March 14, 2023 – Tuesday 7:00 PM – Click on the date for more logistical information. Michelle Connally, 2018 Coyotes are highly resilient creatures able to adapt to threats and… Read More →
Flora and Fauna
Canyon Creek Wetland and Wildscape
Julia Koch, 2020 NTMN – I have to give another shout out to one of your members that is volunteering at the Canyon Creek Wetland and Wildscape project in NW Richardson. Brenda Clark is not only helping us to remove invasive species and is caring for hundreds of plants in her greenhouse that will be planted this spring at the site but she is an exceptional photographer.
Bluebonnets (Lupinus texensis) and Worm Snake (Carphophis amoenus)
Donne Cole, 2002 – Sharing the flora and fauna in her garden. – republished from Shaking of the Trees, First Edition.
Wild Hyacinths (Camassia scilloides) of Frankford Prairie
Cynthia Alexander-Coday – reprint from Shaking of the Trees Newsletter First Edition dated April 12, 2020. Down in Dallas, east of the tollway but still in Collin County, there is a historic church & cemetery that were part of the Frankford settlement in the mid-late 1800s.
Clyde Camp’s Screech Owl (Megascops asio) Cam Footage
Clyde Camp, 2010 – reprint from Shaking of the Trees Newsletter First Edition dated April 12, 2020.
Clyde Camp has a nest cam of his screech owl inhabitants
A Summer Mystery
Leah Justice, 2021 – The sun was just setting, and I was going out for an evening walk in the neighborhood. But wait, what was that unusual noise I heard emanating from the bushes? It was a strange chirping, twittering sound.
2022 October – Jean Suplick | Mycology 101
Charlise Hill-Larson, 2019 Jean Suplick has been a Texas Master Naturalist, Blackland Prairie Chapter since 2017. Her inveterate inquisitiveness about all things wild led to a journey of exploration into our local mushrooms. Join us as she shares how she traveled that path and what she learned along the way, including what kind of mushrooms to expect in our area and when, what to know about mushroom identification, tools for the field, and helpful resources.
Citizen Science in your community? You Betcha!
Georgette Guernsey, 2004 I have explored the Prosper Butterfly Garden in Whitley Place subdivision once a week since March. Below is a checklist of the plants I have identified during these visits. All have been confirmed by either iNaturalist, botany monitors or “Shinner’s and Mahler’s Flora of North Central Texas” by Diggs, Lipscomb, Reed, O’Kennon. The plants for the most part are described as growing in clay or calcareous soils that have been disturbed or overgrazed.
Annual Sunflower
Sally Evans, 2006; Founder & Emeritus
The annual sunflower plant (Helianthus annuus) was one of the most plentiful and versatile plants the Indians had available. It was convertible into a dye, a liniment, a medicine, a coffee, and a delectable food. By boiling the crushed seeds, an oil could be skimmed off and used for cooking or as a hair dressing, whatever the need at the time. Nature provides many teas, but few coffees. Delicious coffee was made by roasting and boiling the seeds as we roast and boil the coffee bean. Black and purple dyes were also derived from the seeds.
New plant at Wylie Prairie
Dave Powell, 2007 While I was gathering grass seed at Wylie on Thursday I came across a new plant for the area. Yes the grass seed is starting to get… Read More →