🍄 Join us as we uncover the secret, symbiotic handshakes happening right beneath our feet. With Bob Ritchie, we are exploring how plants and fungi became the ultimate “sole-mates” and why their ancient partnership is a total game-changer for life on Earth. It’s going to be a spore-tacular look at the connections that keep our planet thriving! 🌱
Presentation: Hidden Partners: The Role of Fungi in Plant Growth
About Our Speaker: Bob Richie is a Dallas native who has raised almost every insect, mammal, reptile, plant and fungus that can be kept legally, and some that cannot. He likes birds, bugs, plants, fish, fungus, herps, hiking, canoeing, kayaking, fly fishing, anthropology, archaeology, etc. An amateur naturalist from an early age, Bob has spent much of his life outdoors.
An urban forager Bob teaches classes about edible and medicinal native plants, you can find him on the schedule at local nature preserves, parks and environmental centers in the springtime. His work is featured in the book Wild DFW: Explore the Amazing Nature Around Dallas-Fort Worth by Amy Martin.
Bob is a certified Texas Master Naturalist and past president of The Trinity Valley Beekeepers Association, Dallas’s local honeybee club, as well as a past Board Member of North Texas Mycological Association. He is the father of two grown children, an avid bicycle rider/commuter and a registered yoga instructor.
Help Keep Our Chapter Meeting Snack Table Thriving! 🥨
As our chapter continues to grow, so does our love for sharing a bite together! To keep this welcoming tradition going, we invite you to bring a small snack to share—whether store-bought, homemade, sweet, or savory, every contribution makes our meetings more enjoyable. If you’re able to help out at an upcoming gathering, please sign up below to help us build a more connected community!
Sign Up Genius: 2026 Snack Donations
When: 7:00 PM
Click here to view our Calendar.
- SRC Doors will open at 6:30 PM
- The Zoom meeting waiting room will open at 6:45 PM
- The Business Meeting will begin at 7:00 PM
- Naturalist Talk will start at 7:30 PM (approximately)
Physical Meeting Location: Heard Natural Science Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary,
1Nature Place, McKinney, TX 75069, Science Resource Center (SRC) building.
Directions to SRC: Drive through Heard gates, past the parking lot and museum building, and continue until the road ends at the large white SRC building.
Register in advance for this Zoom meeting:
Use the email address associated with your personal Zoom account.
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/Z7BrnoA7R0mMCCmAg05GQQ
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email with details on how to join the meeting.
Logging AT: The monthly meeting presentation will count as 1 hour of AT. Log as AT: BPTMN Chapter Monthly Meeting Only (1 hour) with the speaker’s name and topic in the description box.
If you have any additional questions, please email.
Chapter Meeting Host: Marla Layne, [email protected]