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Congratulations to Ashley Landry!

Chapter member Ashley Landry is the recipient of NPSOT’s Nancy Benedict Memorial Award!  

The news was announced by Chapter Vice President Gary Bowers at the chapter meeting on August 8, 2024. The Nancy Benedict Memorial Award honors an individual, a group or an organization for a specific act of conservation or public service in the field of Texas native plants.

Ashley is the founder and leader of the Native Plant Rescue Project, where she leads teams of volunteers to ethically rescue native plants from development in Central Texas. In addition, exposure to the project’s plant rescue mission in print and broadcast media is increasing the public’s awareness of native plants.

Congratulations, Ashley, from all of us!

Nancy Copperman, NPSOT-Wilco President, and all members of NPSOT

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Wildflower, the magazine of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. Click the image to read more.
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Call for Volunteers: Peterson Community Garden on Aug 24

— by Nancy Pumphrey

Calling all Wacky Weeders! Join us at Peterson Community Garden in Hutto on Saturday, August 24, to give our friends there a hand. With all the rain, the garden has grown wild. Bring gloves, a hat, tools and lots of water. If you have a string trimmer, that will help.

Due to the heat, we will start at 7am and quit by 10am. The address is 205 Hutto Street, Hutto, TX 78634. Parking is on the street.

If you have questions, please contact Nancy Pumphrey using the form at this link. Select Projects/Community Gardens.

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Trip Report: Hidden Springs Preserve on August 3, 2024

— by Cindy Chrisler

group hiking in field

It was hot but green at Hidden Springs Preserve, where NPSOT-Wilco members conducted the 11th plant survey of the 12 planned for this location. A rainy July kept vegetation green in spite of the summer heat.   

Three new members joined four field trip committee members to conduct the survey.  The seven participants ventured to a pond in the north central part of the preserve, and observed such species as Texas Bluebells, Snow on the Mountain, Buttonbush, and Humped Bladderwort.  Blackfoot Daisy, horse crippler and prickly pear cacti, sideoats gramma, two leaf senna, and Dakota mock vervain were also observed. The remote area that was explored and the abundance of species found engaged the group for more than the two hours scheduled for the field trip.

In 2021, the NPSOT-Wilco Field Trip Committee was invited to conduct a plant survey at Williamson County’s Hidden Springs Preserve (not open to the public). The result was the committee’s plan to visit the property every calendar month of the year over a 2-3 year period. The 12th and last plant survey for Hidden Springs Preserve will take place in September.

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Photos by Cindy Chrisler


See photos from this field trip and others in our album=>

Field Trip Photo Album

See field trip plans on our Home page.