Category: Chapter Meetings

Chapter Meetings

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Program Summary for Feb 13: Wildlife in Your Garden with Kelly Simon

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— by Randy Pensabene

At our February 13, 2020 chapter meeting, Kelly Conrad Simon showed the audience how to use a variety of native plants to create a Texas Wildscape that can meet human needs for a visually appealing landscape while also providing the plants much-needed by wildlife. She demonstrated how by providing the basic elements of habitat (food, shelter and water) in your garden, Texans can attract an exciting variety of birds, butterflies, frogs and lizards and bring the beauty and vitality of nature home.

The most important step in developing a Wildscape is learning about the plants and soils that characterize your region. Since wildlife thrives in the presence of plants they have adapted to, native plants are encouraged in Wildscapes. Introduced plants are not good substitutes for the native plants used by wildlife.

Plants native to your area provide both food and shelter requirements for wildlife. Select plants for their food value as well as plants that will grow to different heights and density. This layering effect will allow wildlife to select areas they find most comfortable.

View Kelly’s presentation at this link.

Learn about native plants through the Native Landscape Certification Program (NLCP)  with classes focused on the local area. Find schedule info here.

You can see the February 13, 2020 business presentation slides here.

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On March 12: The Importance of Honey Bees with Jodi McCumber

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Join us for the next NPSOT-Wilco chapter meeting on Thursday, March 12, 2020, for “The Importance of Honey Bees and How You Can Help” with Jodi McCumber.  We’ll meet at the Georgetown Public Library (time and location details at the bottom of this post).

From Jodi, owner of Jackass Honey Farms in Liberty Hill:

“We run all 332 of our honey bee hives treatment-free. We strive to keep our bees’ immune systems at 100% by not using chemicals in and around our hive. We are constantly planting flowers and trees for our bees to pollinate here on the farm. Aside from attending our bees, we also do mini one hour seminars for people of all ages to learn more about honey bees. We hand make all of our products… with the main ingredients coming straight from our hives. Our goal is to relocate unwanted honey bees to a place on our farm so they can live out the rest of their lives happily, while educating people on the importance
of honey bees.”

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

Bee on the wing
Bee on the wing. Photo by Bob Kamper.

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On February 13: Wildlife in Your Garden with Kelly Simon

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Join us for the next NPSOT-Wilco chapter meeting on Thursday, February 13, 2020, for “Wildlife in Your Garden” presented by Kelly Simon.  We’ll meet at the Georgetown Public Library (time and location details at the bottom of this post).

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Texas Wildscapes was developed by Texas Parks and Wildlife in 1995 to assist Texans in creating landscapes that are both visually appealing and attractive to appropriate wildlife.  By providing the elements of habitat (food, shelter, and water) in their gardens, Texans can attract an exciting variety of birds, butterflies, frogs, and lizards and bring the beauty and vitality of nature home.

Kelly Conrad Simon has been with Texas Parks and Wildlife since 1995 and currently serves as the Urban Wildlife Biologist for the Central Texas area.  Her projects generally involve the topics of native planting and wildlife habitat, exotic invasive plants, native wildlife including songbirds and woodrats, and engaging urban students of all ages in the study of nature. Kelly has coordinated the Texas Wildscapes Backyard Wildlife Habitat program and the Texas Hummingbird Round-up with Texas Parks and Wildlife, and is the author of Texas Wildscapes: Gardening for Wildlife.  Her MS degree was earned in 1995 at Emporia State University (Kansas) and her BA was earned in 1992 at Southwestern University (Georgetown, Texas).

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

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