Category: Native Plants

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NPSOT-Wilco Chapter’s Fall 2021 Native Plant Sale Wrap-up

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— by Beth Erwin

In the spring and fall of each year, we have the pleasure of holding our NPSOT-Williamson County Chapter’s Native Plant Sale. We get to be around so many people passionate about life, nature, and native plants; all our volunteers are cheerful and helpful, and all our customers are delightful.

Our NPSOT-Williamson County Chapter’s native plant sales are vital for introducing our chapter to a broader audience and raising funds to support our native plant projects. Our members make it a resounding success by donating their time and talents to support the sale from inception to completion, getting the word out, and purchasing “a few” plants at the sale. Our sales have become so successful that it takes two members to manage everything involved and quite a few chapter volunteers.

We were excited to engage Ricky Linex, retired USDA Natural Resources Conservation Services, and author of Range Plants of North Central Texas. In addition to answering questions and signing his books, Ricky led two walks on the Berry Springs Park and Preserve grounds. Ricky also spoke on the importance of native plants for livestock forage, native plants for all wildlife species, and how pollinators are crucial for the survival of flowering plants. It was great to get to know our new president-elect of the NPSOT state organization.

We enjoyed hosting Bebe Johnson, The N.E.S.T. Empowerment Center Coordinator, who accepted donations for a beautiful Chrysalis Dreamscape T-shirt designed by her students. The inspiration for the T-shirt was the Native Plant Pollinator Garden, designed and installed by the NPSOT-Williamson County Chapter at The N.E.S.T. facility. The N.E.S.T. Empowerment Center is a safe haven after the bell rings that offers basic needs, counseling, academic, and enrichment support for GISD high school students who are homeless, at-risk, or living in transition.

image of plants for sale
Milkweed table

Round Rock High School’s Rock Plant Club, led by RRHS AP Physics instructor Mark Stoetzer, did a fantastic job of helping people carry their selections to the holding area, managing the holding area, and then getting numerous plants loaded into customers’ cars. Our customers were so impressed with this group of young people and their enthusiasm. Each student took home a native plant of their choosing, and NPSOT-Wilco is making a cash donation to their club.

We appreciate your contributions to a very successful sale, and we are already looking forward to the spring sale on March 26, 2022, at the always-beautiful Berry Springs Park and Preserve.

Thank you all so very much!
Randy Pensabene, Plant Sale Leader
Beth Erwin, Plant Sale Co-leader & President NPSOT-Williamson County

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Online Chapter Meeting October 14, The Humane Gardener: Nurturing Habitat for Wildlife, with Nancy Lawson

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Join NPSOT-Wilco online on Thursday, October 14, 2021, at 7:00 pm,  when author Nancy Lawson will present The Humane Gardener: Nurturing Habitat for Wildlife. 

About our topic: Why do we call some insects “beneficial” while others are “pests”? Why do we welcome some larger animals to our garden while calling others “nuisances”? Why are some plants considered “desirable” while others are “weeds”? In this myth-busting talk, learn how common growing methods divide the natural world into false dichotomies and perpetuate misperceptions about the wild species living among us. Discover practical ways to put humane gardening philosophies into action by protecting nesting sites for insects, birds and mammals; eliminating unintended hazards; identifying and nurturing plants that provide food and shelter; restoring habitat with minimal disturbance to animals; and humanely resolving conflicts with mammals and other commonly misunderstood creatures.

About our guest speaker: Nancy Lawson is the author of The Humane Gardener: Nurturing a Backyard Habitat for Wildlife, a habitat consultant, and a national speaker on garden ecology. She founded Humane Gardener to pioneer creative planting strategies and other animal-friendly landscaping methods. Lawson’s presentations at diverse venues—from national wildlife refuges to local wildflower preserves—have inspired even seasoned horticulturists and wildlife experts to look at their landscapes in a new way. Certified as a Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professional and master naturalist, she partners with Howard County Bee City, the Audubon Society of Central Maryland, the urban wildlife department of the Humane Society of the United States, and other conservation and animal advocacy organizations. Her book and garden have been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and other media outlets.

image of speaker photo

At every meeting, we give away a book — about native plants or the meeting topic — to one randomly chosen meeting attendee!

NPSOT-Williamson County meetings are free and open to the public. We hope you attend!  Meetings may be in person, virtual, or both, so be sure to check details in the meeting announcement. Meetings are announced on our website, our calendar and Facebook.

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Minding Monarchs

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— by Beth Erwin

We have two species of native milkweeds available in our Fall Sale this Saturday. We have quart pots of Zizotes, Asclepias oenotheroides, and quarts and gallons of orange flowering Butterflyweed, Asclepias tuberosa.

Butterflyweed would be a choice perennial in any garden, regardless of its native status. It is loaded with nectar and all sorts of pollinators flock to the clusters of orange flowers. I came across a lady many years ago that asked me to come to her yard and see her “chiggerbush” as she called it. It turned out to be a big bodacious Butterflyweed. True to its nature, it was loaded with insects of all sizes.

Butterflyweed, Asclepias tuberosa
Butterflyweed, Asclepias tuberosa

Butterflyweed is not the first choice of female Monarch butterflies to lay their eggs. It is slow to emerge from the ground in the spring. As the season progresses the narrow foliage gets tough. Zizotes, on the other hand, is a favorite. It very obligingly pops out of the ground in early spring several weeks ahead of other Asclepias species, with wide tender leaves for that first wave of migrating Monarchs to drop some eggs on. At this point in September, it is still producing plenty of soft broad leaves for the end-of-the-season crop of caterpillars and flowers full of nectar.

Monarch caterpillar on Zizotes, Asclepias oenotheroides
Monarch caterpillar on Zizotes, Asclepias oenotheroides

Buy some Butterflyweed for the pretty flowers. Buy some Zizotes for the Monarch butterflies. And the deer don’t eat them.

The photos are of plants that will be in the sale.

Tarantula hawk on Zizotes, Asclepias oenotheroides
Tarantula hawk on Zizotes, Asclepias oenotheroides

About the sale

The NPSOT-Wilco plant sale will be held September 25, 2021, at Berry Springs Park & Preserve, 1801 Co Rd 152, Georgetown, TX 78626 in the Main (Tonkawa) Pavilion.  10:00 AM—3:00 PM.  (Note that the first plant walk being led by Ricky Linex begins at 9AM.) Cash, checks, and major credit cards accepted.  We prefer that all customers wear masks and maintain social distance.

  • For sale details and special requests, click this link.
  • For info about plant walks led by expert Ricky Linex, click this link.

Plants to be offered as of September 18, 2021

The newest list is at this link September 18 PDF.  The date is in the upper left corner on page 1.   If we update the list again, we’ll send a new blog post out to alert subscribers.

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