Dick and Lorelei guided about 9 tribe members through the prairie acres of the Raptor Center. They gave an overview of the needs for trail guides and of the exciting restoration and preservation efforts.
Photos compliments of Tasha Patterson, new class representative on the board. It was exciting to see Brockdale liatris among the prairie community members. And yes, that is Dick and Lorelei center stage.
Hello Team BPTMN!
Are you ready for the DFW Fall BioBlitz? Here’s what you need to know to participate and do your part to make the BPTMN Team outrageously successful!
Event: Fall Socially Distant BioBlitz for DFW Master Naturalist Chapters
Date: September 6–12, 2020
Time: You choose! See BPTMN Participation Plan below.
Description: This is an iNaturalist umbrella project for all counties in the DFW extended area served by six Texas Master Naturalist chapters, including the Blackland Prairie Chapter. Observations of wild organisms made between September 6-12, 2020 will count. Observations made in identified counties will automatically be added to both that project and this umbrella project. You do not have to join to participate! Our chapter will get credit ONLY for observations made in Collin County or Hunt County during those days.
Plus, each day of the BioBlitz there will be a “daily challenge.” Sam Kieschnick will have a list of 7 things to look for, and those that find and document them get extra “respect” points. Respect points are worth their weight in gold!
At the end of the project, Sam Kieschnick will put together a report to highlight some of the cool finds.
And, one more thing: You do not have to be a master naturalist to participate in this project! So, Master Naturalists can involve family and friends in the fun. JUST REMEMBER: Wherever you make your observations, be mindful of COVID-19 realities like crowd size and social distancing, and don’t forget to wear your mask!
BPTMN Participation Plan
BIOBLITZ OUTINGS
Link for Signing up for outings:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080A4DAFAD29A5F85-blackland
| DATE | TIME | LOCATION |
| Sunday, Sept 6 | 9:00 AM–12:00 PM | Manju Ruikar’s Property (Hunt County) |
| Monday, Sept 7 | 8:30–11:30 AM | Frisco Commons Park in Frisco |
| Monday, Sept 7 | 5:30–8:00 PM | Bonnie Wenk Park in McKinney |
| Tuesday, Sept 8 | 8:30–11:30 AM | Breckenridge Park in Richardson |
| Wednesday, Sept 9 | 8:30–11:30 AM | Heard Museum in McKinney |
| Thursday, Sept 10 | 8:30–11:30 AM | Parkhill Prairie in McKinney (Collin County) |
| Friday, Sept 11 | 8:30–11:30 AM | Erwin Park in McKinney |
| Friday, Sept 11 | 10:00 AM–12:00 PM | Chalk Hill Farm in McKinney |
| Friday, Sept 11 | 6:30–8:30 PM | Pond behind Hilton Garden Inn in Richardson |
| Saturday, Sept 12 | 8:30–11:30 AM | Holifield Environ Learning Center – Plano |
IDENTIFICATION WORK SESSIONS (Via Zoom)
Link for signing up for work sessions: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080A4DAFAD29A5F85-bioblitz
| DATE | TIME | LOCATION |
| Sunday, Sept 13 | 2:00-4:00 PM | Zoom Meeting |
| Tuesday, Sept 15 | 7:00-9:00 PM | Zoom Meeting |
Event Contact: Sam Kieschnick – sam.kieschnick@tpwd.texas.gov
BPTMN Contacts: Check in with the BPTMN iNaturalist Team: Lisa Travis listrav@gmail.com, Jean Suplick jean.suplick@gmail.com, Valerie Dalton valerie_dalton@msn.com, Sharla Stack sgstack@gmail.com, Janice James jdjames28@gmail.com
Logging VH: Your VH should be logged as BPTMN: Blackland Prairie iNaturalist Project.Break down your time as follows in the description box: (1) Time spent in the field recording observations; (2) time spent online, identifying, editing, uploading your observations; (3) curating time reviewing, identifying and commenting on other’s iNaturalist observations. Twelve (12) hours VH/AT per day is the max allowed by the State.
Links for more information:
Here is the Umbrella Project Website:
https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/fall-socially-distant-bioblitz-dfw-master-naturalist-chapters
Here is the BPTMN project page:
https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/bptmn-counties-fall-socially-distant-bioblitz
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One evening last week about 8 pm my neighbor texted me about a snake half in and out of a hole in her backyard. Her first concern was is it venomous and second, why is it just hanging out and not moving? From the photo, I could tell that it was a non-venomous plain bellied water snake (PBWS). The identifying characteristics are the labial bars (vertical black lines around its jaw) and if you look very closely there are faint white bars that look like chalk lines. I also have some less scientific clues including the googly eyes and lack of a pixelated pattern.
As to the why is it stuck in the hole, my best guess was it went in after a frog and after dinner it was too fat to fully exit the way it entered. I advised her to leave it be and when the meal was digested, it would probably move on in search of its next frog or fish meal.
The next morning around 8 am she sent me another text saying our PBWS visitor was still stuck and not doing well along with another photo. In this second photo, I could see our PBWS was stuck in a sprinkler control cover and knew we needed to do something or it might die.
It was time for a snake rescue intervention so I put on my snake rescuer/furniture refinishing gloves and selected a garden tool to pry up the sprinkler control cover and a full bottle of Crisco to help lubricate the snake.
When I got to her house, I found the poor PBWS was worn out from struggling all night to free itself. After we pried up the sprinkler control cover, we saw that his lower body was very swollen so we liberally applied Crisco around the cover hole and on his lower body and hoped that he would just slide out. But that was a no go, he was really wedged in that cover, we put him in a bucket while we regrouped and consulted with the North Texas educational Facebook group, What Kind of Snake is This? to help us come up with a plan B.
A suggestion was made to let gravity do the work so we set him on a dwarf yaupon to support his body and we held on to the sprinkler cover.
The snake revived enough to wrap itself around a branch and with it pulling and us holding the cover, it easily broke free and was on its way to freedom. The next morning our PBWS made an appearance and was moving about with no problem. You might ask, how do we know it’s the same snake? Take a look at the shiny ring of scales about 2/3 down his body, that’s where he had the exfoliation treatment from the plastic cover and Crisco.
A few photos and facts from New Hampshire… You can take the Master Naturalist out of Texas (temporarily) but they will still seek to learn about the natural world wherever they are.
White Admiral (Limenitis arthemis) butterfly: Have you seen a Red-spotted Purple butterfly? If so, you have seen this species. All Limenitis arthemis in the north have a bold white stripe crossing the forewing and hindwing, while in the south, the species has evolved to mimic the poisonous Pipevine Swallowtail.
Fireweed (Chamaenerion angustifolium) is a perennial herbaceous flowering plant that is native throughout the temperate northern hemisphere but favors the cooler climates of boreal forests and mountain peaks.
Spotted Turtle (Clemmys guttata) is a small, semi-aquatic turtle that is globally endangered. Their favored habitat includes flooded forests, marshes, wet meadows, bogs, and woodland streams in the eastern United States and southeast Canada. They are most at risk during their frequent terrestrial wanderings when they are particularly vulnerable to predation or encounters with automobiles.
Moose (Alces alces) are the largest members of the New World deer sub-family and range throughout Canada and most of the northern tier of states in the U.S. Moose are solitary throughout most of their lives. They feed on vegetation such as pond grasses and young trees and shrubs and require habitat that offers protection from extremely hot or cold temperatures. This one is probably a two-year old calf that is recently on its own. Nevertheless, it was taller than my small SUV.
A few weeks back while servicing my trucks fluids under the hood I discovered a mostly eaten specimen in the spare battery box tray. It was something I’d never seen and it still had a little hide and a section of the vertebrae attached. HOW COOL IS THAT! Some research told me it was a skunk. I was really surprised to see such formidable teeth on a skunk.
Five species of skunks are found in Texas, but you probably won’t ever meet one kind – the hooded skunk – unless you live in the Big Bend region. It is considered a Mexican species and has been seen only in Brewster, Presidio, Jeff Davis, Terrell, and Val Verde counties. The other four are the spotted, striped, and two species of hog-nosed skunks. Read more at the link.
https://tpwd.texas.gov/publications/nonpwdpubs/introducing_mammals/skunks/
See those two faces in the back of this class photo? The ones with arrows above their heads? Well, they are still in the back row, so to speak, taking care of the tribe by posting and creating. Linda Nixon, Communications Director (R), is responsible for keeping you in the know about lectures, courses, opportunities and Zoom magic codes to keep us thinking and learning. Michelle Connally, Webmaster (L), has worked directly with the state in transferring our website to new codes, apps, organizing historical data and what-not – making plans to ever improve our internet footprint. Not an easy task. She is also the designer of Shaking the Trees. When we get to see each other again, thank them and give them a real hug!
thanks for the shout out Deborah! I have enjoyed developing a system to get information out to members about all the new online opportunities for both VH and AT. It’s keeping me busy and safe at home in front of my computer!
Linda N.
awe, thank you, Canter! Very grateful to share these stories from our organization. It is a wonderful way to feel connected through each other’s photos, videos, stories, poems & experiences. Great idea! You are one amazing lady!
Michelle C.
Just for grins. Today started out as pretty normal, but it’s 2020, so nothing is normal. I woke up early to do the Senior Hours shopping. I’m not a morning person. We mostly just needed milk. Anyway I picked up quite a bit, mostly frozen/refrigerator items, and half way thru self check-out, the power goes out in the store. Register stops. Some registers were still working, and in the dark, I followed a cashier to her register, and I unpacked my groceries, and she gets about half way thru, and her register stops. A security alarm is ringing, they take my phone number and groceries, and I have to leave the store. Driving out there are police cars and fire engines coming to the store. On my way home, I stopped at Walgreens, so I at least have milk. I’m thinking about going back to bed and starting over, but meh, it’s just 2020.😝
Chase Brooke, county extension agent and our chapter AgriLife sponsor, asked us to please share the following press release concerning the plethora of seeds being received with Chinese shipping labels:
Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller is urging Texans to take extreme precaution when receiving unsolicited seed packets from China. These packets have been mailed to multiple states, including Texas, falsely labeled as jewelry. Residents are advised not to plant the seeds as they could contain harmful invasive species or be otherwise unsafe.
“I am urging folks to take this matter seriously,” Commissioner Miller said. “An invasive plant species might not sound threatening, but these small invaders could destroy Texas agriculture. TDA has been working closely with USDA to analyze these unknown seeds so we can protect Texas residents.”
If you receive a foreign package containing seeds do not open it or plant the contents. Keep contents contained in their original sealed package.
An invasive species is an organism that is not native to a particular region. The introduction of this “alien species” can cause economic or environmental harm. In agriculture, an invasive species can destroy native crops, introduce disease to native plants and may be dangerous for livestock.
Please report unsolicited seed packages to SITC.Mail@aphis.usda.gov
More information can be found here: http://ow.ly/Dlcy50AJjlr
Thank you,
Chase T. Brooke
County Extension Agent, Agriculture & Natural Resources – Collin County
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service.
I am a stalker of AgriLife guru Mike Merchant. He posted this link and thoroughly enjoyed it. BTW he started his master naturalist journey through BPTMN!
