Native Plant Society of Texas

Boerne Chapter

The Home of

Operation NICE!™

Natives Instead of Common Exotics

Web site: http://npsot.org/Boerne

Newsletter

June 2015

Volume 15 Number 7

WELCOME BACK!

Monthly Meeting Tuesday September 1, 2015

Cibolo Nature Center at 140 City Park Road, Boerne TX

Richard Heilbrun, the Conservation Outreach Program Leader for Texas Parks & Wildlife Department, will be our guest speaker. The title of his presentation is Background Info for Teaming with Wildlife. Texas has historically enjoyed abundant wildlife populations and is known for its diverse plants and animals and wide open spaces. Teaming With Wildlife: True To Texas (TWW: True To Texas) is a grass roots organization that recognizes the value of healthy ecosystems and sustainable wildlife populations.

He is a wildlife biologist by training, and has worked all over the state on projects that conserve wildlife, manage wildlife habitat, and help people connect with natural resources on a deeply personal level. He has worked with Bighorn sheep, ducks, Whooping Cranes, songbirds, raptors, quail, deer, dove, and bobcats. He holds a Bachelors and a Masters degree from Texas A&M University in wildlife ecology and has worked for Texas Parks & Wildlife Department for the past 13 years. He is proud to have worked with landowners, urban residents, volunteers, conservation organizations, and the general public to advance stewardship of Texas’s natural resources. He currently supervises the Urban Wildlife Technical Guidance Program, the Texas Nature Trackers Program, and the Texas Master Naturalist Program. All of these programs aim to connect Texans with the outdoors, improve wildlife habitat throughout the state, and manage the state’s most sensitive wildlife populations.

Richard is a past-officer of the Texas Chapter of The Wildlife Society, a graduate of the Natural Leaders Program, and a Rob & Bessie Welder Wildlife Foundation Fellow. He is a Certified Wildlife Biologist®, and lives in San Antonio with his wife and daughter.

President’s Message

Hello All:

Hope everyone is having a wonderful summer and have enjoyed their travels or relaxation. Gardens this year have gone from feast to famine with the rain and then the dry weather and heat. My garden is going to be redone this fall. Too much rain – it went berserk, but that keeps me busy.

In July our Demonstration Garden Committee met and set plans for care of the gardens at the Cibolo Nature Center. The committee is made up of Rheda Boardman, Ann Dietert, Brenda Fest, Bob Hamilton, Merrily Labathe, Sue Mellard, Kathy Ward, Wilt Shaw, Carolyn Walden, Stan Walden, Emily Weiner and Demonstration Garden Liaison Daneshu Clarke. Several of the committee members volunteered at the 2nd Saturday workday and were successful in weeding and training other volunteers. We welcome your time and involvement. Please join us. We meet again 25 August at 10:00 at the CNC. I hope to see you there.

We are excited about the slate of officers for the 2015-2016 year. They are:

President-elect – Gary Fest

Vice President for Programs – Don Fraser

Treasurer - Nancy Scoggins

Secretary – Brenda Fest

Speaking of members dedicating their time to make this chapter as great and fun as it is, I want to thank Dani and Bob Vollmer, who have chaired the hospitality committee for two years, with the help of committee member Donna Taylor, and all others who have helped to provide us with food, beverages and decorations at the meetings and our potlucks. Dani and Bob are ready to hand the baton to someone else to chair the committee. Dani describes the activities as follows: “We arrive 5:30 to 5:45 on meeting nights, arrange tables, help with chairs if need be, put table cloths and serving stuff out, help those who bring goodies, make coffee, and stay until everything is cleaned up. Wash tablecloths and replenish supplies between meetings. Send out email reminders or call donors Friday before meetings.”

I am looking forward to seeing everyone at the meeting on Tuesday, 1 September at the CNC beginning at 6:30 for socializing. We are going to have a wonderful presentation given by Richard Heilburn, with the Texas Parks and Wildlife. We are getting back in the swing of our organization after our summer break.

Take care and enjoy the remainder of our summer season.

Enjoy Nature,

Daneshu

Chapter Activities

Operation Nice!

NICE! ™Plant of the Month

September 2015

Red Yucca

(Hesperaloe parviflora)

By Suzanne Young

Red Yucca! I love this NICE! Plant!

Hesperaloe parviflora has many common names: red yucca, red hesperaloe, coral yucca, yellow yucca, hummingbird yucca, false yucca. It is really not a yucca at all but its soft evergreen leaves have a yucca-like foliage. Its tubular flowers are normally a coral or pink color; however, today there are yellow and “Brakelight” red varieties available in nurseries. There is a larger, white-flowered species called “giant hesperaloe”(H. funifera), that is mostly native to Mexico but found in one location in the Trans-Pecos.

Red Yucca is a member of the Century plant family. It is native to the Chihuahuan Desert of West Texas; rocky slopes and prairies in central and south Texas, and northeastern Mexico. Red Yucca grows best when planted with other desert-like plants: cactus, succulents, penstemons, cenizo, and annual wildflowers.

This Texas native adds beauty, structure and toughness to any landscape. It is extremely low maintenance, heat and drought-tolerant, and hardy to -20 degrees. Its long flowering season, from March-September, attracts hummingbirds and night-pollinating moths. The fruit pods provide seeds for birds.

Red yucca has only a few requirements: full sun, but it can tolerate a little shade; adaptable to differnt soil types, but it must be well-drained. It thrives in rock gardens, areas with reflected sun and heat, and in garden pots or planters. Once the plant becomes overgrown, remove brown or grey foliage, which pulls out easily; separate into sections and replant. It needs no attention or supplemental irrigation once established.

Red Yucca is often listed as a deer resistant plant; however, reports of deer browsing the flowers and the foliage may require caging where the deer population is high.

Operation NICE! Tip: Plant this NICE! (Native Instead of Common Exotic) succulent to add texture and fountain-like appearance instead of exotic fountain grasses. With its 2-5 foot height and 4 foot width, it should be planted at least 4 feet apart. The flower stalk rises 5 feet and can be cut after seed pods are gone. To maintain the attractiveness and prevent any need to edge or prune the foliage, plant at least 3 feet away from pathways or walkways.

Texas Native Plant Youth Photo Contest

By Rheda Boardman

We have had articles in several of our newsletters throughout the year about this photo contest. As a refresher - the contest theme is Texas Native Plants and Pollinators. Results of the contest will be announced October 6th, 2015 at our monthly meeting at the Patrick Heath Public Library. All photographs will be on display at the library in October.

Texas Native Plant Youth Photo Contest Judges

We are very fortunate to have an excellent judging panel consisting of local folks connected to photography with varying backgrounds. Our photo contest would not happen without the generosity of the following people who are willing to donate their time to be our judges:

Cheryl Beck, Chair & Judge

Cheryl is an enthusiastic photographer who loves capturing nature through the lens. Cheryl has been a Professional Fine Art Photographer since 2008. She has shown her work in local art shows, and in several Art Galleries. She organized and led the 2013 World Wide Photo Walk-Boerne. Cheryl has done extensive photography and management work for BoerneSpotlights in organizing, managing and shooting for the 2013 media team for the “Dickens on Main” event, among other local events. She will serve Boerne Community Theatre in the upcoming season as Gallery Coordinator in their “Art Gallery” room.

Johny Rosa, Judge

Johny is owner of Texas Treasures Fine Art Gallery and River South Art & Design Center. He moved to Boerne from Santa Fe, bringing with him the knowledge and insight of Fine Art from his many years of experience in Santa Fe. Johny serves on the Public Art Committee, which is responsible for bringing the Texas Longhorns, Wild Bill and Gander sculptures to Boerne with more public art coming to Boerne in the future. The Texas Rangers awarded the Texas Ranger badge to Johny during the Battle of Walkers Creek tribute in 2014. Johny was the recipient of the “United We Art” award in 2013 from the Hill Country Council for Arts.

Ed Hall, Judge

Ed is a native of west Texas. He made Boerne his home in 2005 and became part of the Hill Country art community soon thereafter. Ed specializes in Southwestern photography. He is the 2015 President for Boerne Professional Artists and is active with the Greater Boerne Chamber of Commerce and the Boerne Convention and Visitors Bureau. Ed’s work is available at the River South Art Gallery. His art will also be available to view/purchase at the 2015 Texas Hill Country Invitational.

Libby Castle, Judge

Libby and her husband returned to their home town of Boerne after serving 10 years in the U.S. Air Force. Libby studied at the Art Institute of San Antonio taking classes in all aspects of digital photography. Her love is wildlife landscapes and nature photography. She recently won the award for Best Photography at the 2014 Hill Country invitational. Her art will be available to view/purchase at the 2015 Texas Hill Country Invitational. Libby has displayed her work at Carriage House Gallery during the 2014 Fotoseptiembre and has done extensive photography work for BoerneSpotlights including Dickens on Main.

Thank You To Our Photo Contest Sponsors

Thank You to all of our sponsors for your commitment to the growth of our first photography contest and its continued success. The contest celebrates the seventh anniversary of Texas Native Plant week while showcasing the creativity and photographic talents of our area youth.

We are pleased to announce our sponsors that have contributed to the contest: Security State Bank & Trust, HEB, Home Depot, Papa Murphy’s Pizza, Bumdoodlers, Little Nature Store, Starplex Cinemas, CJB Digital Imaging, Kelani Yogurt, Starbuck’s, Native American Seed and Teva.

A variety of prizes will be awarded to first, second, and third place winners in all three categories in each age group. People’s Choice Award will receive a camera bag. There will also be a Judges Choice winner in each age group. The Judges Choice winners will each receive a coupon for a pair of shoes from Teva.

Bigtooth Maples for Boerne Program

By Suzanne Young

Our 2015 Bigtooth Maple Tree Giveaway will be November 20th and 21st from 9AM to noon at the Agriculture Museum at the corner of Park Road and Highway 46. This is a great way to meet members of our community, many of whom are new to Boerne. They often have many questions about native plants so the more NPSOT members we have available to greet them and answer their questions, the better.

We will need help cutting cages, unloading trees and mulch on the 19th of November. If you can help, please let me know. Check out our website (www.npsot.org/boerne), click on the maple leaf icon and review information about Bigtooth maples and their care instructions.

Each year, I submit our BTM volunteer hours to Boerne Parks and Recreation Department which helps the city be recognized as a Tree City USA. Our Bigtooth Maples for Boerne project is also an approved Texas Master Naturalist volunteer project.

The Maples for Boerne project is a big success because of the many participating NPSOT members. Please join us in our mission: Reintroducing a natural treasure to the City of Boerne to enhance the local landscape and establish Boerne as a prime destination for viewing fall foliage.

Applications will be accepted until October 1. If you are interested in helping at the workday or giveaway or in applying for a tree, see our website or contact me at or 830-249-8240.

Regional Stuff

Texas Pollinator PowWow

By Carolyn Walden

The Texas Pollinator PowWow 2015 will be in Kerrville on September 19 & 20 at Schreiner University - Cailloux Ballroom. For those unfamiliar with this group (as I was), their mission is: “To provide education, resources and networking opportunities to natural resource management professionals and volunteers- and the community at large- and to empower them all in conserving our pollinators and their habitats across the landscape.” A summary of the objectives of the The PowWow taken from the website is: BIRDS, BATS, BEES, BUTTERFLIES and more! Come learn about Texas plants and their pollinators, the conservation challenges they are facing, and how YOU can help! The TEXAS POLLINATOR POWWOW brings you topics ranging from native plants and bees, to hummingbirds and butterflies, to urban and rural land management best practices by experts from around the state and beyond. We are pleased to present to you some of the best and brightest of minds and committed professionals in pollination conservation today.” More information and registration are at: http://www.texaspollinatorpowwow.org/ and http://www.eventbrite.com/e/texas-pollinator-powwow-2015-kerrville-tickets-17610733177 . Note that seating is limited and the deadline to register is September 5.