Blog – Page 152 – NPSOT-Williamson County Chapter

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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December 14, 2019May 10, 2023

Hairy Man Road, Round Rock

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This post shares information about Williamson County’s plans to widen Hairy Man Road in Round Rock that may be of interest to you. (The activities at the links below are not sponsored by NPSOT.)

Hairy Man Road in Round Rock, Texas has a long history. Road plans include removal of more than 100 trees. See links below for details. (Update 12/17/2019: Per Commissioner Terry Cook’s Facebook page, 68 trees are designated to be removed on a 1.7 mile stretch of Hairy Man Road.)

KXAN’s December 10, 2019 news story (link here) includes interviews pro and con, and gives you a feel for the road if you are not familiar with it.

Concerned residents of the Brushy Creek area are raising questions with Williamson County. You can read more at their group Facebook page or choose whether to participate in their group petition at this link.

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