Tag: Gardening for wildlife

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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 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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Senior U, Georgetown-Martin Byhower’s “Beauty and Wildlife in your Yard and Garden”

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Chapter member Martin Byhower will be teaching “Beauty and Wildlife in your Yard and Garden” this fall as a 6-week course at Senior University Georgetown, a local nonprofit supporting lifelong learning for people who are 50+ years.  (Find more info about Senior U at the bottom of this post.)  Martin’s class meets weekly on Monday mornings from September 23 to October 28.

Martin’s course consists of a series of illustrated lectures that will highlight wildlife-friendly native plants, pollinators, birds, deer, controlling garden pests and more.  You can find the full course description in the Senior University Fall 2019 Catalog under the Monday course offerings at this link.

Senior University Georgetown is a nonprofit membership organization for anyone over 50 years of age,  “… dedicated to the proposition that lifelong learning is an essential component of a life of satisfaction and fulfillment…”  The SU business office is located on the campus of Southwestern University.

See the Senior University home page to learn about Senior University Georgetown, become a member or find course registration instructions.

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