Shaking the Trees Newsletter

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Edition 55 – Shaking The Trees – December 2024

Texas Master Naturalists, Blackland Prairie Chapter!

2024 was a fabulous year for the Blackland Prairie chapter, punctuated by significant growth in both membership and volunteer hours contributed by our chapter!

Our Tribe’s Fortune 500 Hours – Kathy Boys, Class of 2023

I’ve been wanting to become a Texas Master Naturalist for several years because of my love for nature and desire to learn more about the local environment. I also felt it would be a good avenue to make a difference as a volunteer.

Our Tribe’s Fortune 500 Hours – Jean Higgins, Class of 2023

My deep love for nature has always been a guiding force in my life, motivating me to pursue a path as a Texas Master Naturalist. From a young age, I was the kid with pockets full of leaves, rocks, and other natural treasures, eager to study and understand the world around me.

Excitement for Eco Explorers!

Wow! What a wild and wonderful fall season of exploring we had with Girl Scout youth and their leaders and parents. We more than doubled the interest when compared to our inaugural events in the fall of 2023. Every single event this fall had a long waiting list of girls wanting to attend. How we wish we were able to accommodate more girls.

Community Engagement Event from Allen Heritage Village

BPTMN Community Outreach team (left to right) Catherine Mitchell, Donna Cole, and Barbara Hibberd were on hand to educate community volunteers at the Keep Allen Beautiful…

Plant Rescue at Plano Senior High – Event Summary

Organized by Mark Yoder (BPTMN Class of 2024) and promoted by Peter Williams (BPTMN class of 2020) and Julia Koch (NTMN Class of 2020). We met at 8 a.m. Saturday morning to rescue native plants in a pocket prairie established in 2019 by one of Mark’s environmental science students

Winter Tree Walk at Chalk Hill Farm in McKinney

Learn to ID native trees in winter with three master naturalists: Sharla Stack, Melanie Schuchart, and Fran Woodfin. They will lead a walk emphasizing how to identify native trees in the winter using shape, fallen leaves, bark, buds, twigs, thorns, and more.

A Favorite Place

John W. Garbutt, Class of 2019- It is a place that you wake at 0100 for so you can arrive before sunrise. At dawn, you set out on the trail, the day’s trailblazer, the brim of your hat cobwebbed. Canyon Wrens great the day with song. An elk bugles in the distance.

Edition 54 – Shaking The Trees – November 2024

The Friends of Hagerman NWR Refuge Roundup was a Big Success, Thanks to TMN Volunteers!

Submitted by Patricia Crain, Class of 2018 The Refuge Roundup festival on the Second Saturday in October is always a big day for the Friends of Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge, and this year the TMN were there to help! In fact, BPTMN volunteers working with the Friends of Hagerman NWR contributed over 600 hours of volunteer service in October, 2024! Activities for the Refuge Roundup Included: A Native Plant Sale AT – Early Bird Walk with Jack Chiles, BPTMN AT – Tram Tours of the Refuge, with Bert Garcia, BPTMN and Maraget Avard, BPTMN (Pictured) AT – Raptors of Texoma…

Wanted: Nature Tram Tour Drivers at Hagerman NWR

Posted by Patricia Crain, Class of 2018 Cathy Van Bebber, BPTMN, leads a Wildlife Explorer Tour. Become a Tram Tour Driver for the Friends of Hagerman! Would you enjoy sharing your love of nature with interested tourists and visitors of a National Wildlife Refuge? The Friends of Hagerman NWR are looking for nature enthusiasts to lead nature tram tours along the beautiful shoreline of the refuge in Lake Texoma’s Big Mineral Arm. The Wildlife Explorer runs every Saturday and Sunday afternoon from 2:00-3:30, and guides may choose to lead as many or as few tours as they like. Guides are…

AgriLife Urban and Municipal Parks Workshops

Workshops are extended educational opportunities which provide both education on the topic as well as time to design projects to be completed in your community or department. The following workshops are designed to guide practitioners, volunteers, park or trail boards, friends groups, and community leaders. Additional workshops and programs are considered quarterly upon request.

Native Plant Rescue at Plano Senior High – THIS SATURDAY 23rd

Native Plant Rescue at Plano Senior High – THIS SATURDAY Nov. 23rd. Have you wanted to participate in a Native Plant Rescue? Here is your chance to join fellow naturalists from the surrounding communities to extract plants from large pocket prairie at Plano Senior High School and transplant the native plants at the Canyon Creek Wetlands and Wildscapes project.

2024 December Blackland Prairie Chapter Holiday Party

We are excited to invite our Blackland Prairie Chapter members to our annual holiday party! This event is In-Person only! It will be an excellent opportunity to catch up with Partners, Project Leaders, the 2024 Meeting & Deep Dive Speakers, Mothing setup friends, and fellow chapter members to celebrate the holiday season. We hope to see you there!

Rewilding Sticker Hill: Is it Finally Fall?

By Karen Glenn BPTMN, Posted by Patricia Crain Class of 2018 Article V of the Rewilding Series Leaves are beginning to drop from trees and shrubs, summer plants are drying out and turning dormant, and the fall bloomers are beginning to slow down a bit as the occasional cooler weather prepares us for the winter ahead. We are currently experiencing another false fall. There may be more summer-like days, but soon cool days will be here. That means it is almost chore time. Purple asters and goldenrod are the dominant plants still actively producing forage for the pollinators on Sticker…

Laura Beck holding a Bob White Quail chick.

Addressing the Quail Decline: CKWRI Online Survey of Quail Stakeholders

I am conducting research on stakeholders’ perceptions of the northern bobwhite decline in Texas, and you have been selected to take part in an online survey questionnaire. The goal for this survey is to learn of stakeholders’ perceptions about the bobwhite decline in Texas, research and management needs to help address this decline, and availability and sources of bobwhite management information.

Farmersville Prairie Restoration with Collin College

New Project at Collin College – Farmersville Campus, 501 S Collin Pkwy, Farmersville, TX 75442. Opportunities include general prairie restoration activities, removing invasive species, collecting and spreading seed, deadheading forbs, transplanting natives, prairie maintenance also participating in iNaturalist surveys, educational walks for college students and/or community members.

Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey

This classic of American environmental writing is not a book about the desert but an elegy for a piece of nature no longer pristine. The author spent 3 seasons as a park ranger in southeastern Utah in the spring and summer of the mid 1960s through 1968 at Arches National Monument.

Message from our Librarian

Attention BPC/TMN members! Please do not donate any new books without checking with the Chapter Librarian Linder Orourke or Training Director Nancy Casillas. The library is in the process of being updated, plus we are out of storage space at the Heard Museum for books. Be sure and stop by the Book Table at the next chapter meeting and explore the new and updated books. Thanks, Linder Orourke, Librarian

Edition 53 – Shaking The Trees – October 2024

BPTMN 2020 09 Rick Travis Mushroom on Forest Floor

2024 November Deep Dive – Mycology 101 with Jean Suplick

Join us for a Deep Dive on A Beginner’s Guide to Encountering the Wild World of Mushrooms with Jean Suplick

Connemara Mothing Event Summary

A big thank you to all those who attended our 3rd annual mothing event at Connemara! Whether you helped with a screen and lighting set-up or came to observe, you helped make our event a great one.

Community Outreach Booth for Educator Expo – Allen

Marla Layne, Class of 2023 BPTMN Community Outreach team (l to r) Kathy Boys, Tina Burke, and Barbara Hibberd demonstrated educational projects to area educators and student support groups during the Allen Educator Expo sponsored by Keep Allen Beautiful and the City of Allen.

Rewilding Sticker Hill: Trying to Succeed at Succession

Article and Photos by Karen Glenn, Blackland Prairie Master Naturalist; Submitted by Patricia Crain, Class of 2018 One thing I really love about the concept of rewilding is the opportunity to take things slow. It is a process of working with nature and looking at a habitat from the perspective of native flora and fauna. Farming and gardening are mostly based on a human perspective of land use. Permaculture practices were movements towards rewilding, and while building a permaculture is much better for the native habitat, the practices still focus on a human-needs perspective. While I add my own food…

Ride of the Headless Horseman

Ride of the Headless Horseman by Melanie Schuchart. Praying Mantis, Order Mantodea, get their name from the position they hold their arms which are designed for grasping prey but appear as held in prayer.

Texas Pollinator Bioblitz, October 11th – 27th, 2024

Observers can share their photos and videos on Instagram and Facebook (#TXPollinators). Pollinators can be difficult to identify, so observers are encouraged to post what they know, which may be a simple description of the species or its behavior.

2024 November Deep Dive – Mycology 101 with Jean Suplick

Join us for a Deep Dive on A Beginner’s Guide to Encountering the Wild World of Mushrooms with Jean Suplick

Connemara Mothing Event Summary

A big thank you to all those who attended our 3rd annual mothing event at Connemara! Whether you helped with a screen and lighting set-up or came to observe, you helped make our event a great one.

Community Outreach Booth for Educator Expo – Allen

Rewilding Sticker Hill: Trying to Succeed at Succession

Ride of the Headless Horseman

Texas Pollinator Bioblitz, October 11th – 27th, 2024

Edition 52 – Shaking The Trees – September 2024

Welcome to Our Tribe: Kim Tingle

Patricia Crain, Class of 2018 My name is Kim Tingle and I’m a fourth-generation Collin County native. I grew up playing in the creek beds of Honey Creek, Wilson Creek, Rutherford Branch, Doe Branch, and in Grayson County at Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge. My favorite memories are of hiking, turning over rocks to discover hidden critters, and slipping over algae-covered stones to seine little pools for fish, mussels and bugs. Real fishing trips with my dad typically ended with dad cleaning our catch and the two of us studying the details of fish anatomy. I loved it! I attended Celina…

My Spring Amongst the Night-Herons- Part 5

John W. Garbutt, Class of 2019- There alone, was an approximately three-week-old nestling Night-Heron on the ground.

Gathering Moss: A Book Review by the Chapter Librarian

Gathering Moss: by Robin Wall Kimmerer A Book Review by the TMN Blackland Prairie Chapter Librarian Linder O’Rourke August 5, 2024 This lovely narrative begins with Robin Kimmerer’s memories as a student in the Adirondacks as she was roaming the forest studying rocks and mosses. Her goal was to understand the diverse communities of mosses and the conditions that foster their growth. Mosses are designed for success in very tiny niches in every ecosystem on earth. There are 22,000 species of mosses in the world, and they inhabit surfaces and reproduce by spores which are elevated on tiny stalks and…

A Walk Through the Woods – A Healing Experience

A Poem by Linda Barnes, Class of 2024 – A Walk Through the Woods – A Healing Experience

Rewilding: What May Grow Without The Mow?

Small property owners can make a substantial impact on the local flora and fauna by providing native vegetation that local food webs count on. Small properties may act as steppingstones between larger sections of native habitat, providing a place for migrating species to rest and forage. Read about how Karen Glenn, BPTMN, is “Rewilding” her property to support native wildlife.

Volunteers Needed at Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge

Share your love of nature with visitors to a National Wildlife Refuge, while meeting other nature enthusiasts. Volunteers greet visitors and provide trail maps and other refuge information, including interpretation. Volunteers engage youth with the Junior and Advanced Ranger programs, including oath recital and badge awards.

My Summer Goodbye to the Night-Herons

John W. Garbutt, Class of 2019- It was a warm and windy Fourth of July. As I approached the pond, the sound of Chimney Swifts and their successful broods greeted me. Arriving at the pond, I hoped to see the fledgling Yellow-crowned Night-Herons exploring for the first time.

My Favorite Things through the Four Seasons: Spring

John W. Garbutt, Class of 2019- I never really looked forward to spring being a lover of winter’s cooler air. Then I got into birding and in turn began paying attention to the natural world. I now look forward to the plant’s subtle signs they are awakening from their winter slumber, the behavioral changes of the resident birds, and for the arrival and passing through of neotropical migrants to our area.

Outreach Event – Heard Museum Homeschool Day

The Community Engagement team unveiled a new education tool at the Heard Museum Homeschool Day created by Adele Bourget as part of her 2024 New Class project.

My Favorite Things through the Four Seasons: Summer

John W. Garbutt- Class of 2019- I have always found irony in that on the summer solstice, when the sun reaches its northern most location in the sky, it provides the longest amount of daylight during the course of a year and that the subsequent days get shorter, yet hotter as we long for fall by late August.

My Trees

A Poem by Linda Barnes, Class of 2024 – My Trees

Save the date 2025 Urban Riparian Symposium

Save the date for the upcoming 2025 Urban Riparian Symposium, hosted by the Texas Water Resources Institute and the Texas Riparian Association! February 19 – 21, 2025 in Waco

Edition 51 – Shaking The Trees – August 2024

Welcome to Our Tribe: Cathy Van Bebber

Patricia Crain, Class of 2018, Recent Bluestem Transfer Cathy Van Bebber My name is Cathy Van Bebber, an Army brat who has moved and lived all over the world. As a child and, like most of you, I lived outdoors, playing with my friends from early morning until dusk. When my husband and I moved to Sherman, I went back to college and got degrees in Early Christianity and Jewish History—which did not qualify me to do anything with nature. LOL! That all changed about 15 years ago when my children were older and I needed something to do. I…

Indigo Bunting on the Throne!

Balaji Devarajan, Class of 2022 – These photos are to share my excitement when I saw this handsome Indigo Bunting in a wild sunflower patch!! I went to Connemara Meadow to see a Barred Owl and I was not only lucky to see the owl, but also extra lucky to see the Bunting on a sunflower.

Late Summer Deep Dives (Advanced Training) to beat the heat!

Cali Bakker, Class of 2024 – “Requiem for a Wren”, with ED Burke and “Pocket Prairies of the Blackland Prairie Chapter”, with Susan Abernethy.

Lights Out, Texas! 2024 Curriculum Pilot Project – August

Mei Ling Liu, Director of Lights Out Texas – The Lights Out, Texas! founding and coordinating partners are working together to create two curricula that can be implemented at the 3rd – 5th grade and 6th – 8th grade levels. The goal is to provide these resources online free of charge and encourage teachers to implement the curriculum in class.

Reptile Appreciation Workshop with Sam Kieschnick hosted by North Texas Chapter.

Sam Kieschnick, Urban Wildlife Biologist, TPWD – Presentations include the evolution of reptiles, alligators, snakes of North Central Texas, green anoles, red-eared sliders, and the history of hating snakes. We’ll also have live reptiles to look at!

Summer Mothing with TPWD’s Sam Kieschnick At Oak Point Park

Leah Justice, Class of 2021 – It was a typical hot and humid summer night at the recent mothing event at Oak Point on June 15th. Sam Keischnick spoke to the crowd of park visitors and master naturalists about insects that we might see. The kids in the audience were very excited to interact with a Common Green Darner dragonfly that showed up on one of the screens early in the evening.

Edition 50 – Shaking The Trees – July 2024

Beverly Carpenter working on Fossils at the Heard Museum

Beverly Carpenter, A Master Naturalist, Animal Lover and Plant Enthusiast

Deborah Canterbury, Class of 2014 – Beverly Carpenter passed away on July 6, 2024. Beverly was a member of class 2013. She was on the Executive Board board serving as Secretary from 2017-2018.

Baby Bald Eagle Rescue

Libby Aragon, Class of 2024 Baby Bald Eagle Returned to Nest, Photo Credit Jacob Drapkin – BPRC Volunteer Heavy May thunderstorms knocked a bald eagle nest with 2 eaglets out of its tree near White Rock Lake. One eaglet was found and rescued thanks to quick action by local neighbors and the City of Dallas. Blackland Prairie Raptor Center was able to assess the eaglet and determined it was in good health. They were able to quickly return the baby bald eagle, named Henley, to its parents for reintroduction in the original nesting area. For full details, watch this CBS…

Welcome to our Tribe: Patricia Crain

Patricia Crain, Class of 2018, Recent Bluestem Chapter Transfer My name is Patricia Crain, and I have been a nature lover all my life. I grew up in the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and even when I was very little I felt that there was too much concrete everywhere. I spent as much time outside as possible and loved to go camping. I was a Girl Scout until I became the troop leader and spent every summer living in tents at Girl Scout camps until I graduated from college. After college, I had a family and moved to Dallas, and…

The Hagerman NWR Chapter Field Trip

Patricia Crain, Class of 2018 Eighteen Blackland Prairie Master Naturalists enjoyed a day of AT including an Early Bird Walk with Jack Chiles, BMN and Ornithologist Wayne Meyer. After the bird walk, they attended a Second Saturday presentation about Shrews with Dr. Bryon Clark, a Butterfly Garden Walk hosted by Friends of Hagerman NWR Garden docents including BPTMN members Cindy Steele, Cathy Van Bebber, Pamela Flaming and Nana Rylander. The day continued with a picnic in the pavilion and a presentation about Hagerman with Cathy Van Bebber. Unfortunately, the scheduled tram tour of the refuge was cancelled due to flooding.…

My Spring Amongst the Night-Herons- Part 3

John W. Garbutt, Class of 2019 – “Sometimes I don’t. If I like a moment, for me, personally, I don’t like to have the distraction of the camera. I just want to stay in it.”- Sean O’ Connell- The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

My Spring Amongst the Night-Herons- Part 4

John W. Garbutt, Class of 2019 – By the second weekend of May I anticipated finding evidence of hatchling or nestling stage herons. When attempting to find evidence that the eggs have hatched, I look for many things.

Edition 49 – Shaking The Trees – June 2024

Celebrating the Success of the BPTMN Class of 2024!

Lisa Travis, 2024 BPTMN Training Director – We’re thrilled to share the news of the successful completion of training for the Blackland Prairie Chapter Class of 2024! The Landing at Myers Park was packed with over 150 guests who joined us in celebrating their achievements.

Community Engagement Booth with Tina Burke Barb Hibbard Kathy Boys at an Earth Day Event UT Dallas Photo by Marla Layne

Community Engagement Booth on Earth Day at University of Texas Dallas

Kathy Boys, Class of 2023 – On April 25th Blackland Prairie Texas Master Naturalists had the pleasure of celebrating all things Earth Day at University of Texas Dallas’s Earthweek event. It was a delight to engage with over 75 inquisitive students and faculty/staff about our program, flowers and pollinators, environmental stewardship, their Bee Campus program and pocket prairies.

Emerald ash borer confirmed in four more North Texas counties. Texas A&M AgriLife is collecting data, asking for TMN help.

Submitted by: Leah Justice, Class of 2021 – Local media articles about the Emerald Ash Borer and have you spotted an emerald ash borer? Texas A&M AgriLife wants to know….

My Spring Amongst the Night-Herons- Part 1

John W. Garbutt, Class of 2019 – “It is fortunate, perhaps, that no matter how intently one studies the hundred little dramas of the wood and meadows, on can never learn all of the salient facts about any one of them.”- Aldo Leopold, “Sky Dance”- A Sand County Almanac

My Spring Amongst the Night-Herons- Part 2

John W. Garbutt, Class of 2019 – As April entered its first week, the moon was destined to intercept our line of sight to the sun, as were the Night-Herons for each other. April is possibly my favorite month in this location because of the sensations of spring, the smells and sounds.

A Thousand Mile Walk to the Gulf by John Muir: A Book Review

A Book Review by BPC Librarian, Linder O’Rourke – A Thousand Mile Walk to the Gulf by John Muir: Writings compiled by John Bade: John Muir is known as the “father of our national parks” and is one of America’s greatest voices for the preservation of our wilderness. This short narrative about his walk from New England to the southern states in America which he called his “foot-tour” is beautifully chronicled and illustrated.

Edition 48 – Shaking The Trees – May 2024

Scissor-tailed (Butter) Flycatcher

Balaji Devarajan, Class of 2022 – Scissor-tailed Flycatchers have taken residence near the fields by my house, and I spend hours watching them! When I told these birds I am a Texas Master Naturalist, they challenged me with a butterfly ID quiz! I guessed 6 out of 8 correct.

Girl Scouts learn about Blackland Prairie Ecosystem

BPTMN’s Eco Explorers’ Spring Explorations

Vicki Sanders, BPTMN 2022 Our Girl Scouts have been very busy this Spring semester with over 100 girls signing up for events in January, February, March, and April! The program is open to any Girl Scout, from kindergarten to 12th grade, who lives in North Texas, and is administered by BPTMN members Kathy Boys, Randy Boys, Kim Montange, and Vicki Sanders, who are all also members of Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas. Each event featured guest BPTMN members who shared their experience and time with the girls. In January, BPTMN member Jean Suplick joined us for a lesson on birds.…

Nick Nixon, a Master Naturalist and a Wilderness Lover

Linda Nixon, Class of 2018 – Nick, who passed away on April 22, 2024, at the age of 75, was an Air Force Veteran from 1969-1974, a Master Naturalist, a wilderness volunteer, and a loving husband. He was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2017, but he did not let that stop him from pursuing his passions and sharing them with his wife.

Toxic Plants

Susan Abernethy, Class of 2018 – My HOA asked me to assist them in identifying whether certain plants on their grant proposal list might be toxic to children and pets. The city of Plano required this information on their neighborhood beautification project grant proposal. I was able to research native plants they plan to use that might be considered toxic from two books.

Thoughts From Behind the Viewfinder Vol 3. Part 2

John W. Garbutt, Class of 2019- Around Thanksgiving the autumn color reaches its late and brief climax. I hope to use the canvas nature provides as a backdrop for the ducks on the pond.

Day of Advanced Training at Hagerman NWR for Blackland Prairie Chapter Members

Patricia Crain, Friends of Hagerman – An AT Experience at Hagerman NWR Saturday, June 8th Come and enjoy a day in the largest natural space in North Texas. Explore hundreds of acres of wildflowers, five hiking trails, plentiful buntings, deafening Dickcissels and a tours of our Butterfly Garden with docents to help identify plants and butterflies.

Edition 47 – Shaking The Trees – April 2024

Park by Park – Surveying the Trees of North Texas

Written by Jerry Hambly, Elm Fork Chapter – Park by Park – Surveying the Trees of North Texas -This engaging and informative article by Jerry Hamby from the Elm Fork Chapter elaborates on several tree surveys lead by Rick Travis at Coppell Nature Park, Beulah Acres, LISDOLA Pratt Nature Preserve and Grand Park. Jerry delves into all aspects of Rick Travis’s work as a Naturalist, shedding light on his contributions to environmental stewardship and the nurturing of a new generation of naturalists. If you want to join Rick in his Tree surveys, contact him at rickt@bptmn.org.

Our Fortune 250 Hours – Kathy Boys

Kathy Boys, Class of 2023 – I’ve been wanting to do this program for years! I’ve always loved nature and have worried about our environment and man’s impact. Now I feel like I can make a difference as a volunteer, particularly through youth engagement and education.

Thoughts From Behind the Viewfinder Vol 3.

John W. Garbutt- Class of 2019- When the end of October nears, my thoughts are not of candy and costumes but of the waterfowl arriving to North Texas. In the midst of suburbia, it seems that every branded neighborhood or park contains artificial bodies of water or ponds fed by diverting water from an existing creek. In doing this, “we” have unintentionally, or perhaps sometimes with purpose, created a plethora of winter homes for waterfowl seeking respite from the frozen bodies of water in which they were raised.

Native Bees – What’s the buzz?

Vicki Sanders, Class of 2023 – Everyone is familiar with the Western Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) because it provides us with honey and is a pollinator of many plants. But did you know that it is not indigenous to North America? We have around 4,000 bees that are indigenous to our continent; and in Texas there are at least 1,100 native bee species, possibly up to 1,500. Unlike honeybees, our native bees struggle when they cannot find native plants which provide their primary sources of nectar and pollen.

Ravenwood

Greg Tonian, Class of 2017 – Springtime has come to Ravenhood. Crane flies have been swarming for weeks, Carcasses strewn throughout the house. They seem to arrive in a frenzy, then vanish, Arising from winter’s grasp, Why in such haste, Peer pressure to be the first to emerge, To procreate?

Frankford Prairie Hyacinths by Cynthia Alexander-Coday

Spring is Coming to the Frankford Prairie

Julia Koch, NTMN – Spring is coming to Frankford Prairie… and so is the spring Prairie tour (April 13th 4:00-6:00) as well as our spring concert April 29th @ 6:30.

Plummeting Monarch Butterfly Population: Experts warn of a summer with fewer butterflies, urge action

Leah Justice, Class of 2021– Article sourced from WFAA, Author Jesse Hawila, Feb. 16, 2024

April 8, 2024 Eclipse Information

Rick Travis, Class of 2018 – Click here for information on the April 8th Solar Eclipse, watch a Eclipse 101 Deep Dive with Vicki Sanders, additional Eclipse Path Maps and Links to local Eclipse Events.

Thoughts From Behind the Viewfinder Vol 2.

John W. Garbutt- Class of 2019- I have been fortunate to have a few memorable encounters at Frisco Commons. Some of my favorites are my first Golden-winged Warbler, my first Least Bittern, a Ring-necked Pheasant, coyotes, a Great-horned Owl, Eastern Screech Owls, bobcats, and the Cooper’s Hawk and Yellow-crowned Night-Heron nests. One of the most recent encounters was of a pair of Bobcats.

Edition 46 – Shaking The Trees – March 2024

Project Spotlight – Clymer Meadow with Eclipse details and Spring Tour Dates

Michelle Connally, Class of 2018 – If you live in North Texas, you should visit the Clymer Meadow. It is a 1,475 acre of majestic Blackland Prairie managed by the Nature Conservancy. There is no better time to visit than the spring with the nice weather and gorgeous wildflowers. Our Blackland Prairie Chapter members have monthly and quarterly workdays available. 1st Thursdays, 3rd Wednesdays and Feb, June, Sept and Nov 4th Saturdays.

Plano Park Project Update

Jean Higgins, Class of 2023 – Excitement is brewing in Plano as we kick off our groundbreaking Plano Parks project with a bang! Our inaugural workday at Oak Point Park and Nature Preserve saw an incredible turnout of 17 enthusiastic individuals, braving the cold to make a monumental difference.

Lights out Dallas Spring 2024

From the Texas Conservation Alliance Newsletter 2-23-2024 Excitement is in the air as we gear up for the upcoming Spring Migration Season! Soon, our city will be abuzz with the sights and sounds of migratory birds making their journey. We are preparing to be on the lookout each morning and continue raising awareness of the dangers that light pollution poses to migratory wildlife. The three pillars of Lights Out, Dallas are collision monitoring, education, and advocacy. Thus far, our efforts have focused primarily on collision monitoring surveys, limiting our capacity for education and advocacy. Starting this season, the number of…

Thoughts From Behind the Viewfinder Vol 1.

John W. Garbutt- Class of 2019- “We must remember that the public can see all the animals we have in any good zoo, but to see them in their natural environment they must come to places like the Wichita”- Aldo Leopold, 1925. Despite my numerous trips here, it was my trip on October 1st that I first noticed this quote. My trip was to see Rocky Mountain Elk which were extirpated from the area by 1875 and reintroduced in 1908.

Natural Pathways at LLELA Program Expansion – February 2024

Angela Lewallen, LLELA – We are excited to announce that the program is ready for expansion! Natural Pathways is now seeking TPWD employees, UNT students who are working on research projects at LLELA, and Master Naturalist engaged in citizen science projects to partner with us to lead groups of students that will further our expanded mission to: broaden students’ understanding and use of tools and strategies for restoration practices; develop their skills in areas such as ecological restoration, habitat management, and field research; and increase their awareness of possible career paths.

“Eleven Ways of Seeing a Crow”

Linder O’Rourke, Class of 2023 – “Eleven Ways of Seeing a Crow” (Inspired by Wallace Stevens’ “13 Ways of Looking at a Blackbird”)

Sharing naturalist events on Social Media: What our chapter members need to know.

Michelle Connally, Class of 2018 – We’re excited to announce a change to increase our social media engagement and impact! With unanimous board approval, the Communications Committee can now independently share community events aligned with our mission on social media.

Edition 45 – Shaking The Trees – January/ February 2024

Our Tribe’s Fortune – Ruby: 4,000 Hours – Lisa Travis

Lisa Travis, Class of 2018 – When I first heard about the program, I was mainly interested in the education part, and didn’t know too much about the volunteering aspect. We attended an open house with the NTMN chapter, and I thought several of the volunteering projects sounded interesting. We started attending meetings at the Blackland Prairie Chapter, and it seemed like they were a great group of people who were doing something to make a difference, and I knew it was something I wanted to be a part of.

Our Tribe’s Fortune – Gold: 1000 Hours – Leah Justice

Leah Justice, Class of 2021 – “Being outside is my happy place. One day, I came across a conversation on social media about quails in Connemara where someone mentioned Texas Master Naturalists.”

Monarchs Needs Your Help! Monarch Monitoring Research Opportunity

Laurie Sheppard, Class of 2017 – like Hagerman is an important part of the research shaping scientists’ understanding of how monarchs interact with their environment and how the population and its habitat changes over time.

Apricity is a hiemal word!

Balaji Devarajan, Class of 2022 – weather for an entire week between Jan 21st and 27th. After a long wait, there was light at the end of the week. That Sunday Jan 28th was literally a SUN-day as the sun shone bright on a clear sky. That’s also when I came across a new word “apricity”.

Friend or Foe?

Leah Justice and Rich Jaynes – An interesting grass shows up in the winter and in drought conditions. Right now you can find it in our parks or neighborhoods. “The common name rescue grass refers to the ability of the grass to provide forage after harsh droughts or severe winters.” (Source: Wikipedia). Still curious about this green winter grass, I asked NTMN member Rich Jaynes his take on it and here is what he had to say:

Community Engagement – Sustainability

Marla Layne, Class of 2023 and 2024 Community Engagement Director – BPTMN Bryan Beck educated an engaged group of eight-year-old students on environmental issues on January 20, 2024 at the M.T.O. Shahmaghsoudi Dallas First Junior and Teens Sustainability Seminar.

When Is It Safe to Dream About Fall?

John Garbutt, Class of 2019 – When is it safe to dream of autumn’s cooler days and colors? Is it perhaps today (early August), a day when Texans rejoiced, for the consecutive streak of twenty-one days over 100 degrees Fahrenheit was broken with an official high temperature of 99 degrees? Or was yesterday the day, when two southbound migrants, a Yellow Warbler and an Empidonax flycatcher, flittered about the foliage running along the creek as I sat and rested after a morning run?

Bald eagle spotted in Plano

Submitted by Leah Justice, Class of 2021 – Sue Makuta, Class of 2021 saw Daniel Miranda, Class of 2023 on the news talking about the Eagle spotted at Oak Point Park. Here is the clip we can share! Exciting!

Food Instincts of the Orange-crowned Warbler

Balaji Devarajan, Class of 2022 – A Yellow-bellied Sapsucker made a few cuts on the Willow tree to consume the tree sap. It was perched at the same spot for more than two hours. At some point it had enough sap and decided to move on; and almost immediately an Orange-crowned Warbler came out of nowhere to the holes made by the Sapsucker.

Edition 44 – Shaking The Trees – November 2023

Our Tribe’s Fortune: Ruby 4,000 Hours – Rick Travis

Rick Travis, Class of 2018 – “Accommodating the growing number of people wanting to undergo training and join the Chapter.”

Our Tribe’s Fortune: Silver 500 Hours – Marla Lane

Marla Layne, Class of 2023 – “I have been fortunate to have tremendous mentors.”

Our Tribe’s Fortune: Silver 500 Hours – Vicki Sanders

Vicki Sanders, Class of 2022 – “I have loved every minute of achieving my 500-hour milestone!”

Our Tribe’s Fortune: Bronze 250 Hours – Jean Higgins

Jean Higgins, Class of 2022 – “Indeed, every child, regardless of their background or circumstance, deserves the opportunity to embrace the inherent splendor of nature as an essential part of their upbringing.”

Our Tribe’s Fortune: Bronze 250 Hours – Renee Dowhaniuk

Renee Dowhaniuk, Class of 2023 – “Being a Master Naturalist is like being a chef, your dish may be a little different than the next person. You will add a little bit of spice, unique to you and make your mission uniquely you.”

Welcome to our Tribe: Andrea Ridout, North Texas Chapter

Andrea Ridout, Class of 2009, North Texas Chapter transfer – “I recently moved to Addison and joined the Blackland Prairie Master Naturalist group. When I attended the first meeting, I knew that I was in a room full of my peeps. Thanks for making me feel so welcome.”

2023 TMN Annual Conference Blackland Prairie Chapter Awardees

Congratulations to our fellow Blackland Prairie Chapter Annual Awardees!

The 2023 Annual Conference October 14 Eclipse at El Sauz Ranch is sponsored by the East Foundation.

Vickie Sanders, Class of 2022 – “Clouds. They can be lovely, or provide shade, or promise much needed rain, but on Saturday, October 14, they were NOT what we wanted to see. Eight buses with over 400 Texas Master Naturalists loaded up in McAllen and headed to El Sauz Ranch, very anxious to see what the day held.”

2023 Texas Master Naturalist 1st Place Award for Trees of North Texas Brochure (PDF download) by Lisa Travis

Andrea Ridout, Class of 2009 – “Lisa’s Trees of North Texas guide is so useful that she even won an award for it at this year’s Texas Master Naturalist Annual Conference.”

Our Colorful Pond Visitors

Barbara Hibberd, Class of 2023 – “Starting in the fall (usually between Halloween and Thanksgiving) several other species of ducks arrive to spend the winter. I am fortunate to live by Big Lake Park in Plano which is home to many interesting ducks. My husband and I also often picnic at Bethany Lakes Park in Allen where we can find several species that don’t come to the creek by our house.”

Eco Explorers On the Go!

Kathy Boys, Class of 2023 – “October took us to Oak Point Park and Nature Preserve in East Plano. Master Naturalist, Daniel Miranda, was our tree and trail expert, guiding us along one of the many nature trails offered. Master Naturalists, Daniel Miranda, Randy Boys, Kathy Boys and Kim Montange, took 34 Girl Scouts, their leaders, and family on this adventure to earn four different badge levels (Daisy Shapes in Nature, Brownie Hiker, Junior Animal Habitats, and Cadette Trees). ”

News Article – Trees Are Stressed. Now They Can Tell Us Why

Leah Justice, Class of 2021 – Submitted Bloomberg Article by Todd Woody – TreeTag sensors, developed by startup ePlant, can give homeowners, farmers and forestry managers early warning when trees are water stressed or in danger.

Edition 43 – Shaking The Trees – October 2023

Sue Makuta standing in front of a Mountain Resort in Colorado.

Our Tribe’s Fortune 1,000 Hours – Sue Makuta

Sue Makuta, Class of 2021 – There is a saying, “Bloom where you are planted.” I was born and raised in Colorado. I grew up in Cheyenne Canyon in the foothills of Colorado Springs. Being outside, exploring the canyons, raising gardens with my grandparents and mom, and enjoying nature were my playgrounds and activities.

The historical record for the Collin County Texas Master Naturalist Chapter – THE BLACKLAND PRAIRIE CHAPTER OF THE TEXAS MASTER NATURALISTS

Donna Cole, Class of 2006 – We did hold our first class that February of 2006, and with over twenty new members we could qualify for ‘chapterhood’ and became THE BLACKLAND PRAIRIE CHAPTER OF THE TEXAS MASTER NATURALISTS!

Gulf Fritillary Caterpillar on Passionflower

In my backyard? Are you kidding?

Sam Crowe, Class of 2021 – For years, I have been trimming shrubs and pulling out vines that have been determined to take over everything in my yard. That changed a little this year. One day, I glanced out the window and saw what looked like a Gulf Fritillary laying eggs on one of the vines. For the next few days, I paid more attention to the area, and every day, Gulf Fritillary would stop by.

Continued Observations of a Yellow-crowned Night-Heron Colony

John W. Garbutt, Class of 2019 – On May 1st I set out to observe the herons hunting along the edge of the pond. I anticipated that with mouths to feed in the colony, I would find a lot of heron activity at sunrise. I laid on the ground using a Bald Cypress as a blind and its roots as a tripod as I awaited a heron to work its way toward me.

Western Honey Bee’s in Tom’s backyard

Tom Shackelford, Class of 2018 – These Western Honey Bees have been working hard and enjoying the bird bath recently placed nearby for fresh water.

If I were

Greg Tonian, Class of 2017 – If I were… Poem – A reflection on a Labor Day Weekend Backpacking Adventure on the 29-mile Eagle Rock Loop In Arkansas in The Ouachita National Forest.

Edition 42 – Shaking The Trees – August and September 2023

Roadrunner Diet

Balaji Devarajanm, Class of 2022 – I enjoyed watching the Roadrunner parents hunt and bring food to feed the three chicks in the nest at Erwin Park, McKinney. Their buffet spread is huge with snakes, cicadas, caterpillars, grasshoppers, lizards, and others. I hope you like these photos!

Stream Team Member Tom Heath Photo by Vicki Sanders

Protecting Our Water through Stream Team Monitoring

Vicki Sanders, Class of 2022 – Tom Heath is a great example of how we show our love of water by conducting regular testing. He has been a member of Texas Stream Team since 2005. He started out as an advocate for clean water as a member of For The Love of the Lake with White Rock Lake since 2003 and jumped on the opportunity to become more engaged by taking the Standard Core Testing Training offered by Texas Stream Team by the City of Dallas.

Texans … USGS scientists want your dead butterflies, moths

Article Submission by Leah Justice, Class of 2021 – Check out this article about USGS Scientists want your dead butterflies, moths.

Two supermoons in August mean double the stargazing fun

Article Submission by Leah Justice, Class of 2021 – Check out this great article on two Super moons in August.

Yellow Crowned Night Heron Photo By John Garbutt

Observations of a Yellow-crowned Night-Heron Colony

John W. Garbutt, Class of 2019 – March was winding down. The morning was cool, which made for a lovely morning to make another attempt at locating the Cooper’s Hawks’ nest in the riparian area of the park. I finally found it on the 26th. It turned out that the Hawks were renovating the previous year’s construction. Excited with the discovery, I decided to head down the path to scout where the Yellow-crowned Night-Heron pair nested the previous year near the creek.

2023 Blackland Prairie Chapter 2nd Annual Mothing Event Kimberlie Sason

2nd Annual BPTMN Mothing Event at Connemara Preserve – July 22, 2023

Michelle Connally, 2018 – The Connemara meadow provided a serene backdrop as the sun set on our annual Summer event. Bob Mione, the Connemara Restoration Manager, talked with guests about the meadow. Five mothing setups were presented by Rick and Lisa Travis, Jean and Michael Suplick, Melanie Schuchart, and Patrick Pilarski.

When Bison Roamed the Blackland

Paul Napper, 2015 – Hiking at Oak Point in Plano is something Cindy and I enjoy. In March this year we were hiking part of the trail that gets close to the bank of Rowlett Creek. I noticed a place where we could climb down the bank and explore a small gravel bar. As we slowly walked through the gravel looking for interesting rocks or arrowheads I noticed a tooth and picked it up.

Edition 41 – Shaking The Trees – July 2023

Fran Woodfin teaching the 2021 Blackland Prairie Chapter New Class students.

Our Tribe’s Fortune 1000 Hours – Fran Woodfin

Fran Woodin, 2007 – “. I was intrigued and decided to sign up. I have always been interested in nature and have degrees in biology and botany.”

Our Tribe’s Fortune 1,000 Hours – Nancy Riggs

Nancy Riggs, 2021 – “I love being a master naturalist and the Blackland Prairie Chapter is amazing. There is always so much going on within the chapter and it is well run without being ‘over the top’!”

Blackland Prairie Chapter Texas Master Naturalist Greg Tonian at Lewisville Lake Environmental Learning Center with a group of girlscouts.

Our Tribe’s Fortune 500 Hours – Greg Tonian

Greg Tonian, 2017 – “I am having a blast. I particularly enjoy leading Nature Walks, Bug Walks at The Colony Shoreline Trail, shown here, Furneaux Creek Nature Preserve and LLELA.”

Alex Dubovsky at Blackland Prairie Raptor Center

Our Tribe’s Fortune 500 Hours – Alex Dubovsky

Alex Dubovsky, 2019 – I volunteer at the BPRC. My time at the center is a mixed bag. I have helped clear some trees for future expansion, was involved in IT and Video at the Center, and done some Construction.

Our Tribe’s Fortune 500 Hours – Lisa Stripling

Lisa Stripling, 2022 – “Most of my volunteer activity is with the Blackland Prairie Raptor Center in the Rehab Department. “

Jackie Black in her Pocket Prairie Garden

Our Tribe’s Fortune 250 Hours – Jackie Black

Jackie Black, 2018 – “I love being a Master Naturalist and am looking forward to retirement when I can be even more involved!”

Frisco Northwest Community Park Volunteers - Leah Justice, Lisa Travis, Nick Ward, Michelle Norris, Jeff Witt, and Jean Suplick happy with completing another successful day of harvesting seed at NW Park

Our Tribe’s Fortune 250 Hours – Michelle Norris

Michelle Norris, 2021 – “I really enjoy getting out in nature and exploring our beautiful prairie landscape.”

Vicki Sanders holding Emory the Heard Museum Rat Snake

Our Tribe’s Fortune 250 Hours – Vicki Sanders

Vicki Sanders, 2022 -“I just can’t believe I waited so long to get involved with TMN.” I’m very excited to have reached this milestone! Attached is a photo of me volunteering at the Heard Museum with Emory the Rat Snake.

Our Tribe’s Fortune 250 Hours – Anita Bigbee

Anita Bigbee, 2021 – I’m grateful that our chapter offers an opportunity like Connemara Meadow, where you can get your hands dirty and work toward restoring a small piece of our Blackland Prairie.

Hummingbird and Hummingbird Moth White Lined Sphinx Moth sharing Thistle nectar

Hummingbird vs. Hummingbird Moth

Balaji Devarajan, 2022 – This doesn’t happen everyday! So here I am sharing my firsthand witness of this rare interaction between a Hummingbird and the Hummingbird Moth (White-lined Sphinx Moth). I was birding at the Oak Point Park and Nature Preserve with my camera to take pictures of the Dickcissel. While I got one shot of the Dickcissel, the photo highlights from that day were the Copperhead snake, Gulf Fritillary butterfly, and the Hummingbird Moth. This small post narrates the few minutes faceoff between a Hummingbird and a Hummingbird Moth.

Plano Parks Mothing Event with Sam Kieschnick identifying moths with young attendees.

Plano Parks and Recreation Summer Mothing Event – June 17, 2023

Leah Justice, 2021 – Plano Parks and Recreation and the Blackland Prairie Texas Master Naturalist Chapter partnered up for a Summer Mothing Event with Sam Kieschnick on Saturday, June 17th It was precisely the kind of night you would hope for to attract the moths, hot and humid! Despite the sweltering heat, a large crowd of about 120-130 people assembled.

Red Spotted Purple Butterfly on Button Bush at Hagerman Wildlife Refuge Photo By Sam Crowe

Hagerman for butterflies? – June 10, 2023

Sam Crowe, 2022 – On June 10, I took a trip up to Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge to see if there were any shorebirds still hanging around or maybe some already heading back south. I once saw a beautiful, breeding-plumaged American Golden Plover heading back south from their nesting range in the far north. No luck with the birds but the button bushes were blooming and the butterflies were taking advantage of the opportunity. I saw maybe 10 different species on one bush.

Edition 40 – Shaking The Trees – June 2023

Giant African Land Snails at the Holifield Learning Center

A Small Snail Story

Leah Justice, 2021 – As I started to clean a food dish from the decomposer tank at the Heard Museum, I noticed a very teeny tiny snail clinging to a piece of food. Is there such a thing as a baby snail? Not being familiar with the life cycle of snails, a bit of research was necessary to answer this simple question. It was soon apparent how large and diverse this class of creatures is!

Class of 2023 Aquatics class at Connemara Pond Sampling and learning about macroinvertebrates.

Aquatics class at Connemara Meadow Preserve – June 3, 2023

Vicki Sanders, 2022 – On Saturday, June 3, members of the 2023 BPTMN Class joined LuAnne Ray for a “make-up” class on Aquatics in Connemara Meadow.

Bird on a Dock – Maybe not what you think. – May 14, 2023

Sam Crowe, 2022 – I think the plants are a type of dock. Photographed at Hagerman May 14. The plants were quite colorful. The Dickcissels were abundant and the males were shouting out their territorial claims. My experience is that after nesting takes place the Dickcissels can be difficult to find. Pretty nice video of the bird on the dock, and on a tree, singing different songs

Tufted Titmouse with a Caterpillar in his beak perched on a branch.

Birding the Seasonal Shift – May 12, 2023

John W. Garbutt, 2019 – I have always disliked the end of the year and the subsequent arrival of spring. I like fall and winter. Time seems to slow down from October through December until the last week of the year. Then the next few months seem to go quickly. Perhaps this is some deeper psychological problem for those born on January 1st, which could only be understood after a call to Dr. Crane. Birding has slowly, secretly, made me long for the change in seasons.

Jump on in, the Water’s Fine!

Vicki Sanders, 2022 – It’s heating up outside, so let’s talk about something that will cool us down – WATER! It’s everywhere, and every living thing needs it to survive. Each of us is made up of 60% water! So, how can we be more involved with caring for the water in our environment? Stream Team and Texas Water Specialists are two great opportunities.

Edition 39 – Shaking The Trees – May 2023

Our Tribe’s Fortune 1,000 Hours – George Sims

George Sims, 2006 – “I retired as city clerk of a small town in northeastern Louisiana in 2006, then moved to twenty acres in the Missouri Ozarks, where I became a Missouri Master Naturalist.”

Our Tribe’s Fortune 500 Hours – Marcia Lucido

Marcia Lucido, 2014 – “Now I am a guide on the Training Committee.”

Our Tribe’s Fortune 500 Hours – Leah Beck

Leah Beck, 2017 – “We currently have 37 bob white quail chicks in our garage.”

Nancy Casillas smiling on a nature trail.

Our Tribe’s Fortune 250 Hours – Nancy Casillas

Nancy Casillas, 2009 – “We’re the ones that step CLOSER to the scat.”

2023 Clymer Meadow Annual Wildflower Tour

Wild Flower tour of Clymer Meadow with Brandon Belcher – April 29, 2023

Vicki Sanders, 2022 – On Saturday, May 29, Brandon Belcher of The Nature Conservancy hosted a group of about 35 guests on a chilly morning tour of Clymer Meadow.

Frisco Grand Park Mothing Event with Sam Kieschnick – April 29, 2023

Rick Travis, 2018 – On April 29, our chapter partnered with the Frisco Parks Department to hold a Mothing Event at Grand Park, in support of the iNaturalist City Challenge. It was a real treat and a wonderful experience for all those that attended, which included not only several members of our chapter, but also TMN’s from surrounding chapters, and several families from the Frisco area!

Cypress Basin Chapter 11th Annual Flotilla – April 22, 2023

Michelle Connally, 2018 – As the sunbeams started to hit the water and trees, the sounds of a Northern Cardinal, Tufted Titmouse, Northern Parula, Eastern Kingbird, Mourning Dove, Prothonotary Warbler, and Carolina Wren were identified using the Merlin Bird ID app.

Oak Point Park Nature Walk with Carol Clark – April 19, 2023

Vicki Sanders, 2022 – Mother Nature is running a little slow this Spring, but we still had plenty to see on our walk with Carol Clark on the Natural Wonders of Oak Park Nature Walk on April 19.

Texas Environmental Excellence Award Winner – Bob Mione

Deborah Canterbury, 2014 – Our very own, Bob Mione was awarded the Texas Environmental Excellence Award.

Edition 38 – Shaking The Trees – April 2023

Our Tribe’s Fortune 2,500 Hours – Lorelei Stierlen

Lorelei Stierlen, 2014 – “Attached are two pics, use whichever one you want (couldn’t find the one of me with the chainsaw).”

Smiling Volunteer Judy Rowe sitting on a bench under a tree at the Heard Museum.

Our Tribe’s Fortune 1,000 Hours – Judy Rowe

Judy Rowe, 2007 – “I hope that now that I am “retired”, I can add volunteer hours more quickly!”

One woman and three girls testing the stream water.

Our Tribe’s Fortune 1,000 Hours – Gwen Thomas

Gwen Thomas, 2011 – “The Master Naturalist Program is the essence of the small group of thoughtful, committed citizens. And yes, we are changing the world, one small piece of North Texas at a time.”

Carolyn Lewis with a baby opossum at Holifield Learning Center

Our Tribe’s Fortune 250 Hours – Carolyn Lewis

Carolyn Lewis, 2021 – “Volunteering here has given me the opportunity to learn more about species that I didn’t know much about such as gray rats and the life cycle of opossums!”

Heard Paleo Lab cleans Mosasaur remains collected by SMU

Deborah Canterbury, 2011 – Several months ago the paleo lab members who had been involved for at least 6 years in preparing fossils at the Heard were assigned a tricky preparator duty. They were asked to clean sandstone, a challenge for the most advanced of preparator, from the Mosasaurus remains collected by SMU at a site in Angola, Africa.

Wintering Ducks

John W Garbutt, 2019 – I struggled on how to approach doing an article for the newsletter. I initially wanted to do one on ducks and the seasonal shift that brings them down in autumn. I also switched the theme from my enjoyment of them, my approach to photographing them, and interspersing information about the ducks into the text. After countless rewrites, this is mostly just the facts Joe Friday style.

Edition 37 – Shaking The Trees – February – March 2023

Our Tribe’s Fortune 1,000 Hours – Heather Fell

Heather Fell, 2021 “It is great to see the students get excited about the labs at the Heard and I can share some of the knowledge I have obtained through our BPTMN training classes and working with so many of our wonderful volunteers.”

Our Tribe’s Fortune 1,000 Hours – Laurie Sheppard

Laurie Sheppard, 2017 – “I live in New England four months of the year but I can still be a part of BPTMN every month because of the efforts of the chapter’s BOD. I may not see people in person very often but I still feel welcome when I do.”

Our Tribe’s Fortune 500 Hours – Paulette Platko

Paulette Platko, 2021 – “I’ve enjoyed projects that include prairie restoration, native garden maintenance, butterfly pinning, and working with children at the Heard. I love activities that facilitate my greater understanding and knowledge about the environment and ecology.”

Our Tribe’s Fortune 500 Hours – Page Schreck

Page Schreck, 2016 – “Before I became treasurer I volunteered at the Heard and at the Texas Discovery Garden in Dallas….however this treasurer gig takes a bit of time and these days my grandmother duties preclude me from doing much more than that.”

Our Tribe’s Fortune 250 Hours – Brenda Clark

Brenda Clark, 2021 – “My other passion is photography and the places where I volunteer offer great opportunities to take photos of wildlife and plants/ flowers.”

Indian Mounds Wilderness: Journey to a hidden realm

By Greg Tonian, 2017 Indian Mounds Wilderness beckoned, Edward Fritz had inspired me to go for 37 years In “Realms of Beauty he wrote of a marvelous, Untouched and rare forest, With towering trees: Beech, ash, pine, oak,…”

Edition 36 – Shaking The Trees – January/February 2023

Smiley Woodfin Native Prairie photo for Orstead TNC news release

Preservation of Remnant Smiley-Woodfin Prairie

Rick Travis, 2018 – The article tells the story of how the remnant Smiley-Woodfin Prairie will be preserved versus being eliminated by the construction of a solar power farm. The company, Orsted developing the solar farm and the Nature Conservancy recently reached an agreement that will preserve about 1000 acres of the prairie.

Native Bees of Texas Illustrations by Katie McElroy

Michelle Connally, 2018 – There was a bonus at the end of the January 2023 Chapter meeting, like icing on a cupcake. Everyone was handed a tri fold hand out of the Native Bees of Texas, Illustrated by Katie McElroy, this was her project instead of a presentation. Katie used her artistic skills to demonstrate what she learned about Native Bees. She did such a great job, I wanted to share her work with everyone not at the meeting as well as Texas native bee seekers in the future.

Eastern Phoebe against a bald cypress by Brenda Clark at the Canyon Creek Wetlands

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.

Worm Snake (Carphophis amoenus) by Donna Cole

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

Edition 35 – Shaking The Trees – December 2022

Our Tribe’s Fortune 1,000 Hours – Sarah Densmore

Sarah Densmore, 2021 – I’m currently working on a Master in Science in Wildlife Science, and being a TMN (with so many volunteer hours in one year) was a key reason as to why I was accepted into the masters program.

Our Tribe’s Fortune 500 Hours – Charlise Hill-Larson

Charlise Hill-Larson, 2019 – My interests as a Master Naturalist includes birding, native landscapes and helping others to experience the wonder, beauty and healing power of the natural world. I spend the majority my volunteer time as a trail guide and a birder, though to be honest, serving as the Chapter VP is the volunteer work that has helped me to reach 500 hours.

Our Tribe’s Fortune 250 Hours – Lisa Runyon

Lisa Runyon, 2015 – I’ve stayed involved in BPTMN because our chapter does two things well. First, our chapter excels in providing quality advanced training opportunities including the speakers at our monthly meetings. They have raised my awareness and inspired me in so many ways. Because of advanced training, I continue to grow as a naturalist. Secondly, our chapter does a great job of providing a wide variety of volunteer opportunities to choose from.

BPTMNs Attend TMN Annual Meeting in Houston Texas

Linda Nixon, 2018 – Just prior to the start of the TMN 2022 Annual Meeting (Meeting) in Houston Texas, we decided to ask attendees, both those in person and those online, to write about their experiences so we could share them with BPTMN members who did not attend this event. We hope you will enjoy their musings and that what you read will inspire you to participate in a future Annual Meeting.

LLELA’s Big Sit on November 5th, 2022

Scott Kiester, Elm Fork Chapter – November 5, 2022 6 AM: On one of the first really chilly mornings of the fall intrepid birders from across the Metroplex gathered in the predawn hours at LLELA. Why? To count the birds of course.

Texas Master Naturalists, Blackland Prairie Chapter

Rick Travis, 2018 – 2022 was an eventful year for the Blackland Prairie Master Naturalist Chapter! The Covid scourge FINALLY began to loosen its grip on us, and as the year progressed, we began transitioning back to in-person chapter meetings, classes, and volunteer activities. Online meetings helped keep us stitched together in 2020 and 2021, but (in my humble opinion) there’s no substitute for in-the-flesh gatherings.

Edition 34 – Shaking The Trees – October/ November 2022

Our Tribe’s Fortune 15,000 Hours – Karen Mitchell

Karen Mitchell, 2011 – I volunteer at Blackland Prairie Raptor Center and Outdoor Learning Center. I love working with animals and both of these venues meet that goal. I also volunteer as an Ombudsman for the State of Texas.

Our Tribe’s Fortune 500 Hours – Leah Justice

Leah Justice, 2021 – Most of my volunteer time is spent working in Animal Care at the Heard Museum. I really love taking care of the animals and watching how excited all the visitors are when they interact with animals and nature. The Animal Care team is a great group of people to work with.

Our Tribe’s Fortune 500 Hours – Sue Makuta

Susan Makuta, 2021 – I volunteer at a variety of places and activities: Blackland Prairie Raptor Center – Rehab; and events; Heard Nature Preserve – Gardens, Butterfly House, trail guide and Special events; Heritage Farmstead Native Garden; PISD Holifield Science Learning Center – Animal Room and Field Trip Guide. Within the chapter, I am on the Training Committee, Hospitality Committee and the Natureabilty Committee.

Our Tribe’s Fortune 250 Hours – Barbara Dupont

Barbara Dupont, 2021 – Restoration at Erwin Park with the “guys” I volunteer mostly at various projects but mainly: Erwin Park in McKinney which is undergoing a prairie restoration and Heritage Farmstead in Plano where Master Naturalists maintain a native plant garden.

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.

JM Caldwell Park Pollinator Garden in Princeton

Dave Powell, 2007 – On our first workday three of us began the cleanup of the garden, most of which was removal of Western Ragweed. Kathy, Mary and Dave made good use of two hours and were rewarded by the butterflies that showed up which included two Monarch that began drinking nectar from the flower that we exposed.

Edition 33 – Shaking The Trees – September 2022

Our Tribe’s Fortune 2,500 Hours – Terry Comingore

Terry Comingore, 2017 – “Though I still have so much to learn, it’s a joy to be in the nature experience and share that experience with my granddaughters.”

Our Tribe’s Fortune 2,500 Hours – Linda Nixon

Linda Nixon, 2018 – “Later I would learn I was living in the Blackland Prairie ecological region of Texas that was once covered by millions acres of tallgrass prairie. My soil was special!”

Our Tribe’s Fortune 2,500 Hours – Rick Travis

Rick Travis, 2018 – “Livin’ the Dream, folks!” My wife and best friend Lisa and I joined the Blackland Prairie chapter training class in 2018. Since graduating we’ve been relatively active in the chapter, coordinating and/or participating in some special restoration projects, “doing our time” in various positions of responsibility within the chapter, and just having a blast immersing ourselves in nature with wonderful folks that share our love and passion for the natural world.

Our Tribe’s Fortune 1,000 Hours – Mittie McDonald

Mittie McDonald, 2013 – “She handed me a Master Naturalist application and told me I would not regret this decision. I haven’t!”

Group of Volunteers from the Heard Plant Sale

Our Tribe’s Fortune 1,000 Hours – Deb Hartman

Deb Hartman, 2017 – “I now know not to kill the caterpillars that are eating my dill, fennel and Passion flower as someday they will reward me with turning into beautiful butterflies.“

Our Tribe’s Fortune 250 Hours – Lisa Striping

Lisa Striping, 2022 – “I am staying active with the Chapter because I enjoy meeting and sharing experiences with other BPTMN volunteers.”

Our Tribe’s Fortune 500 – Shari Navarette

Shari Navarette, 2018 – “I love to spend time at Erwin Park (especially in the Spring, when the red tails are nesting) .”

Chapter Project Grant Application is currently open

Michelle Norris, 2021 – The Grant Committee is excited to announce the new Blackland Prairie Chapter Project Grant Application Information is currently open on the Chapter’s website and will remain open until the end of the month 9/30/2022

People in front of mothing light and screen.

1st Annual BPTMN Mothing Event: Moths, Bugs, and a Frog – O My!!!

Rick Travis, 2018 – On July 30, our chapter celebrated National Mothing Week with our first BPTMN Mothing Event at Connemara Meadow, and it was a real treat for all those that attended!

Erwin Park

David Powell, 2007 – Even in August with no rain and heat our team is at Erwin Park on Monday mornings. Yes we do clear underbrush from the tree lines within the circle and cut trees out in the prairie and that is all a beneficial contribution to the beauty of the place. It has always been as important for those of who are working to spend time examining the natural growth in the prairie. We enjoy this time to share our knowledge and learn from each other as we wonder amongst the vegetation.

Frisco Northwest Park Bioblitz

Rick Travis, 2018 – It was a very crispy BioBlitz as everything had gone to seed. About 30 participants added approximately 300 Northwest Park observations into iNaturalist. Around 35-40 additional species were added into the Northwest Park iNaturalist Project.

Edition 32 – Shaking The Trees – Summer 2022 Edition

Our Tribe’s Fortune 2500 Hours – Lisa Travis

Lisa Travis, 2018 and 2022-2023 New Class Director – I retired from teaching in 2017, but still have a passion for learning and sharing what I’ve learned.

Our Tribe’s Fortune 1000 Hours – Rick Park

Rick Park, 2020 – I was a member of the class of 2020. My introduction to the master naturalist program came from Bob Mione who I had been working with on restoration projects at the Connemara meadows.

Our Tribe’s Fortune 500 – Nancy Riggs

Nancy Riggs, 2021 – I love being a TMN!! I love everything outdoors! I am into birds and volunteer on Tuesday at Hagerman for the Bird Census.

Our Tribe’s Fortune 250 Hours – Rhonda Sanchez

Rhonda Sanchez, 2019 and 2021-2022 Outreach Director – My favorite volunteer activities are outreach for the Chapter, the Heard Museum and for LLELA.

My New Best Friend: Merlin Sound ID

Jean Suplick, 2018 and 2020-2021 New Class Director – Have you ever stepped outside on a fine morning, closed your eyes for a few moments, and taken in the soundscape? No doubt you will hear some human-generated sounds like tires on pavement, jets droning by overhead or maybe playing children. But wait. Hold on. Was that a bird you just heard?

BPTMN STT 32 2022-05-28 Connemare Meadow Nature Preserve Photo By Connie Roschlau Ball

Honoring Frances Williams, Founder of Connemara

Bob Mione, 2012 – There have been lots and lots of great photos taken of the wildflowers at the Meadow. I’ve never seen a better one than this, taken by Connie Roschlau Ball. I call this plot the “Maureen” plot, named after a friend of mine’s wife, who really loved the wildflowers of TX.

Erwin Park – Hawk’s Nest

Shari Navarette, 2018 and Chapter Photographer – In the early spring of 2021, while Covid kept most of us home, I spent a lot of time with my camera at the Heard Museum, at Hagerman NWR, and at Erwin Park. One morning at Erwin, while the trees were still bare, I spotted a pair of hawks at a nest. One was sitting on the nest, the other kept it’s mate company just off to the side. I watched for a while.

Edition 31 – Shaking The Trees – May 5, 2022

Our Tribe’s Fortune 2500 Hours – Beverly Carpenter

Beverly Carpenter, 2013 – The Blackland Prairie Master Naturalist program seemed the perfect place for me to pursue my personal interest in life-long learning after my career in education. BPTMN was an opportunity to learn more about the environment around me and contribute through volunteering.

2022 Heard Plant Sale

Deborah Canterbury, 2014 and Past President – More than 10,00 plants unloaded, cataloged, labeled and placed according to scientific name in 4 days for this years’ 36th Heard Plant Sale. It is one of the longest-running, largest, and best native plant sales in the state. BPTMN members play a big role in the pre-sale preparation and in helping customers choose the proper native plants for their gardens.

Our Tribe’s Fortune 2500 Hours – Karen Spalding-Wright

Karen Spalding-Wright, 2017 – Most of my volunteer hours have accrued here at the BPRC. [My sister] had an interest in working with animals which led us to choosing to work at the BPRC. Neither of us knew much about raptors when we started.

Frisco Eggsplorers Outreach Event was Eggcredible!

Rhonda Sanchez, 2019 & Outreach Director – We counted that we interacted with 250+ people by participating in this event. Enjoy the photos of our Outreach volunteers interacting with the community.

Buckeye Pilgrimage

Greg Tonian, 2017 – The Trinity River Valley of North Texas drew us all here, Though we did not realize it. We may not know how or why, Perhaps it was for a glimpse of a Buckeye? John Neely Bryan built a cabin on a Trinity River bluff He founded Dallas in the 1840’s. Dreams were grand, but times were tough. When I drove out in ‘85, I asked myself, Where are all the trees?

Anna 2022 Earth Day Event BPTMN Outreach Booth

Photos of the City of Anna Earth Day Event

Rhonda Sanchez, 2019 & Outreach Director – Here are photos from the 2022 City of Anna Earth Day Event.

HELP WANTED – April 2022

Our Tribe’s Fortune 250 Hours – Leah Justice

By Leah Justice, 2021 – As a newer member of the chapter, I volunteered for many different activities throughout the past year in order to broaden my knowledge. I have worked in prairies at different times of the year, learned about tree surveying, and planted trees.

Our Tribe’s Fortune 250 Hours – Paulette Planko

By Paulette Planko, 2021 – I’m a member of the 2021 class. I have been volunteering mostly at Erwin Park in McKinney, at the Heard Nature Preserve, and at Clymer Nature Preserve. I’ve enjoyed projects that include prairie restoration, native garden maintenance, butterfly pinning, and working with children at the Heard.

Our Tribe’s Fortune 250 Hours – Tasha Patterson

Tasha Patterson, 2020 and 2021 Class Representative – I also do first Saturday trail guiding at Blackland Prairie Raptor Center. My favorite thing about being a part of the BPTMN is that every single person I have encountered is willing to share their knowledge and passion to help me grow in my pursuits.

Our Tribe’s Fortune 250 Hours – Lorrie Mathers

Lorrie Mathers, 2021 – I’m a Texan by choice! I grew up in a small farming community in South-Western Ontario (Canada not California) spending much of my time outdoors, not sure if that was by choice or by circumstance.

Our Tribe’s Fortune 250 Hours – Andy Hudson

Andy Hudson, 2018 – I was in Class 2018. People can usually find me serving out at Erwin Park or the 2 newer green spaces at Gray Branch and McKinney Greens. I live in McKinney, so that keeps me enjoying the fellowship and lively personalities of our Blackland Prairie chapter.

Edition 30 – Shaking The Trees – April 5, 2022

Our Tribe’s Fortune 2500 Hours – Tom Shackelford

Tom Shackelford, 2018 and Past President (2020-2021) I was born in Great Bend, Kansas and grew up farming and raising cattle along the Santa Fe Trail on land south of the Arkansas River, from Fort Larned to Dodge City. I did not realize it at the time but our home and the pasture lands where we grazed cattle were undeveloped, never used for agriculture beyond grazing and composed of western wheatgrass, blue grama, prairie three awn, little blue stem – native mixed prairie lands. This was my “Playground.”

Our Tribe’s Fortune 500 – Sarah Densmore

Sarah Densmore, 2021 My major volunteer areas are with the Blackland Prairie Raptor Center, where I am the Volunteer Coordinator, and with Texas Metro Wildlife Rehabilitation (I’ve submitted an application to be sub-permitted as a wildlife rehabilitator. I’m waiting to hear back from TPWD on whether or not I’m approved.), where I help rehab baby cottontails and juvenile opossums. In regards to why I stay with the chapter, I’m not sure why I would leave. I worked hard to get into the TMN program, I’m thrilled with all of the doors of opportunity that are available due to this certification,…

Our Tribe’s Fortune 500 – Susan Makuta

Susan Makuta, 2021 I am a member of the class of 2021. I volunteer at the Blackland Prairie Raptor Center. I am on the Monday rehab team caring for the birds of prey. I am with a great team and I have learned so much there. I have also assisted with some deconstruction work on the education enclosures. Additionally, I help with various activities with public events for BPRC. Susan Makuta, Class of 2021 I also volunteer at the Heard Nature Preserve. I have worked in the gardens with Amy, taken trail guide training with Dave Powell, assisted at various…

Heard Fossil Lab Team in front of displayed dinosaur bones.

‘Dem Bones Update

Deborah Canterbury, 2014 and Past President Master Naturalists in the Heard Fossil Lab recently laid out Colombian Mammoth bones that have been prepped just to see how they may go together. More exist and they are trying to decide how to best display.

Last of the Blackland, A Nature Conservancy video

Charlise Hill-Larson, 2019 and 2021-22 Vice President I was spending time with The Nature Conservancy online this am and came across this short film on the Clymer Meadow. If we haven’t shared it already, it’s certainly worth sharing.

Blackland Prairie Master Naturalists at the Collin County MG Garden Show

Rhonda Sanchez, 2019 Here are a few photos from the garden show. We tracked that we shared the TMN program and mission with more than 250 participants in the show over the two day event.

Edition 29 – Shaking The Trees – March 7, 2022

Our Tribe’s Fortune 500 – Louise Frost

Louise Frost, 2010 I’m mostly a life-long Dallasite with gaps here and there. When I moved back here in 2010, I was looking for something to get involved with and the Heard came up. I’ve always been a nature lover, and loved taking my boys there as kids so I signed up and tried a few jobs. Trail Guide struck my interest and in addition to Dave Powell doing the training, there were a couple of other MNs in the group who encouraged me to join. I did and was so glad I did! I had so much fun with…

Our Tribe’s Fortune 500 – Duane Mortenson

Duane Mortenson, 2018 I grew up on a dairy farm in northern Wisconsin, so I spent my youth outside most every day. It was a beautiful area for hiking, camping, canoeing and cross-country skiing in the winter. For my career I decided to go into electrical engineering and I moved to Texas. It was quit the change to swap endless days outside for an inside cubicle behind a computer, the hills and trees of Wisconsin for flat prairie land. I did spend as much time outside as I could but it wasn’t the same. When I approached retirement, I started…

Our Tribe’s Fortune 500 – John W. “Dub” Spencer

John W. “Dub” Spencer, 2017 I grew up in small central Texas town (Hamilton), working, playing, and loving the outdoors. After retirement I was searching for an activity or group that would allow me to spend time outdoors and and be involved with fun folks and the Texas Master Naturalist Program certainly provides both. I consider myself a nature generalist, I know a little about a lot of things, but not much about anything. As an example I know leaves are often green or brown, native plants are good, invasive plants are bad, birds often fly, etc.. Current chapter activities…

Long Time, No Hear

Clyde Camp, 2011 Possibly a very frustrated male. Or Female. The same bird (I think) has been arriving around 11pm and sitting in the door trilling until around 3am. Sometimes leaving and returning several times. Sometimes taking a nap inside. Sometimes trilling from inside. And several times spending the day sleeping before taking off at dusk. sitting in the door trilling until around 3am. Sometimes leaving and returning several times. Sometimes taking a nap inside. Sometimes trilling from inside. And several times spending the day sleeping before taking off at dusk.

Introduction to the Great Trinity Forest with Bill Holston

Charlise Hill-Larson, 2019 Please join our February Speaker, Bill Holston, on Sunday, March 27, for an introduction to the Trinity Forest. We will meet at 11am at the Pavilion at Bonton Farms. The address is 6915 Bexar St, Dallas, TX 75215. Bill will lead us on an easy and flat hike on the Ned and Genie Fritz Buckeye Trail. All total, we’ll traverse about 2.5 miles. Bonton Farms will also be open for lunch following our walk, if you’re interested.

Great Wildlife Moment in Collin County

Susan Abernethy, 2018 I thought this may be worth putting on the website under great wildlife moment, Lynx rufus at my next door neighbor’s front yard on February 26, 2022.

Edition 28 – Shaking The Trees – January 18, 2022

Thank you, Tom Shackelford

Rick Travis, 2018 – Current President (2022-2023) – Talk about being in the right place at the right time. Tom stepped up to serve as Chapter President in 2020. Within just a couple of months into his Chapter Presidency, the covid pandemic exploded, requiring quick action to develop a completely different approach, and set of rules, for members to engage within our chapter safely. This wasn’t easy. There was no script or step-by-step guide for our chapter dealing with this health crisis…there hadn’t been this serious a pandemic since the influenza epidemic in the early 1900’s.

Polymorphism or Spring Treasure Hunt at Raptor Center

Lorelei Stierlen, 2014 – Both photos are of the beautiful Blackland Prairie native coreopsis tinctoria or plains coreopsis. A member of the Asteraceae (Aster) family, it is an annual forb, and the blooms are described as yellow surrounding a reddish centre – but the blooms of one of these plants is all red. How can that be?

Clymer Meadow Projects in 2022

Tom Shackelford, 2018 – (2020-2021 President) – Clymer Meadow Projects: Remnant Blackland Prairie restoration, preservation, maintenance, seed collection, plant/ wildlife & insect surveys. This project includes Clymer Meadow, Park Hill Prairie, County Line Prairie, Matthew’s Prairie and other outlying remnant prairies.

Mental Wanderings

Sally Evans, 2006 – Founder & Emeritus – A wide swath of trees and vines and junipers has grown up along the back by a creek. The front part was mowed several times a summer but often the grasses grew knee high and swayed in the breezes. That lot became the resting place or home for the wild life that moved up and down the creek. Birds roosted or nested in the trees and shrubs. In one far corner a cottonwood tree grew twice as high as the rest of the trees and became the site for hawks sunning or scanning…

Shells to warm your hearts

Lauren Bendiksen, 2019 – I am excited that the Lightning Whelk is the Texas Master Naturalist Program 2022 Annual Re-Certification pin. I grew up in Dallas, and our family’s vacations to South Padre Island were definitely a jumping off point for my love of nature due to the excitement of searching for seashells. I became absolutely obsessed with seashells. My maternal grandparents also lived near the coast in Florida, so you can imagine my joy when we were able to visit them and go to the beach, allowing me additional options for collecting seashells.

Reflections on Sara Dykman’s Bicycling with Butterflies Book

Greg Tonian, 2017 – Ideas are like Fireflies, Brief flashes in the dark, blinking. Talk is cheap, Life’s opportunities fleeting. Dreams evaporate. Yet Sara put mettle to pedal, She set out on her quest, Before it was too late. Her goal was simple yet mad. It would require lots of planning, Lots of charts, Though she wanted to be spontaneous, A journey of this type, Had many moving parts. Courage and persistence she did not lack She simply bicycled with the Monarchs, From Mexico to Canada and back. 10,201 miles, 232 days, Travelling countless byways.

Edition 27 – Shaking The Trees – December 13, 2021

Member Emeritus – Deborah Canterbury

Deborah Canterbury was awarded the title Member Emeritus at the December 14 meeting and gifted a beautiful stain glass dragonfly Tiffany style lamp. MEMBER EMERITUS. On June 18th of this year President Tom received a note from a Chapter member asking him to consider the following. In the past there have been members who were awarded the title of ‘Emeritus’ due to their diligence with the chapter. I would like to recommend that the chapter bestow a pat on the back to several other members of this chapter that have helped to make it so very special and are still working…

Honorary Membership – Bill Woodfin

Longtime friend and supporter of the Blackland Prairie Master Naturalist Chapter, Bill Woodfin received his Honorary Membership Badge at the December, 14th 2021 meeting for his volunteer efforts within our chapter and the community.

Thank you, Mike Roome

At the end of 2021 Immediate Past President Mike Roome will be leaving the board. He served as President in 2018-2019 and as IPP through this year. During this time, he was severely ill, but as soon as he could he returned to his board duties. His leadership, positive outlook and grateful heart will be missed at the monthly board meetings.

Plano Heritage Farmstead Light Festival

From Lu Anne Ray (BPTMN VH/AT Director): We all know that COVID has made it difficult for many of the places where we volunteer to continue to operate including The Plano Heritage Farmstead Museum. But hats off to the Farmstead Board and management as they continue to look for creative programs to help make ends meet and keep their doors open, including a new Lights on the Farm event. The Plano Heritage Farmstead Museum is partnering up with Professional Lighting Company First Choice Lights to create the Holiday event of the season. Lights on the Farm will run for 17 nights (Fri, Sat, Sun)…

2021 Chapter Elections

At our November 9, 2021 chapter meeting Rick Travis was elected to serve as President for the next two years. At the same meeting Page Schreck was re-reelected to serve as Treasurer for the next two years. Page and Rick are both active Master Naturalists, Page is the incumbent Treasurer, serving since 2020. Rick served as Vice President in 2019-2020 and leads the Frisco Prairie Restoration projects. Please welcome these two invaluable members back to the BPTMN board.

2021 Greensource DFW Green Project Award – Alex Dubovsky

Our very own BPTMN Member Alex Dubovsky and his Trinity Coalition Water Trail Team were awarded the 2021 Green Project Award from Greensource DFW. What an honor for all this team’s commitment and hard work on the Trinity River Paddling Trail. Read more about the award at Greensource DFW link and scroll down to Green Project.

Edition 26 – Shaking The Trees – November 2, 2021

2021 Greensource DFW Sustainable Leadership Award – Bob Mione

The Texas Master Naturalist Blackland Prairie Chapter is pleased to announce that chapter member Bob Mione (Class of 2012) has been selected to receive a 2021 Green Source DFW Sustainable Leadership Award. Congratulations Bob! Bob will be receiving the Unsung Hero Award for his work as volunteer manager for the Connemara Meadow in Allen. Over the past decade, he’s been leading the restoration of the meadow’s Blackland prairie. He has also been very involved working to reintroduce Bobwhite quail to Collin County. “There are few others who have given as much of their time, energy, and passion to restoring the Blackland Prairie in the DFW…

Our Tribe’s Fortune 1000 – Loreli Stierlen

I found the BPTMN booth at the 2013 Learn 2 Live Green event where I was a volunteer for Live Green in Plano. So I started attending the BPTMN meetings, got to talking with members and decided that was the organization where I needed to be. I started volunteering at BPRC right off the bat as a trail guide, and I’ve been there ever since.

2021 Annual Photo Contest Winner

Janice James, 2018 We are so pleased to report that BPTMN member Janice James won first place in the Texas Master Naturalist 2021 Annual Meeting Digitally Enhanced Photo Contest with her entry entitled “Old Soul.” The red-eared slider turtle was just sitting on a log by the boardwalk at the Heard. I was there with some dear friends from out of town that were visiting – the photo was the last ‘hike’, and the last ‘visit’, that I had for months, as it was on March 10, 2020. So it resonates for that reason too. 🙂 The app was called Deep…

2021 Annual Conference

Tom Shackelford, 2018 – President 2021 Annual Conference Blackland Prairie Chapter Members photo by Tom Shackelford 2021 Annual Conference Dave Powell 5,000 Service Hours Recognition photo by Tom Shackelford

Frisco Arborfest Event Tree Planting, Woodland Walk, and Prairie Buffalo Stomp Seed Toss, Oh My!

The Frisco Parks Department held an extraordinarily successful “Arborfest Tree Walk and Buffalo Stomp” nature event at Frisco Commons Park on Saturday, Oct. 30. Several Blackland Prairie Master Naturalists played significant roles in both the preparation for this event, and as participants in the event itself. The “Buffalo Stomp” portion of the event is a native plant seedball toss in the prairie restoration area at Frisco Commons. Well, to make seedballs, you need seed! Several BPTMN’s helped harvest native flora and grass seed form a large natural area in Frisco’s Northwest Community Park. Over several late summer and early fall…

New Trails page

Michelle Connally, 2018 Over the past year, chapter members Jean Suplick and Duane Mortenson have shared some great information about local trails in the area. We also have some monthly VH available by helping the North Texas Chapter with the Trinity Buckeye Trail Project. We wanted to create a central location to peruse these Trails posts involving our fellow chapter members. Now you can find the BPTMN trails page at – https://txmn.org/bptmn/trails/ or from the Menu, click on Members, Trails. Do you know of a great trail for flora and/ or fauna viewing or peaceful walk. Please share your experience…

Edition 25 – Shaking The Trees – October 3, 2021

Our Tribe’s Fortune 1000 – Lauren Bendiksen

Lauren Bendiksen, 2019 I am a born and bred Texan, having grown up in Dallas. I only moved away from the area for college at Texas A&M-College Station. I have always loved nature. As a child, I would swing in our backyard for what seemed like hours. I loved to climb our home’s trees. I loved exploring the local creek. I have always adored animals so loved looking for toads, butterflies, caterpillars, birds… anything could keep me engaged outdoors. My very favorite item from nature was (and and probably still is) seashells. Anytime we ventured to South Padre for family…

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.

Fall is here

Sally Evans, 2006; Founder & Emeritus Leaves are fluttering down; Butterflies are fluttering around; Hummingbirds are fluttering as they nectar. Lizards are sunning; Squirrels are running; Red lilies are stunning in the back garden sector. A full harvest moon Makes young lovers swoon ; We know fall’s tune but can’t see the director. The cooler fall weather Has released the air conditioner’s tether, And I can’t tell whether I should be mentor For a Cook out, A hike or bike out, Or a full-blown party with Halloween décor. Whatever I choose; whatever you pick, Be it a steak or a…

Lavon Lake Trinity Trail

Duane Mortensen, 2018 Lavon Lake is the largest lake contained within Collin County. The length of its shoreline stretches 121 miles, and the managed wildlife area surrounding the lake boasts 6400 acres. Given the fact it is so close to millions of people, why is it so little used? Given the number of undisturbed acres, I would argue that it is under-represented in iNaturalist data. Part of the answer lies in the poor condition of the parks surrounding the lake. Road access, restrooms and signage are regularly in disrepair. If you ignore the disrepair on the edges of the park,…

Heard Sanctuary Fall/ Winter Volunteer existing projects

Tom Shackelford, 2018; President The Heard Sanctuary is seeking volunteers to assist in the restoration and preservation of multiple sanctuary projects at the Heard. This is an existing project that has been in place for some time and there is now a renewed effort to address opportunities. This is available to any interested individual and is a great way for interested Master Naturalists to earn volunteer hours. Specific projects follow below.

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…

Edition 24 – Shaking The Trees – September 1, 2021

What is happening at Brockdale park?

Michelle Connally, 2014 Have you been out to the Blackland Prairie Raptor Center lately? Take a gander at the recent photos provided by Lorelei Stierlen and peruse the new opportunities all in one place! 2021-08 BPRC Pond View – LStierlen Events happening at the BPRC include: Thursday, September 9, 2021 – VH Opportunity The Blackland Prairie Raptor Center is hosting an iNaturalist bioblitz in Brockdale Park. Observations made during this event will count for the Fall Socially Distant BioBlitz project. Enjoy the morning in the beautiful park and help the BPTMN accumulate points toward becoming the DFW master naturalist chapter…

Northwest Community Park

Rick Travis, 2018 Northwest Community Park in Frisco is largely undeveloped, with a DORBA biking trail system. It’s very rich in native grasses and flora, and has been a great source of native seed and plants for Frisco Parks prairie restoration efforts. We’ll spend September and part of October at NW park harvesting seed, which will be redistributed into the prairie restoration sites at Frisco Commons and Cottonwood Creek Parks.

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 where it can be harvested even though it is a little early. It gets quite hot at Wylie with few trees so you have to limit your time. Eastern Gama Grass has dropped most of its seeds already but Sideoats Grama is starting to be ready even though some of it is still blooming. Oh yeah the new plant is Rattle Snake Master. 2021-08 Rattle Snake Master plant. Photo by…

August in Cicadia

Greg Tonian, 2017 The neighborhood is abuzz. A hot, sultry breeze, Envelops the trees. Brown, papier mache creatures climb out of the loam, Clinging to brick and branch with tiny hooks, Soon to cleave asunder, Extruding, winged phantasms. I find these abandoned climbing nymph husks, And the fanciful flying creatures that they set free Scattered on the concrete byways of Cicadia. “Sweet dreams and” Flying “machines in pieces on the ground” (James Taylor), I think to myself.

Protecting Blackland Prairie Video with our very own!

Tom Shackelford, 2018 Please enjoy this wonderful video with our very own BPTMN members collecting seed to help preserve the Clymer Meadow.

Our Tribe’s Fortune 500 – Ernie Stokley, 2015

Deborah Canterbury, 2014 Curator’s Note: It is wonderful to know about the continuing individual involvements of our members that leads to milestone status. Now and then a member’s response says it all about what turns a Chapter into a tribe. Ernie Stokley’s musings sort of reflect the reasons why every person who stays with the chapter. The primary mission is to teach in order to arm every student with tools to go out and stamp out ignorance and become involved in their communities. Staying a chapter member is a choice. I like to think it is based on putting that…

Edition 23 – Shaking The Trees – August 2, 2021

Introducing Kids to Nature from One Mother to Another

Daphne Lynch, 2019 Like many of you, I fell in love with nature as a child. I grew up in the rural mountains of Pennsylvania with acres of forest to explore at my feet. Fast forward to adulthood and I found myself starting a family in the DFW area. I now have two children of my own, two boys (a 3 year old and a 7 month old). It is a priority of mine to help them understand and appreciate the nature around them, but I have been struggling on how to accomplish this in the suburban setting. I…

Check out the updated Outreach Topics!

What is your naturalist passion, what can you talk about for 20 minutes straight? We want to know! We have quite a few talented Master Naturalists whose interests align with our Outreach Program. Rhonda Sanchez our Outreach Director recently updated our list of topics to include Fish of the Blackland Prairie, Bobwhite Quail Restoration and Cosmology. Find out what other topics are available by clicking HERE or from the Top Menu, Click About Us, then Click Outreach. If you are interested in spreading your joy of nature with others, contact Rhonda at outreach@bptmn.org.

Author praises our Blackland Prairie Chapter Contribution.

Amy Martin, NTMN I want to share with the Blackland Prairie chapter my gratitude of the “loan” of several naturalists for Wild Dallas-Fort Worth: Explore the Amazing Nature of North Texas

Chapter Meetings now available online!

Chapter Meetings now available online though our Vimeo account. This link is also available in the Upper Right Hand Corner of our bptmn.org site. If you missed any of our recent chapter meeting presentations, you can now view recordings online!

Our Tribe’s Fortune 500 – Cindy Napper, 2017

Deborah Canterbury, 2014 Congratulations to Cindy Napper on her 500 hour pin. Cindy Napper, 2017 I graduated with the 2017 class and became a Naturalist because I saw how much fun Paul was having. There’s a whole chapter I could write on how he was revitalized before my eyes while going thru training and afterwards, and it was just so inspiring to see him be excited about something! I wanted some of that… I was invited to be on the Ed. Comm. by Greg Hayden in 2018; I told him I didn’t feel that I could offer anything but he…

Our Tribe’s Fortune 500 – Michelle Connally, 2018

Deborah Canterbury, 2014 Congratulations to Michelle Connally on her 500 hour pin. Michelle Connally, 2018 Came across the Texas Master Naturalists training program on my quest to learn all things about growing food in North Texas. Each year as a Master Naturalist I learn more about the beautiful clay soil, our local flora, specifically edible natives. The wide variety of programs offered to our members continue to expand my gardening and cooking experiences. In addition to my volunteer time at BPTMN, I tend to a donation garden 15-20 hours per week. My 500 VH hours were accumulated by accepting the…

Edition 22 – Shaking The Trees – July 2, 2021

Blackland Prairie TMN Graduation 2021

Summary by Jean Suplick, 2018 Meet the Class of 2021! These new members of the Blackland Prairie Chapter blazed a new path through our basic training program and are eager to get out there and engage in our volunteer activities. Be sure to introduce yourself to them the next chance you get. Class of 2021 initial certifications: Heather Fell, Sarah Densmore, Karen Driks, Lorrie Mathers, Sue Kacines, Nancy Riggs, Sue Makuta. Class of 2021 double certifications: Heather Fell, Sarah Densmore, Karen Driks

Photos by Charlise Hill-Larson, 2019

Literally Shaking the Trees at Raptor Center

Leah Justice, 2021 Downing Cedars all in a day’s work on Raptor Center prairie property. Photos from the tree cutting today, Lorelei up in the tree.

Brown Wasp Mantidfly (Climaciella brunnea) or is it?

Janice James, As I was emptying the plant pot trays this morning I veered around a brown wasp clinging to one rim. It looked intimidating. Then I looked again. It looked …really odd.

Ode to Virus

Michelle Connally, 2018 Starting in April 2020, the Shaking of the Trees newsletter provided myself and others a connection to our fellow chapter members in a time of isolation. Hooked from Edition 1 including posts about Cynthia’s Frankford Prairie Wild Hyacinths, Donna Cole’s brown snake, Clyde’s owls, a link to Carol’s World Blog, Susan’s Homemade mask request, Sally’s poem “Seeing ’round the bend, Laura’s Heard update, Tasha’s wildlife management approval, Ed’s covid tips and Beverly’s lovely azaleas, man I could not wait for Canter’s Edition 2 and here we are today on Edition 22. Over the spring of 2021, Sally…

The Call of The Chattahoochee

Greg Tonian, 2017 The Chattahoochee flows from Blue Ridge Mountain To Apalachicola Delta, Past Helen and Suburban Atlanta. These two places I visited, The possibilities to explore, unlimited. All was swell in Roswell. Mostly Merry in Marietta. Dallas Georgia family, also near, Was mostly in the clear. But like the river, Clouded by ocassional rain, Like the area roads, Never without curves and dips, Ups and downs.

What we have seen

Dave Powell, 2007 My three spiny Fence Lizards are here as is my Anole however I have noticed the insect population is down. I attributed it to the freeze which might have killed a lot of insect larva that was getting close to maturity, the rain does not seem to cause the same thing. Maybe someone else can give definitive answer.

Expansion of the Great Texas Wildlife Trail

Jean Suplick, 2018 Our Blackland Prairie Chapter adopted the Lake Lavon and Tawakoni loops which include places many will be familiar with: Connemara Meadow Nature Preserve, the Heard Natural Science Museum and Wildlife Sanctuary, Arbor Hills Nature Preserve, Clymer Meadow, and Lake Lavon Trinity Trail.

McKinney Greens 500 Milkweed plants

Greg Smith, 2017 The Magnificent Seven from the National Charity League planted 500 milkweed plants in a relatively short time.

Our Tribe’s Fortune 500 – Logan Plunkett, 2017 and Debbie Doyle, 2017

Debbie Doyle, 2017 My classmates might remember me as the broken legged lady that could barely do squat! (Literally!) I am still indebted to my friend and classmate Greg Tonian, who drove me to classes and meetings for months when I couldn’t drive. Despite my slow start, I now feel like an essential team member at the Blackland Prairie Raptor Center, particularly during the Covid lockdown when BPRC operated with only a skeleton crew of volunteers.

Edition 21 – Shaking The Trees – June 10, 2021

Clyde’s Screech Owl box – Wildlife VRBO

Clyde Camp, 2011 Clyde has had little luck with the residents of his screech owl box making it through birth and fledging. You will laugh out loud at the attached videos titled Tree Rat Homemaking and Noon Scratch and Snooze. Turn the volume up. https://youtu.be/-voQ-yLg10w https://youtu.be/bFAC4pMCQzQ Find out more about Clyde’s Screech Owls at his website. http://www.crcamp.com

2021 Re-certification Pin – Side Oats Grama

Deborah Canterbury, 2014 This year’s pin is the Side-Oats Grama, the state grass. So, here is your did-ja-know re: side-oats gramma. 2021-05-22 Tom Shackelford and Jennie SawyerChapter Pin drive-by eventPhoto by Deborah Canterbury2021 Texas Master Naturalists Recertification Pin Side Oats GramaPhoto by Deborah Canterbury First, local information. Dave Powell says that side-oats grama is on the three locations at which he volunteers/manages. “We seeded Wylie, it was already at Erwin Park in McKinney. All of the prairies at the Heard are at some stage of restoration however, it could have been on the edge of the pastures.” Bob Mione said…

Tom’s Backyard

Tom Shackelford, 2018 – President We spend time in our back yard almost every day and sometimes I am quick enough to snap a shot with my phone. Two years ago I took out about 1/4 of the grass and am attempting to get native grass and wildflowers to grow instead. It is slowly starting to change and it seems that nature has started to assist with the remodel. There is a definitely a more robust and diverse population than a few years ago. It appears that a new family has taken up residence in the vacant house in our…

Musings from Paul

Paul Napper, 2016 – Project Manager for Allen Senior Center Native Plant Garden Generic Photo of Allen Senior Recreation Center Photo By https://www.ntmwd.com/ Paul brought up an interesting observation at the Allen Senior Center Native Plant Garden. He has noticed that since the freeze and rains seeds that had not sprouted in six years are coming up and that some trees and other plants are growing like crazy. He has also observed different habits in birds and fauna. Share your thoughts and observations with us for the next issue. Let’s have some good old citizen science reports…and of course, photos.

Yes, We Can!

Deborah Canterbury, 2014 Over the past several months we have always posted a “if you need anything, let us know.” We have a few opportunities to help our tribe members. For various reasons, a few native gardens and yards are in need of some TLC. The homeowners would love to share the joy and explain their concepts. So, we need several volunteers willing to go chat, pull, plant and learn from these fellow members by helping them spiff up their property and sharing the joy of their gardens. If you would like to become a member of the native brigade…

Aint Afraid of No Weed Whackers

Deborah Canterbury, 2014 The Heritage Farmstead native plot has had an interesting and inspiring past. Starting as a project by Master Naturalists and guided along as a Junior Naturalist project at a nearby school in Plano, it has tripled in size over the past decade as has the volunteer list. As reported several weeks ago, the caregivers thought that is was going to be a disaster recovery after an over-zealous property crew weed whacked everything down to the ground. The students who studied at the plot experimented with “buffalo stomping” with success and selective pruning seemed to make things thrive…

Edition 20 – Shaking The Trees – May 10, 2021

2021-05 Heard Paleo Lab Green River Fish Fossil - Canterbury

Green River Fish to Feed the Imagination

Deborah Canterbury, 2014 – he Heard Paleo Lab prepared 16 Green River Fish fossils to accompany the latest addition to the Heard Museum, a high quality plesiosaurus. The fish, donated by chapter member Jim Dulian, represent six species of fish from 50 million years ago.

2021-05 Raptor Center Black Willow Update - Zartler

Raptor Center – Black Willow doing well

By Dirk Zartler, 2007 Looks like the Black Willow cuttings planted in the shoreline at the Raptor center are doing well. A recent check indicates about 80-90% are alive, rooting, and budding or leafing out…some are even flowering. Black Willow photo by Dirk Zartler Black WIllow photo by Dirk Zartler Original Shoring up the Raptor Center Shoreline Post by Dirk Zartler

Clymer Beauty

By Tom Shackelford, 2018 Visiting and working at the Clymer Meadow is a siren song for Master Naturalists in this area of Texas. Enjoy the beauty in the photos (Click on each photo for new window of the larger image) Follow this link to learn about this Nature Conservancy land. remnant prairie, “Fleabane in foreground” Photo by Tom Shackelford Ground Plum / Milk vetch – Astragalus crassicarpus Photo by Tom Shckelford Purple paintbrush – Castille purpurea Photo by Tom Shackelford Yellow Wild Indigo – Baptisia sphaerocarpa Photo by Tom Shackelford

Our Tribe’s Fortune 500 – Laurie Sheppard

By Laurie Sheppard, 2017 Our Tribe’s Fortune – 500 Hour Pin Recipient (Hard in good times but “Wow” in a pandemic!) I do most of my volunteering at Hagerman NWR. I began volunteering there in 2009, shortly after I discovered the magic of the refuge. Every day is different and there’s always something new to discover. The Friends of Hagerman gave me an avenue to explore, identify, and report my discoveries. I did this through writing an occasional blog post, creating a handout, or simply posting photos of things I had seen along with a little description of my research.…

Our Tribe’s Fortune 500 – Matt DeLozier

By Matt DeLozier, 2013 (Alamo Area Chapter – San Antonio) Our Tribe’s Fortune – 500 Hour Pin Recipient (Hard in good times but “Wow” in a pandemic!) Most of my service comes from working with Texas Parks and Wildlife, which is how I was introduced to the program in the first place. If any park reaches out for assistance (no matter how far away) I will usually find a way to help – teach a class, work on trails, pull invasive species, etc. I even designed and installed a geocaching course at a state park that had received some grant…

Our Tribe’s Fortune 500 – Rick Park

By Rick Park, 2020 Our Tribe’s Fortune – 500 Hour Pin Recipient (Hard in good times but “Wow” in a pandemic!) I volunteer at both Connemara and the Blackland Prairie Raptor Center. Both afford me the opportunity to be outside and keep busy even with COVID. These locations allowed me to volunteer while keeping a safe distance from other volunteers. Both locations provide projects which are physical and mentality enriching. It is satisfying knowing I am getting a good physical workout, learning about prairies/grasses and forbs while contributing to the restoration of our original fauna.

15 Baffling Cicada Facts

Article Submission by Tony Manasseri, 2007 Photo Submitted by Deborah Canterbury The year of the cicada has received lots of hype in the radio media. People rescheduling outdoor weddings, sharing recipes, relating experiences. Author of the article Olivia Young. Check out this article titled “15 Baffling Cicada Facts” published at Treehugger.com

Heard Plant Sale 2021 Prep

By Deborah Canterbury with Photos by Shari Navarette In the era BPL (Before Pandemic Lockdown) we had a member, Shari Navarette, volunteer to be the chapter photographer. That job was shelved after the March meeting – which was her first official assignment. She was at the Heard sale setup last week and is back in business. While the number of plants was down for the 2021 Heard Plant Sale, the quality of offerings was top-notch with some not-always-seen items. Then came the storm threat on Friday. Fortunately it held off, the members-only line stretched through the parking lot to the…

Doves nest location choices

By Clyde Camp, 2011 and Beverly Carpenter, 2013 Doves are not good nest builders as is apparent from photos from Clyde Camp and Beverly Carpenter. Beverly’s example is in a hanging plant. Dove Nest photo by Beverly Carpenter Clyde found a nest on the hose hanger on side of his house. Dove Nest on Hose photo by Clyde Camp Dove Chicks photo by Clyde Camp

Jim’s Crowned Night Herons Update

Remember the Golden crowned night herons that have nested in Jim Dulian’s yard? (See Below for article and photos) They came back, hung around a bit, decided they did not like the tree trimming and left. Haven’t been seen again.

An Acquaintance

By Sally Evans, Member Emeritus and Class of 2000. A cotton tailed rabbit in my garden dwells, lifting its nose to smell the smellsAnd lifting its ears to hear the sounds.It has eaten the pansies one by one; I’m not sure what other eating it has doneAs it makes its nightly rounds.It seems to have lost its rabbitly fear of the dog and two people who are living hereFor it often just stands its ground.Daily I do a garden ‘walk-about’ seeing which plants should be pulled outOr what new ones can be found,And the rabbit sits and watches me, letting…

Edition 19 – Shaking The Trees – April 12, 2021

Winter Ducks at Russell Creek Park

By John Garbutt, 2014 To some, winter and Uri are now four letter words never to be spoken again as we enter spring. As a birder, the harbinger of spring, Barn Swallows, have been here since the first of March and are flying past my window. The trees outside are leafing out. This however is about the ducks who visit us in winter. I always look forward to the annual arrival of wintering ducks. A favorite place to observe and photograph them is Russell Creek Park in Plano. I discovered it a couple of winters ago when using eBird to…

Native Plant Garden at Plano Heritage Farmstead

By Bryan Beck, 2017 The native plant garden at the Plano Heritage Farmstead Museum has been through a lot in the past month or so. First, came the boot-deep snows and the bone-chilling cold. Next was the eighty-degree temperatures that we had at the end of February. Then hail and even fog reared their ugly heads. And, most recently we have seen the pre-April showers and wind that we are accustomed to getting around here. But none of these plagues could stunt the emergence of our wonderful prairie natives at the Farmstead! Before weeding at Prairie Farmstead photo by Bryan…

Quail Quest 2021

By Bob Mione, 2012 The past three years, Kristin and Mark Payne have incubated and brooded BW quail chicks for us at Connemara. When the BW’s were old enough, normally about 6 to 8 weeks old, they would bring them to the Meadow where they were held in our big “acclimation” pen until they were released at the Meadow, Raptor Center, Bill and Fran Woodfin’s farm or within the City of Plano. Bob White Quail chick photo by Leah Beck This year, the Payne’s did not have enough room to brood out the BW’s, so I reached out to the…

Bend in the River

By Greg Tonian, 2016 We came together at the river bend, To witness flowing milky blue green water, Laden with Llano Estacado dust, pulsing its lode toward the Matagorda Bay. Meeting half way between the angry clouds that enveloped us this morning and the vast, star-filled skies that would expand above us later that evening, We laced up our hiking boots for an exploration of time and space. I had squeezed between semis and sheets of rain in the dark leaving Dallas, While you evaded slowdowns in Austin only to arrive here a few minutes behind me. Somewhere past Lampasas,…

Feeling the Burn: Controlled burn at BPRC

by Lorelei Stierlen, 2014 Our team, Dick Zartler, Rick Park, Steve Their and I had spent weeks preparing the fire breaks and cutting the cedars, applying all the lessons learned from the 2020 burn. We had implemented creative solutions to the problem of a lack of fuel on the ground in certain areas to ensure a complete burn on the entire west side. There were many pounds of seed standing by in my garage. Everything was inspected and approved by January. We were ready. Then it snowed, followed by what seemed to be never ending rain – and that did…

Volunteers for Heard Plant Sale Needed

By Carol Clark, Laura Ragen, Fran & Bill Woodfin et al 2010, 2014, 2007 Photo courtesy of Heard Museum Plant Sale Best Testimonial ever: “A lot of what I have learned about native plants came from attending the sales at the Heard yearly.”– Carol Clark The oldest (two decades), largest and most consistent native plant sale in North Texas is up and running again this year at the Heard Museum. Beside this brief history of the Heard Native Plant Sale there are a few things to know. Despite the weather, growers were not drastically affected by the deep freeze and…

Edition 18 – Shaking The Trees – March 1, 2021

Curious George Settles in for the Day

By Clyde Camp, 2011 Curious George arrives at about 20 seconds into the video link and settles in for the day. He’s verbally accosted by a couple of jays and a squirrel about midway through the video. George is the male of the last breeding season (spring, 2020) – a grey-phase Eastern Screech Owl. His mate then was a red-phase female named Hunter. Their breeding attempt was unsuccessful with two clutches of eggs, neither of which hatched. They are both visiting the box off and on again and probably staking their claim on it in late fall 2020. https://youtu.be/HOEaihBhFfg You…

Recovering America’s Wildlife Act Update

Written By Richard Heilbrun, TPWD Richard Heilbrun, who is well known by TMN’s and is Program Leader at Texas Parks & Wildlife Department,has been actively involved with The Recovering America’s Wildlife Act. We recently asked him about its progress since not much comes out of D.C. nowadays that is not related to COVID. The Wildlife Act made substantial progress in 2020. The standalone bill, HR 3742, passed out of committee with bipartisan support. The text of that bill, slightly altered, was inserted into HR 2, which passed the US House on July 20 and was sent it to the US…

What a Difference a Week Makes

By Sally Evans, Founder and Emeritus THEN: By the time anyone reads this epistle the Backyard Bird Count will be over, the Great Winter Storm will be over, Valentine’s Day will be over, and we will be working on the pandemic to be over! It has been a difficult time for people on so many areas of their lives with survival being uppermost. Actually the GBBC came at a good time because many folks could not do anything else except peep out the draped windows at the birds coming in to find what food they could. Bird feeders came to…

Frisco Natural Area Restoration Opportunities

By Rick Travis, 2018 Hurray!!! Blackland Prairie Texas Master Naturalist Chapter and the Frisco Parks and Recreation Department have reached an agreement that allows our chapter members to provide VH eligible restoration and maintenance efforts within the natural areas located in various Frisco parks, such as Frisco Commons, Cottonwood Creek, Northwest Community parks, and the Stewart Creek Wetlands Preserve. The Stewart Creek Wetlands Preserve Both weekend and weekday work sessions in the Frisco park natural areas will begin mid-March and can be found on the BPTMN calendar. Initial work will focus on the prairie restoration site at Frisco Commons…

Chip and Dale Still Entertain

By Deborah Canterbury, 2014 As I have nothing better to do than stare out my window into the back yard, I have been highly entertained by the two squirrels who frequent my bird feeders and scoff at my futile attempts to deter them. So I did some fact finding to assure me that I am smarter than a squirrel and that I still know how to read and research. Fact #1: They Were Brought into U.S. Parks Intentionally Squirrels can be pests around your property, but did you know that they were introduced to American nature parks intentionally?After the Industrial…

Shoring up the Shoreline at Raptor Center

By Dick Zartler, 2007 During the first week in March a group of Blackland Prairie Master Naturalists, led by Rick Travis and Lorelei Stierlen and joined by Lisa Travis, Susan Abernethy and Dick Zartler, planted over 300 cuttings to help stabilize the BPRC’s eastern shoreline on Lavon lake. The eastern shoreline, on the open lake, steep and consisting of unconsolidated clays, has been eroded over almost 70 years by a combination of “wave wash” from passing boats and periodic changes in water levels. The cuttings were about 18” to 24” long and consisted of black willows and buttonbushes, both water-loving…

Edition 17 – Shaking The Trees – February 1, 2021

The Legacy of Bill Holifield 1931 – 2021

by Sally Evans, 2006 Dr. Bill Holifield was the Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum for the…

Heard Happenings

By Laura Ragan It’s been quite a while since we’ve all been able to fellowship in…

Carnage in Collin County

By Duane Mortensen In early fall I could often find another robber fly [Promachus hinei]. One…

A January Visit to Lake Tawakoni State Park

By Jean Suplick Sometimes you’ve just got to break out of COVID confinement and have a…

A Mother’s Story

By Laurie Sheppard Female Green Lynx Spiders have a very unusual quality – they can change…

The Last Cougar

By Greg Tonian On a December morning, soon before your demise, I journeyed to the Grasslands…

Edition 16 – Shaking The Trees – January 11, 2021

The Continuing Chronicles of the Commons Cooper’s

By: John Garbutt Watching the five Cooper’s Hawks fledge in mid-June under their mother’s watchful…

Bethany Lakes Park Birding

By: Jim Dulian Here is a list of all the water birds we have seen…

Thousands of Trees and City Challenges, Oh My!

By: Deborah Canterbury Dave Powell is constantly widening our net of experience and consulting. 2021…

Heard Trail Topping

By: Deborah Canterbury It was a joint effort between the Heard animal team, the Celina…

BPRC 2020 Prairie Restoration Projects

By: Greg Tonian, Lorelei Stierlin and Dick Zartler In 2020 the Blackland Prairie Raptor Center…

Connemara Meadow Nature Preserve Year in Review

By: Robert Mione, Meadow Master Northern Bobwhite Quail – Photo by – Serena Duan In…

Heard Paleo Lab adds new display

By: Patti Tuck 2020 has at least one bright moment! A new fossil was added…

BPRC Give a Hoot Gala Summary

By: Erich Neupert Here is some information about our Give A Hoot Gala we had…

2021-01 Hagerman Geese by Laurie Sheppard

2020: Hagerman NWR Year in Review

By Laurie Sheppard The year started out like any other, but 2020 had plenty of…

Edition 15 – Shaking The Trees – December 1, 2020

Clyde Camp – Hunter, the Red Morph Screech Owl, returns [again].

11/19/2020 No Comments

Hunter, the Red Morph Screech Owl, returns [again]. Since the beginnning of October, I’ve powered…

Al Baume – Beck’s Prairie @ Connemara Meadow

11/18/2020 No Comments

We rescue Little Bluestem here and transplant it in the Connemara Meadow. Beck’s is a…

Tom Shackelford – Clymer Meadow

11/17/2020 No Comments

While certifying as a Master Naturalist in 2018 a field trip was offered to Clymer…

Deborah Canterbury – Susan Smith We Will Miss You

11/16/2020 No Comments

We hate to announce that Susan Smith is moving to be closer to family. Still…

Deborah Canterbury – Congratulations new Board Members!

11/15/2020 No Comments

Congratulations and thanks to our new board members. Laura Ragan, Vice President (21-22) – class…

Leadership in Action

11/14/2020 No Comments

As 2020 comes to a close, we reflect on the memories of our time this…

Edition 14 – Shaking The Trees – November 1, 2020

Deborah Canterbury – TMN Educators in Action

10/23/2020 1 Comment

Two of our tribe are serving in leadership roles with Native Plant Society. Congratulations to…

Linda Nixon – Congratulations to the Trinity Coalition!

10/23/2020 No Comments

Photo by Teresa Patterson The Trinity River Paddling Trail was one of the 30 trails…

Jim Dulian – Crowning the Heron

10/22/2020 No Comments

INTRO On Jun. 18, 2019, I found a rather large light blue egg shell in…

David Powell – Wylie Portrait

10/21/2020 No Comments

We have new signage in Wylie! The Eastern Gama Grass is blooming. A Great Golden…

Greg Tonian – Time Passages

10/20/2020 No Comments

Time Passages, reflections on a solo hike on the Eagle Rock Loop, Ouachita National Forest,…

Sally Evans – What Izzit?

10/16/2020 No Comments

I found this recently in my yard. iNat was stumped. I call it Plantus Drivewae….

Edition 13 – Shaking The Trees – October 15, 2020

Deborah Canterbury – What ‘Cha Doin’?

10/06/2020 No Comments

Since the first year of the Blackland Prairie Chapter our tribe members have taken on…

Mary Pearl Meuth – Check your Tech for the 2020 Annual Meeting!

10/05/2020 No Comments

Check your Tech for the 2020 Annual Meeting! It’s almost time for our TMN Annual…

Lisa Travis – Fall Socially Distant BioBlitz for DFW Master Naturalist Chapters

10/04/2020 No Comments

September 6–12, 2020 The first DFW Fall Socially Distant BioBlitz was a huge success! During…

Bob Mione & Lorelei Stierlen – New Meaning to When I am calling you

10/03/2020 No Comments

Currently, about 70 quail have been relocated to the Blackland Prairie Raptor Center and can…

Janice James – To Stretch is Good

10/02/2020 No Comments

This may be a stretch, but for those interested in the outdoors, there are often…

John Garbutt – Mississippi Kites

10/01/2020 No Comments

After the birding doldrums of August, I longed for a change in the wind and…

Edition 12 – Shaking The Trees – October 1, 2020

Dick Zartler & Lorelei Stierlen – Raptor Center Land Restoration

09/15/2020 No Comments

They gave an overview of the needs for trail guides and of the exciting restoration…

Sally Evans – Sharing the Biodiverse Backyard

09/14/2020 No Comments

This week is a big biodiversity search in our DFW area but I have been…

Lu Anne Ray & Bob Mione – Talking quail

09/13/2020 No Comments

Lu Anne: I heard this sweet guy singing this morning and found him in our…

Deborah Canterbury – Ant Talk

09/12/2020 No Comments

PBS has a quick Gross Science edition just about Ant speak.

Linda Nixon – September Membership Report

09/09/2020 No Comments

Membership Totals: · 167-active members | 28-in-training | 312-inactive/interested members Total Re-Certifications: 60New Re-Certifications: · Brendan Blackwell, Tony…