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— by Kathy McCormack
An Eagle Scout candidate recently worked with the Native Plant Society of Texas (NPSOT) Williamson County chapter and the Williamson County Parks & Recreation Department to install six new interpretive plant signs at the western end of Lake Creek Trail.
Sugar Hackberry, Celtis laevigata
Maps for the new signs on this southern Williamson County trail can be found at the bottom of our chapter’s Interpretive Plant Signs webpage. A laminated interpretive plant sign has also been posted in the trailhead kiosk.
There is ample parking for this flat, paved 0.25-mile section of the trail. Check out the new signs when you get a chance!
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The NEST Empowerment Center is part of The Georgetown Project, a local nonprofit providing services that support their mission: “A community where no child is hungry, hurt, alone, or rejected, and where all children and youth believe they are loved, respected and treated with dignity.” The NEST Empowerment Center helps GISD high school students who are homeless, at-risk, or living in transition.
At this month’s meeting, The Georgetown Project’s Bebe Johnson will share information about their collaboration with NPSOT-Williamson County to create The NEST Chrysalis Dreamscape, located at The NEST Empowerment Center as part of its SPARKS patio. The collaboration began in 2019. (Some background from our chapter can be found here.)
Bebe has been The NEST Empowerment Coordinator since 2014. Previously, she worked at WilCo Juvenile Services as the Coordinator of a county-based Truancy Diversion program serving 9 school districts. Prior to that position she worked for LifeSteps, Williamson Council On Drugs, as a Prevention Director, Coalition Director and Interim Executive Director.
Bebe is a native of Eastern Williamson County and lives on the small ranch where she grew up. She is the proud owner of 2 mules, cows, chickens and dogs.
Gregg’s mistflower, Conoclinium greggii
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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Please note, this presentation will not be recorded for YouTube.
Eric Knight is a native Austinite and co-author of Foraging Texas: Finding, Identifying, and Preparing Edible Wild Plants in Texas. He and his wife (and co-author), Stacy Coplin, are also co-founders of Local Leaf which locally wild-harvests yaupon to make a local, sustainable, yaupon matcha powder sold at all Austin-area Whole Foods locations and on the Local Leaf website. Eric also leads edible plant walks through Local Leaf as well as through the LBJ Wildflower Center and Earth Native Wilderness School. He is a licensed environmental engineer by day with a passion for travel, botany, rare plants, and of course, wild edible plants.
For the August 12 chapter meeting, Eric will discuss common native and non-native wild edible plants found during Central Texas summers.
Foraging. Photo by Sam Moser.
At every meeting, we give away a book about native plants or the meeting topic to one randomly chosen meeting attendee!
Yaupon Holly, Ilex vomitoria
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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