Native Plants – Page 72 – NPSOT-Williamson County Chapter

January 7, 2020May 10, 2023

Speaker Change for January 9: “Oak Trees for Williamson County, a Wildlife Buffet” with Beth Erwin

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— by Randy Pensabene

Due to a family emergency, we have a change of speaker for our January 9 meeting. Carol Clark, “Bring Back the Monarchs,” will be rescheduled for a future date.

We are pleased to have Beth Erwin present “Oak Trees for Williamson County, a Wildlife Buffet.” Beth will talk about the differences between Red Oaks and White Oaks, the many forms of wildlife that oaks support and which varieties of oaks will do well in Williamson County.

Beth Erwin and her husband moved to Texas from Louisiana in 2017. She managed a private nature preserve there from 1993-2017. She has a B.S. in horticulture and is a charter member of the Louisiana Native Plant Society. Here in the Native Plant Society of Texas, she is a current member of the Williamson County chapter, a NPSOT NLCP instructor and our Wilco Chapter Plant Sale Coordinator. She has been actively engaged in promoting the use and preservation of native plants and habitats to the general public for the past 40 years.

IMPORTANT: OnJanuary 9, we meet at Georgetown Parks & Recreation Administration Offices, 1101 N College St, Georgetown, TX 78626 ( map), NOT at the Georgetown Public Library.

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

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December 18, 2019May 10, 2023

Field Trip Report: A Post-Thanksgiving Day Walk Along Brushy Creek Regional Trail – West on November 30, 2019

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Trip report by Kathy McCormack; photos courtesy of Nancy Pumphrey, Dave Gage, and Kathy McCormack

After a chilly, drizzly Thanksgiving, and a foggy, misty Black Friday, the Saturday after Thanksgiving was sunny and HOT – 87 degrees – breaking the old record by five degrees ! But eight chapter members drank their water as they walked two miles along the western end of the Brushy Creek Regional Trail from the YMCA in Cedar Park to Brushy Creek Sports Park. We inspected the 23 newly-installed interpretive plant signs, and we were thrilled when we saw someone stop to read one of them. Many thanks to Mark Pettigrew (WilCo Parks & Rec) for cementing in the new posts, and to all of the volunteers who helped sand and paint the old posts and caulk and uncover the new signs.

Southern Dewberry and Virginia Creeper signs — Ashe Juniper sign

Little Texas Bluebonnet (Lupinus texensis) plants had already germinated, and the smooth, thick, green vines of Alabama Supplejack (Berchemia scandens) were quite noticeable due to the early frost which had caused most of the deciduous plants to lose their leaves. We removed a few non-native Japanese Honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) that had snuck in to a beautiful fern- and moss-covered seep area, and we scattered Antelope Horns (Asclepias asperula) seed in appropriate habitat – hopefully, there will now be more of this important larval host plant for the Monarchs in the spring. The highlight of the walk may have been spotting a splitting seed pod of Anglepod (Matelea gonocarpos) near some dried but still distinctly-leaved Yellow Passionflower (Passiflora lutea).

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December 3, 2019May 10, 2023

Field Trip Report: Miller Springs Park and Preserve, 16 Nov 2019

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— article by Kathy McCormack; photos by Gary Bowers, Bob Kamper, Randy Pensabene, and Kathy McCormack; trip route and movie by Gary Bowers

Thirteen NPSOTers explored Miller Springs Park & Preserve in Bell County on a cool but sunny November morning. Eleven people were from the Williamson County (WilCo) chapter, and two were from the Tonkawa chapter. Charles Newsom (WilCo) guided us around this bottomland area below the Lake Belton dam whose gates first closed in 1954.

We first took a path that skirted the base of the dam. After cutting through a short section of woods and crossing over a stepping stone bridge past Camphorweed (Heterotheca subaxillaris) and a beautiful clump of Carolina Snailseed (Cocculus carolinus) berries, we saw some test plots with varying thicknesses of amended soil that were planted with the same grass/forb seed mix. A mid-1990s plant survey report by Paul Boldt indicated that this area “formerly contained rich alluvial soil deposited over thousands of years by the wanderings of the Leon River. Many Blackland Prairie and Grand Prairie species must have been present here. In the early 1950’s, however, the Basin was stripped of up to 20 feet of top and subsoil that was used to build the Belton Dam. In 1991, water poured across [this area] moving large amounts of soil, gravel, and many large stones.” The test plots were established in 1996. Along with other spent wildflowers like Horsemint (Monarda citriodora), Prairie Parsley (Polytaenia texana), and Gayfeather (Liatris mucronata), we saw Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), Big Bluestem (Andropogon gerardi), Yellow Indiangrass (Sorghastrum nutans), and Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) – the “Big Four” of the Tallgrass Prairie – so we knew that we were standing in a patchwork, man-made prairie ! We could see the difference in the plant communities made by the addition of even small amounts of organic material in this developing soil.

Next, we followed an old forest road over three wooden footbridges to a lookout over Green Pond. It was nice to see Eryngo (Eryngium leavenworthii) growing there. Finally, we wound our way through the old-growth riparian zone and were delighted to see not only Coralberry (Symphoricarpos orbiculatus), Inland Sea Oats (Chasmanthium latifolium), and a mystery Prickly Pear (Opuntia species), but also huge Box-elder Maple (Acer negundo), Black Willow (Salix nigra), Osage Orange (Maclura pomifera), Cottonwood (Populus deltoides), Pecan (Carya illinoinensis), and Green Ash (Fraxinus pensylvanica).

After our three-hour walk, we enjoyed some BBQ at a nearby restaurant before heading home.

Below, you can watch a short slideshow that contains photos and info from our trip.

[iframe src=”https://spark.adobe.com/video/yc9ADK5vm0Nv7/embed” width=”960″ height=”540″ frameborder=”0″]

DIRECTIONS TO MILLER SPRINGS

Directions from Georgetown Public Library: Take IH-35 North to Exit 292 Belton (approx 28 miles). Turn Left (west) onto Loop 121, which will then bear right (north); note that there is a CEFCO gas station with restrooms on the right just after the US 190 intersection (about ten minutes before reaching the park). Turn Left (west) onto FR 439 (Lake Road) for approx 2 miles. Turn Right onto Miller Springs Park Road (you will see the brown sign first). Continue to the parking loop at the end, adjacent to the dam outlet below the dam. Very limited parking available.

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