, a Wildlife Buffet

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— by Nancy Pumphrey

Beth Erwin was very informative on Thursday evening when she presented Oak Trees for Williamson County, a Wildlife Buffet. Beth has given presentations to elementary school kids and she used some of the same hands-on techniques and materials to engage the audience tonight. Especially effective were the long ropes Beth had audience members stretching out to demonstrate the size of the trunk of the National Champion, and the height of the canopy of that tree.

Beth also demonstrated how to identify a red oak from a white oak by looking at the leaves. The red oak, which is more susceptible to the deadly oak wilt, has sharp edges on the lobes of the leaves. The white oak has more rounded edges on the lobes. She did a great job identifying different kinds of oaks for us and giving us information on the Texas Champion and the National Champions.

Thanks, Beth, for your willingness to step in for the meeting’s presentation.

View Beth’s presentation at this link.

You can see the January 9, 2020 business presentation slides here.

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January 7, 2020May 10, 2023

Speaker Change for January 9: “Oak Trees for Williamson County, a Wildlife Buffet” with Beth Erwin

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— by Randy Pensabene

Due to a family emergency, we have a change of speaker for our January 9 meeting. Carol Clark, “Bring Back the Monarchs,” will be rescheduled for a future date.

We are pleased to have Beth Erwin present “Oak Trees for Williamson County, a Wildlife Buffet.” Beth will talk about the differences between Red Oaks and White Oaks, the many forms of wildlife that oaks support and which varieties of oaks will do well in Williamson County.

Beth Erwin and her husband moved to Texas from Louisiana in 2017. She managed a private nature preserve there from 1993-2017. She has a B.S. in horticulture and is a charter member of the Louisiana Native Plant Society. Here in the Native Plant Society of Texas, she is a current member of the Williamson County chapter, a NPSOT NLCP instructor and our Wilco Chapter Plant Sale Coordinator. She has been actively engaged in promoting the use and preservation of native plants and habitats to the general public for the past 40 years.

IMPORTANT: OnJanuary 9, we meet at Georgetown Parks & Recreation Administration Offices, 1101 N College St, Georgetown, TX 78626 ( map), NOT at the Georgetown Public Library.

NPSOT-Williamson County meetings are free and open to the public.

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December 18, 2019May 10, 2023

Field Trip Report: A Post-Thanksgiving Day Walk Along Brushy Creek Regional Trail – West on November 30, 2019

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Trip report by Kathy McCormack; photos courtesy of Nancy Pumphrey, Dave Gage, and Kathy McCormack

After a chilly, drizzly Thanksgiving, and a foggy, misty Black Friday, the Saturday after Thanksgiving was sunny and HOT – 87 degrees – breaking the old record by five degrees ! But eight chapter members drank their water as they walked two miles along the western end of the Brushy Creek Regional Trail from the YMCA in Cedar Park to Brushy Creek Sports Park. We inspected the 23 newly-installed interpretive plant signs, and we were thrilled when we saw someone stop to read one of them. Many thanks to Mark Pettigrew (WilCo Parks & Rec) for cementing in the new posts, and to all of the volunteers who helped sand and paint the old posts and caulk and uncover the new signs.

Southern Dewberry and Virginia Creeper signs — Ashe Juniper sign

Little Texas Bluebonnet (Lupinus texensis) plants had already germinated, and the smooth, thick, green vines of Alabama Supplejack (Berchemia scandens) were quite noticeable due to the early frost which had caused most of the deciduous plants to lose their leaves. We removed a few non-native Japanese Honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) that had snuck in to a beautiful fern- and moss-covered seep area, and we scattered Antelope Horns (Asclepias asperula) seed in appropriate habitat – hopefully, there will now be more of this important larval host plant for the Monarchs in the spring. The highlight of the walk may have been spotting a splitting seed pod of Anglepod (Matelea gonocarpos) near some dried but still distinctly-leaved Yellow Passionflower (Passiflora lutea).

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