Category: Field Trips

Chapter Field Trips

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Field Trip: Palmetto State Park, Saturday, October 19, 2024

— by Kathy Galloway

image of Dwarf palmetto, Sabal minor
Dwarf palmetto, Sabal minor. Photo by Greg Donica.
  • What:   Palmetto State Park
  • When:  10:00 AM – 12:PM on Saturday, October 19, 2024
    • Meet at the park.
    • Optional lunch after the field trip.
  • Where:  78 Park Road 11 S, Gonzales, TX (about 90 miles from Georgetown)
  • Our field trip is open to the public. The park’s entry fee is $3 per person.

Palmetto State Park is an unusual botanical area resembling the tropics more than Central Texas.  Most notably, a stand of dwarf palmetto (Sabal minor) plants is found in the park’s ephemeral swamp.  (The overview on the park’s website has a slide show with a short video.)

You will need to pay a $3.00 per person entrance fee at park headquarters (age 12 and under free).  From there you will proceed and take the second left to park at the Refectory Building (CCC Pavilion).   Ask for directions at park headquarters.

Dress appropriately for the weather.  Wear long pants and closed-toed shoes.  Bring water. Sun protection if needed.

Lunch is on your own.  Some of the attendees will be stopping in Luling for lunch at Blake’s Café, 621 E Davis St, Luling, Texas.          

=> Please register for the field trip by submitting the RSVP form at this link. Although there’s no limit on the number who can attend, we’re collecting RSVPs so we have an idea of how many and who in case we need to get in touch. If at the last minute you decide to come and you did not register, that’s okay. Come anyway!

Please feel free to contact the Field Trip Committee (contact form here) beforehand if you have any questions.

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

Field Trip Album

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Field Trip: Hidden Springs Preserve Plant Survey #12, Saturday, September 7, 2024

image of a sign

— by Kathy Galloway

  • What:   Hidden Springs Preserve Field Trip, Plant Survey 12 of 12
  • When:  8:30 AM – 11:00 AM, Saturday, September 7, 2024
    • Please plan on arriving by 8:45 AM. There is a padlock on the front gate and it will be locked shortly after 8:45 AM.
  • Optional lunch after the field trip. See the info below.
  • Where:  978 CR 224, Florence, TX.
  • Our field trip is free and open to the public, BUT…
    • The preserve is not open to the general public.  See important details later in this post.

With this field trip, we’re completing our work at the preserve! 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. September 7’s trip is our 12th and final survey trip at this location.

Since this is our last field trip to Hidden Springs, the field trip team is planning on going out to lunch afterwards and all are welcome to join them.

Be prepared for extensive walking on uneven, open terrain. Wear sturdy walking shoes, a hat, and sunscreen, and bring water, field guides, and something to take notes on and with. Members at all plant knowledge levels can help on survey field trips. Beginners are welcome!

Please plan on arriving by 8:45 AM – there is a padlock on the front gate, and it will be locked shortly after 8:45 AM

Reservations are not required. Please feel free to contact the Field Trip Committee (contact form here) beforehand if you have any questions.

Directions:

  • Take IH-35 north to Exit 266 (Florence/Killeen/195).
  • Turn left and follow SH 195 toward Florence.
  • Go through Florence, take the TX 138 exit (you will be near the City of Florence’s water tower with the bison on it), and then turn left onto TX 138.
  • After a little over two miles, turn right onto CR 224.
  • After about half a mile, at the fork in the road, bear to the left and stay on CR 224. Note that a car GPS system may indicate that you should bear to the right – this is incorrect.
  • After another half a mile, look for a green metal gate on your right (north side of street). There is a large wooden sign “Hidden Springs” sign between two flagpoles behind the fence. The address is 978 County Road 224, Florence, TX, but there is no number on the gate. (The gate is across the street from 981 CR 224.)
  • When you arrive, directions will be given as to where to park.

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See photos from our earlier survey trips to Hidden Springs Preserve.

Hidden Springs Plant Survey Album

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And more photos in our Field Trip album.

Field Trip Album