[{"id":35397,"date":"2026-07-04T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-04T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/?p=35397"},"modified":"2026-07-06T18:36:01","modified_gmt":"2026-07-06T23:36:01","slug":"bptmn-newsletter-summer-edition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/bptmn-newsletter-summer-edition\/","title":{"rendered":"BPTMN Newsletter &#8211; Summer Edition"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"820\" height=\"312\" src=\"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2026\/04\/Blackland-Prairie-Chapter-Facebook-Cover-Photos.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-35034\" style=\"aspect-ratio:2.628418311128919;width:838px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2026\/04\/Blackland-Prairie-Chapter-Facebook-Cover-Photos.png 820w, https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2026\/04\/Blackland-Prairie-Chapter-Facebook-Cover-Photos-300x114.png 300w, https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2026\/04\/Blackland-Prairie-Chapter-Facebook-Cover-Photos-150x57.png 150w, https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2026\/04\/Blackland-Prairie-Chapter-Facebook-Cover-Photos-767x292.png 767w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>\u2600\ufe0f \ud83d\udc0d <strong>Sun-Soaked Days in the Blackland Prairie \u2013 A Summer of Discovery<\/strong> \ud83c\udf33 \ud83e\udd8b<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Welcome to the summer edition!  From record-breaking mothing nights to thriving prairie restorations, our volunteers and naturalists have been incredibly busy. Catch up on all the latest news, research opportunities, and wildlife wonders below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\ud83e\udd8b Wildlife Wonders &amp; Ecosystems<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>June was a Fabulous Month for Mothing!<\/strong> June was a record-breaking month for the Moth Squad, featuring over 230 enthusiastic attendees across two incredible nights in Richardson and Plano. From rare Luna Moths to a historic, first-ever Texas recording of a Nutmeg Underwing, our latest mothing adventures proved that the night shift is truly full of wonders! <a href=\"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/june-was-a-fabulous-month-for-mothing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>[Read more about our record-breaking mothing events]<\/strong><\/a><br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Identify Frog And Toad Calls With This Amazing Resource!<\/strong> The Collin County Frogs &amp; Toads Field Guide is a free mobile-first field guide to the 15 frog and toad species documented in Collin County, TX. <a href=\"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/identify-frog-and-toad-calls-with-this-amazing-resource\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>[Read more about the Collin County Frogs &amp; Toads Field Guide]<\/strong><\/a><br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Behavioral Wonders: Mating or Combat?<\/strong> Caught in the act! Are these two snakes mating or locked in a dance of dominance? Get the scoop on these wild interactions and learn how to tell the difference!<a href=\"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/behavioral-wonders-mating-or-combat\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong> [Read more about snake mating and combat behaviors]<\/strong><\/a><br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Let\u2019s Hear It For The Snakes!<\/strong> An example of using citizen data, combined with other sources, to come to conclusions about the natural world. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/lets-hear-it-for-the-snakes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">[Read more about utilizing citizen data for snake research]<br><\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Half of Americans Have Little to No Knowledge of Grasslands, the Country\u2019s Largest Natural Habitat:<\/strong> The importance of talking about native grasslands. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/half-of-americans-have-little-to-no-knowledge-of-grasslands-the-countrys-largest-natural-habitat\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">[Read more about the importance of native grasslands]<\/a><\/strong><br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Texas A&amp;M AgriLife New World Screwworm Resource Page:<\/strong> The New World screwworm is a parasitic fly whose larvae (maggots) feed on living tissues of warm-blooded animals. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/texas-am-agrilife-new-world-screwworm-resource-page\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">[Read more about the New World screwworm resource page]<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\ud83e\udd1d Volunteer Spotlights &amp; Workdays<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Ribbon Communications Volunteers Make an Impact at Arbor Hills in Plano:<\/strong> Seventy dedicated volunteers from Ribbon Communications recently transformed Arbor Hills Nature Preserve through a day of hard work, from clearing invasive privet to cleaning up local trails. Read on to see how this incredible team effort is boosting biodiversity and helping our local ecosystem thrive! <a href=\"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/ribbon-communications-volunteers-on-make-an-impact-at-arbor-hills-in-plano\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>[Read more about the Ribbon Communications volunteer day]<\/strong><\/a><br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Community Engagement 2026 Events \u2013 Summer Update:<\/strong> This summer is packed with fantastic community engagement events across North Texas! Volunteers are already stepping up to share the love of nature, with just a couple of spots left to fill before the summer wraps up. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/community-engagement-2026-events-summer-update\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">[Read more about upcoming community engagement events]<\/a><\/strong><br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Last Saturday Workday \u2013 Monarch Gardens at Gabe Nesbitt Park (June Update):<\/strong> Thank you to those who volunteered with us! The summer is in full bloom at the Monarch Gardens. Thanks to your hard work and dedication, we tackled plenty of garden tasks, including weeding beds, clearing pathways, and turning compost to keep the garden healthy and thriving. Your efforts help make the Monarch Gardens a welcoming space for people, pollinators, and wildlife alike. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/last-saturday-workday-monarch-gardens-at-gabe-nesbitt-park-update\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">[Read more about the June Monarch Gardens workday]<\/a><\/strong><br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Princeton Garden Workday Summary:<\/strong> Volunteer work enhances the beauty of this Princeton park. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/princeton-garden-workday-summary\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">[Read the full Princeton Garden Workday Summary]<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\ud83c\udf3f Habitat Restoration &amp; Inspiration<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Proof of Concept: Wylie Prairie Restoration:<\/strong> The prairie restoration at the Wiley Municipal Complex has officially doubled its native plant diversity, transforming former farmland into a thriving natural habitat. Come explore the success of this hidden gem by walking the newly established loop trail and demonstration plots! <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/proof-of-concept-wylie-prairie-restoration\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">[Read more about the Wylie Prairie Restoration success]<\/a><\/strong><br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Exploring Native Ecosystems with Bethany ED Burke:<\/strong> Caterpillars, kites, and \u201cpurple pineapples,\u201d oh my! If you are looking for some fresh inspiration for your native landscaping, you have to check out the amazing content from Bethany ED Burke. We\u2019ve put together a quick summary of her best deep-dives into our local North Texas ecosystems. Read below to learn how you can build a thriving pocket prairie right in your own yard!<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/exploring-native-ecosystems-with-bethany-ed-burke\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> [Read more about native landscaping with Bethany ED Burke]<\/a><\/strong><br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>My Favorite Things through the Four Seasons:<\/strong> By John W. Garbutt, Class of 2019 &#8211; \u201cThe first thought of spring usually occurs mid-winter when my sister sends a photo of a small green growth which is a Texas bluebonnet in her yard beginning to awaken.&#8221; <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/my-favorite-things-through-the-four-seasons-3\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">[Read John W. Garbutt&#8217;s full essay]<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\ud83d\udcda Education, Training &amp; Research<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Calling All Arachnids: Spiders Needed for Youth Engagement Events!<\/strong> Don\u2019t squash that spider\u2014save it for science! The YES Committee is on the hunt for eight-legged educators to feature in our upcoming youth projects. Getting up close and personal with arachnids is one of the best ways to spark curiosity in young naturalists and teach them about the crucial role these critters play in our local ecosystem. If you spot a willing participant, please capture it safely. Help us spin these upcoming projects into a success! <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/calling-all-arachnids-spiders-needed-for-youth-engagement-events\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">[Read more about submitting spiders for youth projects]<\/a><\/strong><br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Invitation to Participate in Environmental Research:<\/strong> We\u2019re sharing a great opportunity to support environmental research! Our own Randy Boys recently learned about a study being conducted by an intern at the Hagerman Preserve for her Master\u2019s thesis at Arizona State University.<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/invitation-to-participate-in-environmental-research\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> [Read more about participating in the Hagerman Preserve study]<\/a><\/strong><br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Master Volunteer Entomology Advanced Training 2026:<\/strong> Don\u2019t let the details bug you! Join Wizzie and Molly with AgriLife for Master Volunteer Entomology Advanced Training and learn everything about our insect friends in this flexible virtual course!<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/master-volunteer-entomology-advanced-training-2026\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> [Read more about the Master Volunteer Entomology Training<\/a><\/strong>]<br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Texas Master Naturalist 2026 Annual Meeting \u2013 Sponsorship and Vendor Opportunity:<\/strong> The Annual Meeting provides an opportunity for Texas Master Naturalist volunteers from around the state to gather, participate in hands-on educational seminars, and complete Advanced Training requirements within one weekend. It is also a chance for program participants and partners to network, share ideas, and learn from efforts happening across Texas. Attendance typically exceeds 600+ participants.<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/texas-master-naturalist-2026-annual-meeting-sponsorship-and-vendor-opportunity\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> [Read more about 2026 Annual Meeting sponsorship opportunities]<br><\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Blackland Prairie Texas Master Naturalists Pollinator Gardens: 2026 Deep Dive coming soon!<\/strong> One of our most popular Deep Dives is making a comeback! We\u2019re locking in the date now, so keep an eye on your inbox for more details coming your way soon.<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/blackland-prairie-texas-master-naturalists-pollinator-gardens-2026-deep-dive-coming-soon\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> [Read more about the upcoming 2026 Pollinator Gardens Deep Dive]<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u2b50 Chapter News<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Farewell and Best Wishes!<\/strong> Jane Palmer, Class of 2024, is saying goodbye to Texas and the Blackland Prairie Master Naturalists. [<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/farewell-and-best-wishes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read more about saying farewell to Jane Palmer]<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:22px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:22px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Save the Date<\/strong> &#8211; <\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>September 1:<\/strong> <strong>Texas Master Naturalist 2026 Annual Meeting Contests<\/strong> <strong>Deadline<\/strong> <em>(read more under program updates)<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>October 22 \u2013 25:<\/strong> <strong>TMN Annual Meeting in Waco<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/txmn.tamu.edu\/2026-annual-meeting\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\" noreferrer noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/txmn.tamu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/2026-AM-Website-and-Email-Header.png\" alt=\"\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You can access our latest newsletter from our Chapter\u2019s&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Home Page at bptmn.org<\/strong><\/a>, click on the \u201c<strong>Blackland Prairie Newsletter<\/strong>\u201d image, OR by direct link \u2013&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/newsletters\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/newsletters\/<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>This newsletter will provide:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Next Month\u2019s Chapter Meeting<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/home\/what-we-do\/chapter-meetings\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">&#8211; <strong>Chapter Meetings<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Shaking the Trees Member Submissions<\/strong>&nbsp;&#8211; <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/news\/bptmn-blog\/shaking-the-trees\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Shaking the Trees Newsletter<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><strong>Past<\/strong> <strong>Meetings <\/strong>Recordings<\/strong> &#8211;<a href=\"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/home\/what-we-do\/chapter-meetings\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"> <strong>Chapter Meetings<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Past Deep Dives Recordings<\/strong> &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/deep-dives\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Deep Dives<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Upcoming Advanced Training &amp; Volunteer Hours Opportunities &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/calendar\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Member VHAT Calendar<\/a>.<\/strong> <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>TMN State Program Updates<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Chapter Advisor<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Chapter Partners<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>If chapter members need to share information in the monthly newsletter that drops after the chapter meeting, or want to provide feedback, or want to help! Please send your emails to&nbsp;<\/em><a href=\"mailto:communications@bptmn.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><\/a><em><strong><a href=\"mailto:support@bptmn.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>support@bptmn.org<\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong><\/em><br><br><br><em>Michelle Connally<\/em><br><em>Communications Director<br>Blackland Prairie Chapter<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:100px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"199\" src=\"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2024\/01\/BPTMN-Newsletter-Banner-1.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-24085\" srcset=\"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2024\/01\/BPTMN-Newsletter-Banner-1.png 600w, https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2024\/01\/BPTMN-Newsletter-Banner-1-300x100.png 300w, https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2024\/01\/BPTMN-Newsletter-Banner-1-150x50.png 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-fe48e5de wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button has-custom-width wp-block-button__width-50\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-white-color has-text-color has-background has-text-align-center wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/news\/content-submission-form\/\" style=\"background-color:#046a38\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Submit your article here<\/strong><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:30px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u2600\ufe0f \ud83d\udc0d Sun-Soaked Days in the Blackland Prairie \u2013 A Summer of Discovery \ud83c\udf33 \ud83e\udd8b Welcome to the summer edition! From record-breaking mothing nights to thriving prairie restorations, our volunteers&#8230; <span class=\"read-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/bptmn-newsletter-summer-edition\/\">Read More &rarr;<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1226,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[74815,27102],"tags":[74903,75001],"class_list":["post-35397","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-chapter-newsletter","category-general","tag-blacklandprairie","tag-blacklandprairiechapter","entry"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35397","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1226"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35397"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35397\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35397"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35397"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35397"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":35383,"date":"2026-07-03T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-03T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/?p=35383"},"modified":"2026-07-04T17:04:30","modified_gmt":"2026-07-04T22:04:30","slug":"june-was-a-fabulous-month-for-mothing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/june-was-a-fabulous-month-for-mothing\/","title":{"rendered":"June was a Fabulous Month for Mothing!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Rick Travis, Class of 2018<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Moth Squad participated in two great Mothing Events in June. Here\u2019s a recap of our adventures with the denizens of the night at these events:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Richardson Breckinridge Park Event:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We supported Richardson\u2019s first ever Mothing Event, held on June 13 at Breckinridge Park. The event was initially planned for June 6, but Mother Nature had other plans for us, as a downpour forced its cancellation. Fortunately, the Moth Squad, Youth Engagement Team, and Richardson Parks were able to regroup and reschedule the event for the following Saturday evening, as the event proved to be a big hit, with over 120 attendees!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>The youth Engagement Team kicked things off with several activity tables for the kiddos to enjoy prior to sundown.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-photo is-provider-flickr wp-block-embed-flickr\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/bptmn\/55338306205\/in\/dateposted-public\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/55338306205_4503f98d29.jpg&#038;\" alt=\"06132026 - Richardson Mothing 5\" width=\"500\" height=\"264\" \/><\/a>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Once the sun set, the denizens of the night emerged, and the Squad and other Master Naturalists helped the attendees understand what they were observing and their role within our ecosystem. The folks were very enthusiastic and engaged. Richardson Parks was quite pleased with the turnout and the quality of the event and have already requested we plan to have a \u201c2nd Annual\u201d event at Breckinridge Park next summer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-photo is-provider-flickr wp-block-embed-flickr\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/bptmn\/55338306245\/in\/dateposted-public\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/55338306245_ed1ababb25.jpg&#038;\" alt=\"06132026 - Richardson Mothing 12\" width=\"500\" height=\"301\" \/><\/a>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What did we see at the Richardson event? In iNaturalist, for the event date there were 982 observations, and 311 species catalogued at Breckinridge Park!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Plano Oak Point Park Event<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Our 2nd mothing event in June was at Oak Point Park in Plano on the 20th. Plano Parks has teamed with the Moth Squad for this event for several years now, and it has consistently experienced great attendance and good mothing. This year proved no exception, with about 115 attendees flowing through the event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sam Kieschnick once again attended this event and enthralled the attendees with his enthusiastic sharing of knowledge, and encouragement to learn more about insects and their vital importance to our ecosystems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Sam in action:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-photo is-provider-flickr wp-block-embed-flickr\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/bptmn\/55353929543\/in\/album-72177720334352925\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/55353929543_f06ba3e8d4.jpg&#038;\" alt=\"06202026 - Photo 10 Mothing Event RT\" width=\"500\" height=\"188\" \/><\/a>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"699\" height=\"734\" src=\"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2026\/07\/2026-BPTMN-Rick-Travis-Mothing-in-Plano.jpeg\" alt=\"Sam teaching children about mothing\" class=\"wp-image-35392\" srcset=\"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2026\/07\/2026-BPTMN-Rick-Travis-Mothing-in-Plano.jpeg 699w, https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2026\/07\/2026-BPTMN-Rick-Travis-Mothing-in-Plano-143x150.jpeg 143w, https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2026\/07\/2026-BPTMN-Rick-Travis-Mothing-in-Plano-286x300.jpeg 286w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 699px) 100vw, 699px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>The Youth Engagement Team was also in action at the Plano event with pre-sunset activities for the kiddos.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-photo is-provider-flickr wp-block-embed-flickr\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/bptmn\/55353979754\/in\/album-72177720334352925\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/55353979754_74c711f9de.jpg&#038;\" alt=\"06202026 - Photo 4 Mothing Event RT\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" \/><\/a>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>When darkness fell, the critters came to visit our screens, with a couple of notable visitors!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-photo is-provider-flickr wp-block-embed-flickr\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/bptmn\/55352836287\/in\/album-72177720334352925\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/55352836287_96ca43fa9f.jpg&#038;\" alt=\"06202026 - Photo 13 Mothing Event RT\" width=\"500\" height=\"159\" \/><\/a>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A Luna Moth made an uncommon North Texas appearance late in the evening. Luna Moths are plentiful in East Texas, where their primary host tree, the Sweetgum, ranges. However, they will use Black Walnut as a host tree in our area, so on rare occasions a Luna moth is spotted deep in our woodlands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>The Luna Moth being photographed:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-photo is-provider-flickr wp-block-embed-flickr\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/bptmn\/55354194680\/in\/album-72177720334352925\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/55354194680_173d4af3b5.jpg&#038;\" alt=\"06202026 - Photo 14 Mothing Event RT\" width=\"500\" height=\"379\" \/><\/a>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Another large moth made an appearance, and we had difficulty identifying the species, including Sam K. Sam made further inquiries with some of his expert associates, and we found out why: because this was the first ever iNaturalist recorded observation of this moth in Texas!!! The species we saw was a Nutmeg Underwing moth. A quite uncommon moth in North America, which uses the Nutmeg Walnut tree as its host plant for the species reproductive cycle. The nutmeg Walnut does not range into Texas, but there have been some lab studies that indicate this species may be able to use Black Walnut (which does range here) as a host.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>The Nutmeg Underwing Moth:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"902\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2026\/07\/2026-BPTMN-Rick-Travis-Nutmeg-Moth-902x1024.jpeg\" alt=\"nutmeg moth on white background\" class=\"wp-image-35395\" srcset=\"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2026\/07\/2026-BPTMN-Rick-Travis-Nutmeg-Moth-902x1024.jpeg 902w, https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2026\/07\/2026-BPTMN-Rick-Travis-Nutmeg-Moth-132x150.jpeg 132w, https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2026\/07\/2026-BPTMN-Rick-Travis-Nutmeg-Moth-264x300.jpeg 264w, https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2026\/07\/2026-BPTMN-Rick-Travis-Nutmeg-Moth-768x871.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2026\/07\/2026-BPTMN-Rick-Travis-Nutmeg-Moth-1354x1536.jpeg 1354w, https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2026\/07\/2026-BPTMN-Rick-Travis-Nutmeg-Moth-1805x2048.jpeg 1805w, https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2026\/07\/2026-BPTMN-Rick-Travis-Nutmeg-Moth.jpeg 2019w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 902px) 100vw, 902px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>What did we see at the Plano event? In iNaturalist, for the event date there were 1569 observations, and 403 species catalogued at Oak Point Park!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:100px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/news\/bptmn-blog\/shaking-the-trees\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\" noreferrer noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"564\" height=\"190\" src=\"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2022\/01\/Shaking-the-Trees-2.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-15395\" srcset=\"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2022\/01\/Shaking-the-Trees-2.png 564w, https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2022\/01\/Shaking-the-Trees-2-300x101.png 300w, https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2022\/01\/Shaking-the-Trees-2-150x51.png 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 564px) 100vw, 564px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-fe48e5de wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button has-custom-width wp-block-button__width-50\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-white-color has-text-color has-background has-text-align-center wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/news\/content-submission-form\/\" style=\"background-color:#046a38\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Submit your article here<\/strong><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:30px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>June was a record-breaking month for the Moth Squad, featuring over 230 enthusiastic attendees across two incredible nights in Richardson and Plano. From rare Luna Moths to a historic, first-ever Texas recording of a Nutmeg Underwing, our latest mothing adventures proved that the night shift is truly full of wonders!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1226,"featured_media":35386,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[10581],"tags":[57871,41183,75210],"class_list":["post-35383","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-current-news","tag-mothing","tag-rick-travis","tag-stt-72","entry"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2026\/07\/2026-BPTMN-Moth-Squad-June-Update-Oak-Point-Park-Plano-Squished.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35383","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1226"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35383"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35383\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35386"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35383"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35383"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35383"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":35360,"date":"2026-07-02T15:50:55","date_gmt":"2026-07-02T20:50:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/?p=35360"},"modified":"2026-07-02T15:55:19","modified_gmt":"2026-07-02T20:55:19","slug":"farewell-and-best-wishes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/farewell-and-best-wishes\/","title":{"rendered":"Farewell and Best Wishes!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Submitted by Leah Justice, Class of 2021<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jane Palmer, Class of 2024, is saying goodbye to Texas and the Blackland Prairie Master Naturalists.  Jane and her family are relocating to San Jose, CA where her husband is starting a new job.  Jane spent a lot of her time volunteering at Connemara Meadow and The Heard Museum.  She has also helped with the Girl Scout Eco Explorers for the past two years.  We will miss  you Jane!  Thanks for all your contributions and best wishes as you start a new chapter in sunny California.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2026\/07\/pexels-photo-9494703-9494703-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Explore a vivid field of Texas wildflowers, showcasing bluebonnets and Indian paintbrushes in full summer bloom.\" class=\"wp-image-35363\" srcset=\"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2026\/07\/pexels-photo-9494703-9494703-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2026\/07\/pexels-photo-9494703-9494703-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2026\/07\/pexels-photo-9494703-9494703-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2026\/07\/pexels-photo-9494703-9494703-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2026\/07\/pexels-photo-9494703-9494703-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2026\/07\/pexels-photo-9494703-9494703-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Jane Palmer, Class of 2024, is saying goodbye to Texas and the Blackland Prairie Master Naturalists.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1490,"featured_media":35362,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[10581,27102],"tags":[74828,75210],"class_list":["post-35360","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-current-news","category-general","tag-current-news","tag-stt-72","entry"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2026\/07\/JanePandPattyCLymer2024r.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35360","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1490"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35360"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35360\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35362"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35360"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35360"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35360"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":35357,"date":"2026-07-02T14:58:16","date_gmt":"2026-07-02T19:58:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/?p=35357"},"modified":"2026-07-02T15:01:26","modified_gmt":"2026-07-02T20:01:26","slug":"princeton-garden-workday-summary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/princeton-garden-workday-summary\/","title":{"rendered":"Princeton Garden Workday Summary"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Submitted by Donna Joy Vickers, Class of 2023<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We started at 7:30 a.m. with what was expected to be a small planting effort: 10+native grasses, coreopsis, and other quart-sized plants donated by Janice James. Paulette, of course, showed up ready to work, with her nephew in tow. What started as a simple planting quickly turned into a full workday! Together, we removed (some \u2013 LOLOLO) Johnson grass, cut back and removed bristlegrass where possible, and cleared the pathway for visitors. Since the City of Princeton celebrated Freedom &amp; Fireworks on June 27th, we were especially glad to leave the garden looking clean, cared for, and welcoming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-flickr wp-block-embed-flickr\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<a data-flickr-embed='true' href='https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/bptmn\/albums\/72177720334249134\/' title='2026 June Princeton Garden Workday by bptxmn, on Flickr'><img src='https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/55338334515_19a5803424_z.jpg' width='800' height='600' alt='06132026 - Princeton Workday 15'><\/a><script async src='https:\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js' charset='utf-8'><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Volunteer work enhances the beauty of this Princeton park.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1490,"featured_media":35359,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[10581,27102],"tags":[74828,74558,75210],"class_list":["post-35357","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-current-news","category-general","tag-current-news","tag-princeton","tag-stt-72","entry"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2026\/07\/PrincetonGardenJune2026.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35357","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1490"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35357"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35357\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35359"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35357"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35357"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35357"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":35353,"date":"2026-07-02T14:43:04","date_gmt":"2026-07-02T19:43:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/?p=35353"},"modified":"2026-07-02T14:46:46","modified_gmt":"2026-07-02T19:46:46","slug":"half-of-americans-have-little-to-no-knowledge-of-grasslands-the-countrys-largest-natural-habitat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/half-of-americans-have-little-to-no-knowledge-of-grasslands-the-countrys-largest-natural-habitat\/","title":{"rendered":"Half of Americans Have Little to No Knowledge of Grasslands, the Country\u2019s Largest Natural Habitat"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Submitted by Donna Joy Vickers, Class of 2023<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.org\/en-us\/newsroom\/half-of-americans-no-grasslands-knowledge\/?en_txn1=s_lio.reg_gp.x.x\">https:\/\/www.nature.org\/en-us\/newsroom\/half-of-americans-no-grasslands-knowledge\/?en_txn1=s_lio.reg_gp.x.x<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Donna&#8217;s Summary:  <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">I would just say that my learning from this article was that I was like the 47% of Americans that say they have little or no knowledge of grasslands before becoming a Texas Master Naturalist.  I had heard\/understood that America\u2019s grasslands are described as one of the country\u2019s largest, most important, and most threatened natural habitats.  In this article, The Nature Conservancy partnered with GlobeScan to do a survey in April 2026 with over 2,000 people responding. &nbsp;They concluded that public awareness is low but also shows a hopeful pattern: \u201c<strong>when people learn more about grasslands, they value them more<\/strong>\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1007\" height=\"322\" src=\"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2026\/07\/DonnaVickersNatureConvSummaryJune2026.png\" alt=\"Grassland statistics, Nature Conservancy\" class=\"wp-image-35355\" srcset=\"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2026\/07\/DonnaVickersNatureConvSummaryJune2026.png 1007w, https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2026\/07\/DonnaVickersNatureConvSummaryJune2026-300x96.png 300w, https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2026\/07\/DonnaVickersNatureConvSummaryJune2026-150x48.png 150w, https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2026\/07\/DonnaVickersNatureConvSummaryJune2026-768x246.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1007px) 100vw, 1007px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">U.S. grasslands, including savannas and shrublands, cover nearly 1 million square miles, but only about half of historic grasslands remain. Their loss affects wildlife, rural economies, food systems, water quality, carbon storage, and climate resilience. The Nature Conservancy and partner organizations are using these findings to support a broader U.S. Grasslands Campaign through the America\u2019s Grasslands Coalition. The goal is to raise national awareness and make grasslands a stronger conservation priority.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Why this matters for the work we are doing as Master Naturalist (ME):&nbsp; People cannot protect what they cannot identify, locate, understand, or realize still exists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The importance of talking about native grasslands.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1490,"featured_media":34242,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[10581,27102],"tags":[74828,26238,75210],"class_list":["post-35353","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-current-news","category-general","tag-current-news","tag-nature-conservancy","tag-stt-72","entry"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2025\/10\/CLymerMeadowTSpic.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35353","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1490"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35353"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35353\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/34242"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35353"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35353"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35353"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":35286,"date":"2026-06-26T17:17:17","date_gmt":"2026-06-26T22:17:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/?p=35286"},"modified":"2026-07-06T18:34:29","modified_gmt":"2026-07-06T23:34:29","slug":"identify-frog-and-toad-calls-with-this-amazing-resource","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/identify-frog-and-toad-calls-with-this-amazing-resource\/","title":{"rendered":"Identify Frog And Toad Calls With This Amazing Resource!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Submitted by Annelise Pretorius, Class of 2026<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"http:\/\/collin-anurans.netlify.app\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">collin-anurans.netlify.app<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Collin County Frogs &amp; Toads Field Guide is a free mobile-first field guide to the 15 frog and toad species documented in Collin County, TX created by Annelise Pretorius. Built as her Texas Master Naturalist\u2122 Blackland Prairie Chapter End of Class Project, the guide was designed specifically for night field use. The call description and sound cues are front and center (rather than photos) because in the dark, you hear before you see. Each species profile includes a call recording, visual cue, 12-month calling season bar, traits, iNaturalist link, and references. It installs on your phone like a free app and works completely offline \u2014 no signal needed at the pond!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Collin County Frogs &amp; Toads Field Guide is a free mobile-first field guide to the 15 frog and toad species documented in Collin County, TX.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1490,"featured_media":35289,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[10581,27102,16851],"tags":[74828,75210],"class_list":["post-35286","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-current-news","category-general","category-training-class","tag-current-news","tag-stt-72","entry"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2026\/06\/CollinCoFrogswebsitepicJune2026.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35286","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1490"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35286"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35286\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35289"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35286"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35286"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35286"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":35297,"date":"2026-06-25T15:15:23","date_gmt":"2026-06-25T20:15:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/?p=35297"},"modified":"2026-06-27T17:35:48","modified_gmt":"2026-06-27T22:35:48","slug":"texas-am-agrilife-new-world-screwworm-resource-page","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/texas-am-agrilife-new-world-screwworm-resource-page\/","title":{"rendered":"Texas A&amp;M AgriLife New World Screwworm Resource Page"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Submitted by Leah Justice, Class of 2021<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/agrilifeextension.tamu.edu\/new-world-screwworm\">agrilifeextension.tamu.edu\/new-world-screwworm<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Cochliomyia hominivorax<\/em>, the New World screwworm fly, is a parasitic fly whose larvae (maggots) feed on living tissues of warm-blooded animals. Find the latest information and resources available to help Texans identify, prevent, and respond to this parasite.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The New World screwworm is a parasitic fly whose larvae (maggots) feed on living tissues of warm-blooded animals.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1490,"featured_media":35299,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[10581,27102],"tags":[74828,75210],"class_list":["post-35297","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-current-news","category-general","tag-current-news","tag-stt-72","entry"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2026\/06\/TXAgrilifesiteNewWorldScrewworm.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35297","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1490"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35297"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35297\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35299"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35297"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35297"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35297"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":35224,"date":"2026-06-25T15:06:08","date_gmt":"2026-06-25T20:06:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/?p=35224"},"modified":"2026-06-27T17:36:58","modified_gmt":"2026-06-27T22:36:58","slug":"lets-hear-it-for-the-snakes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/lets-hear-it-for-the-snakes\/","title":{"rendered":"Let&#8217;s Hear It For The Snakes!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Submitted by Tee Roberts, Class of 2026<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I am a data nerd by profession, and also a lover of all things reptile. (I dedicate this article to my favorite snake, Gojira, a beautiful ball python who enjoys resting in his rock hide and climbing his log. Bonus points if you know what his name means. As I said, I am a lover of all things reptile.) At any rate, one of the best sources for reptile data happens to be our beloved iNaturalist app. And it is surprisingly easy to pull data from there. So, I decided what better way to demonstrate my love for reptiles than to download and play with snakes\u2026er I mean snake data. More specifically, the Eastern copperhead aka <strong><em>agkistrodon contortrix.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For the first part of the project, I looked at the comments and descriptions left by users who spotted our favorite snake while out and about. I sorted the key words in those comments and descriptions into clusters to see if there were any notable trends, and there were a few. Based on a word cloud I did I noticed the phrase \u201cnorthern copperhead\u201d came up a lot, so I went digging. It turns out there used to be what was considered a subspecies of copperhead called the northern copperhead, however that is no longer accepted as a separate species. The state of Virginia came up quite a bit so we know there must be a healthy copperhead population there, and we will discuss why later in this article.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"549\" src=\"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2026\/06\/LetsHearItForTheSnakesPic2june2026.jpg-1024x549.png\" alt=\"Copperhead snake word cluster\" class=\"wp-image-35227\" srcset=\"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2026\/06\/LetsHearItForTheSnakesPic2june2026.jpg-1024x549.png 1024w, https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2026\/06\/LetsHearItForTheSnakesPic2june2026.jpg-300x161.png 300w, https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2026\/06\/LetsHearItForTheSnakesPic2june2026.jpg-150x80.png 150w, https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2026\/06\/LetsHearItForTheSnakesPic2june2026.jpg-768x412.png 768w, https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2026\/06\/LetsHearItForTheSnakesPic2june2026.jpg.png 1432w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One cluster contained several references to \u201cdead\u201d or \u201cdead snake\u201d but also contained several references to \u201ccar.\u201d This suggests that there is a decent portion of eastern copperheads who are struck and killed by cars, most likely when trying to cross busy streets or highways. This brings up a memory from when I lived in Ohio, I was about to get on I-75 and right at the exit ramp, an Eastern box turtle (best guess) was trying to cross the ramp. Our highways are often flanked by heavily wooded areas, and no doubt this little friend was just trying to get back to the coverage of the trees. I stopped my car, jumped out, and carried it across the ramp to the woods. (That was a pretty busy exit ramp, and I did not want it to get hit.) Obviously, we should not repeat this behavior with copperheads (they are venomous after all) but maybe we can be more mindful when driving through heavily wooded areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A final note on my word clusters, I also noticed several references to yellow or green tails. Hmm, said I. \u201cWhat could this mean?\u201d So, I did a little digging and learned that a common prey for juvenile copperheads is lizards. And these juveniles often have bright green or bright yellow tails which they use as lures to attract this prey. I do not know if this is a common practice for snakes, but it is seen in other parts of the reptile world. The prehistoric beasts known as snapping turtles have been known to wiggle their tongues while underwater to act as lures for poor unfortunate fish that happen to swim by.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After the word analysis, I tracked sightings trends by hour, month, year, and I also used an API from a company called Open-Meteo which has readily available weather data. I matched that with the sightings from iNaturalist to figure out when copperheads are most commonly seen. I will say the yearly data was perhaps not that useful, given that the records begin in the 70s when iNaturalist was not the juggernaut that it is today, and so even though the data shows an increasing number of sightings it is hard to say whether that is because the population of copperheads is actually increasing, or if it is simply because iNaturalist is being used more to record the sightings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What the data does show is that our slithery friends tend to be highly active from about 8am to 11am and again around 7pm \u2013 8pm. This might suggest a crepuscular schedule (active at dawn and dusk), but what I learned is copperheads actually change their behaviors based on the seasons. The warmer it is, the more likely they will be active at night. As the weather cools, they become more diurnal, that is, active during the day. (As Spock would say, \u201cFascinating, captain!\u201d) They are least active in the early morning (1am to 5am) but maintain various degrees of activity throughout the day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Another thing of note, our scaly buddies tend to be seen most around May and September. There could be several factors for this. In Texas, May and September are migratory primetime for birds. Given that birds often time movement to their food cycles, it is reasonable to suggest that there is likely a high insect population around those times. And given that copperheads eat both insects and birds, it makes sense that they would pop up around migration season. And there are much fewer sightings in deep winter. Given that many reptiles enter brumation (a bit like hibernation, but the animals remain awake) around that time, it makes sense that we would not see very many of them. Snakes do not like to be cold, at least I know mine does not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"504\" src=\"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2026\/06\/LetsHearItForTheSnakesPic3june2026.jpg-1024x504.png\" alt=\"Eastern Copperhead sightings chart\" class=\"wp-image-35229\" srcset=\"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2026\/06\/LetsHearItForTheSnakesPic3june2026.jpg-1024x504.png 1024w, https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2026\/06\/LetsHearItForTheSnakesPic3june2026.jpg-300x148.png 300w, https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2026\/06\/LetsHearItForTheSnakesPic3june2026.jpg-150x74.png 150w, https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2026\/06\/LetsHearItForTheSnakesPic3june2026.jpg-768x378.png 768w, https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2026\/06\/LetsHearItForTheSnakesPic3june2026.jpg.png 1482w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And finally, let us talk about weather. Using the data from Open-Meteo and matching it to the dates of our sightings we find that copperheads are often seen during rain and drizzle. This kind of matches with our monthly sightings data, at least in Texas. We know May and September tend to be a bit rainy, so that further explains why May and September have the most sightings. There are a couple of theories behind this. One is that snakes are often pushed out of their underground burrows by flooding and are often seen seeking higher ground. Another suggestion is that after the rain, snakes emerge to bask and warm up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">(An interesting question following the weather data, we know when prairies are removed, that flooding can increase and have harsher effects. If increased flooding forces snakes to move about seeking higher ground, does this then make them more likely to be killed, either from getting hit by cars, or killed by confused humans who do not realize that an alive snake is actually a GOOD thing. Aside from insects, our scaly buddies love mice.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ok, sorry, one more thing:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"850\" src=\"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2026\/06\/LetsHearItForTheSnakesPic4june2026.jpg-1024x850.png\" alt=\"Eastern copperhead sighting density chart\" class=\"wp-image-35231\" srcset=\"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2026\/06\/LetsHearItForTheSnakesPic4june2026.jpg-1024x850.png 1024w, https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2026\/06\/LetsHearItForTheSnakesPic4june2026.jpg-300x249.png 300w, https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2026\/06\/LetsHearItForTheSnakesPic4june2026.jpg-150x124.png 150w, https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2026\/06\/LetsHearItForTheSnakesPic4june2026.jpg-768x637.png 768w, https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2026\/06\/LetsHearItForTheSnakesPic4june2026.jpg-1536x1275.png 1536w, https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2026\/06\/LetsHearItForTheSnakesPic4june2026.jpg.png 1782w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">See those two big blobs that look like the fiery version of a black hole? Guess where they are? Remember how we kept seeing Virginia on our word map? Yep, the northern blob is the border between Virginia and North Carolina, prime Appalachian\/Blue Ridge territory. The southern blob is the Piney Woods region north of Houston. These are both heavily wooded areas with tons of ground cover, which apparently copperheads love. If you look at the picture at the top of this article (taken at Cedar Ridge Preserve) you will notice that our friend blends in pretty well with the dead leaf litter. Perfect for ambush hunting and not getting stepped on by clumsy hoomans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Now, a disclaimer. I am not a Ph.D.; I just really love snakes. The point of this article is not to suggest hardcore facts but more to delve into animal behavior and what we might learn from it. It also serves as an example of how REAL scientists might use citizen data, combined with other sources, to come to conclusions about the natural world. It is such a fascinating place, and there is so much to discover and learn, and I want to thank our friend, the humble copperhead, for providing us with this wealth of data. Once again, let\u2019s hear it for the snakes!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>An example of using citizen data, combined with other sources, to come to conclusions about the natural world.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1490,"featured_media":35226,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[10581,27102],"tags":[74828,74723,75210],"class_list":["post-35224","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-current-news","category-general","tag-current-news","tag-eastern-copperhead-snake","tag-stt-72","entry"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2026\/06\/LetsHearItForTheSnakesPic1.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35224","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1490"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35224"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35224\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35226"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35224"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35224"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35224"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":35319,"date":"2026-06-23T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-23T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/?p=35319"},"modified":"2026-06-25T13:36:43","modified_gmt":"2026-06-25T18:36:43","slug":"calling-all-arachnids-spiders-needed-for-youth-engagement-events","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/calling-all-arachnids-spiders-needed-for-youth-engagement-events\/","title":{"rendered":"Calling All Arachnids: Spiders Needed for Youth Engagement events!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Marla Layne, Vice President<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"515\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2020\/10\/green-lynx-spider-rick57.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-10399\" srcset=\"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2020\/10\/green-lynx-spider-rick57.jpg 515w, https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2020\/10\/green-lynx-spider-rick57-268x300.jpg 268w, https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2020\/10\/green-lynx-spider-rick57-134x150.jpg 134w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 515px) 100vw, 515px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Don&#8217;t squash that spider\u2014save it for science!<\/strong> The YES Committee is on the hunt for eight-legged educators to feature in our upcoming youth projects. Getting up close and personal with arachnids is one of the best ways to spark curiosity in young naturalists and teach them about the crucial role these critters play in our local ecosystem. If you spot a willing participant, please capture it safely. Help us spin these upcoming projects into a success!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Contact Marla Layne at<strong><a href=\"mailto:\" data-type=\"mailto\" data-id=\"mailto:\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> marlal@bptmn.org<\/a><\/strong> for more information. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"930\" data-id=\"35136\" src=\"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2026\/05\/2026-Bioblitz-inaturalistCrab-spider-with-a-new-friend-or-possibly-dinner.-Taken-at-the-Heard-Mothing-event-on-April-26-Rick-Travis-1024x930.jpeg\" alt=\"2026 Bioblitz inaturalistCrab spider with a new friend (or possibly dinner). Taken at the Heard Mothing event on April 26 Rick Travis\" class=\"wp-image-35136\" srcset=\"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2026\/05\/2026-Bioblitz-inaturalistCrab-spider-with-a-new-friend-or-possibly-dinner.-Taken-at-the-Heard-Mothing-event-on-April-26-Rick-Travis-1024x930.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2026\/05\/2026-Bioblitz-inaturalistCrab-spider-with-a-new-friend-or-possibly-dinner.-Taken-at-the-Heard-Mothing-event-on-April-26-Rick-Travis-300x272.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2026\/05\/2026-Bioblitz-inaturalistCrab-spider-with-a-new-friend-or-possibly-dinner.-Taken-at-the-Heard-Mothing-event-on-April-26-Rick-Travis-150x136.jpeg 150w, https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2026\/05\/2026-Bioblitz-inaturalistCrab-spider-with-a-new-friend-or-possibly-dinner.-Taken-at-the-Heard-Mothing-event-on-April-26-Rick-Travis-768x698.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2026\/05\/2026-Bioblitz-inaturalistCrab-spider-with-a-new-friend-or-possibly-dinner.-Taken-at-the-Heard-Mothing-event-on-April-26-Rick-Travis.jpeg 1101w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"843\" data-id=\"17467\" src=\"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2022\/09\/BPTMN-2022-08-Green-Lynx-Spider-having-lunch-at-Erwin-Park-Photo-by-Rick-Travis-1024x843.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-17467\" srcset=\"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2022\/09\/BPTMN-2022-08-Green-Lynx-Spider-having-lunch-at-Erwin-Park-Photo-by-Rick-Travis-1024x843.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2022\/09\/BPTMN-2022-08-Green-Lynx-Spider-having-lunch-at-Erwin-Park-Photo-by-Rick-Travis-300x247.jpg 300w, https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2022\/09\/BPTMN-2022-08-Green-Lynx-Spider-having-lunch-at-Erwin-Park-Photo-by-Rick-Travis-150x124.jpg 150w, https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2022\/09\/BPTMN-2022-08-Green-Lynx-Spider-having-lunch-at-Erwin-Park-Photo-by-Rick-Travis-768x632.jpg 768w, https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2022\/09\/BPTMN-2022-08-Green-Lynx-Spider-having-lunch-at-Erwin-Park-Photo-by-Rick-Travis.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">2022-08 Green Lynx Spider having lunch at Erwin Park Photo by Rick Travis<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"594\" height=\"568\" data-id=\"14586\" src=\"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2021\/08\/BPTMN-2021-08-STT24-Frisco-NW-Community-Park-Female-Red-Backed-Jumping-Spider-RTravis.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-14586\" srcset=\"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2021\/08\/BPTMN-2021-08-STT24-Frisco-NW-Community-Park-Female-Red-Backed-Jumping-Spider-RTravis.jpg 594w, https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2021\/08\/BPTMN-2021-08-STT24-Frisco-NW-Community-Park-Female-Red-Backed-Jumping-Spider-RTravis-300x287.jpg 300w, https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2021\/08\/BPTMN-2021-08-STT24-Frisco-NW-Community-Park-Female-Red-Backed-Jumping-Spider-RTravis-150x143.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 594px) 100vw, 594px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" data-id=\"11650\" src=\"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2021\/02\/BPTMN-STT-17-Green-Lynx-Spider-Sheppard-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Green Lynx Spider and Eggs\" class=\"wp-image-11650\" srcset=\"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2021\/02\/BPTMN-STT-17-Green-Lynx-Spider-Sheppard-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2021\/02\/BPTMN-STT-17-Green-Lynx-Spider-Sheppard-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2021\/02\/BPTMN-STT-17-Green-Lynx-Spider-Sheppard-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2021\/02\/BPTMN-STT-17-Green-Lynx-Spider-Sheppard-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2021\/02\/BPTMN-STT-17-Green-Lynx-Spider-Sheppard.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"515\" height=\"576\" data-id=\"10399\" src=\"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2020\/10\/green-lynx-spider-rick57.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-10399\" srcset=\"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2020\/10\/green-lynx-spider-rick57.jpg 515w, https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2020\/10\/green-lynx-spider-rick57-268x300.jpg 268w, https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2020\/10\/green-lynx-spider-rick57-134x150.jpg 134w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 515px) 100vw, 515px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" data-id=\"10050\" src=\"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2020\/09\/BPTMN-STT-12-BPRC-Yellow-Garden-Spider-BPRC-Sept-2020-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-10050\" srcset=\"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2020\/09\/BPTMN-STT-12-BPRC-Yellow-Garden-Spider-BPRC-Sept-2020-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2020\/09\/BPTMN-STT-12-BPRC-Yellow-Garden-Spider-BPRC-Sept-2020-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2020\/09\/BPTMN-STT-12-BPRC-Yellow-Garden-Spider-BPRC-Sept-2020-150x113.jpg 150w, https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2020\/09\/BPTMN-STT-12-BPRC-Yellow-Garden-Spider-BPRC-Sept-2020-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2020\/09\/BPTMN-STT-12-BPRC-Yellow-Garden-Spider-BPRC-Sept-2020-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2020\/09\/BPTMN-STT-12-BPRC-Yellow-Garden-Spider-BPRC-Sept-2020-2048x1536.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/news\/bptmn-blog\/shaking-the-trees\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\" noreferrer noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"564\" height=\"190\" src=\"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2022\/01\/Shaking-the-Trees-2.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-15395\" srcset=\"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2022\/01\/Shaking-the-Trees-2.png 564w, https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2022\/01\/Shaking-the-Trees-2-300x101.png 300w, https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2022\/01\/Shaking-the-Trees-2-150x51.png 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 564px) 100vw, 564px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-fe48e5de wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button has-custom-width wp-block-button__width-50\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-white-color has-text-color has-background has-text-align-center wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/news\/content-submission-form\/\" style=\"background-color:#046a38\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Submit your article here<\/strong><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:30px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Don&#8217;t squash that spider\u2014save it for science! The YES Committee is on the hunt for eight-legged educators to feature in our upcoming youth projects. Getting up close and personal with arachnids is one of the best ways to spark curiosity in young naturalists and teach them about the crucial role these critters play in our local ecosystem. If you spot a willing participant, please capture it safely. Help us spin these upcoming projects into a success!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1226,"featured_media":14586,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[10581],"tags":[75215,75214,75210,75212,75213],"class_list":["post-35319","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-current-news","tag-arachnid","tag-spiders","tag-stt-72","tag-stt-73","tag-stt-74","entry"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2021\/08\/BPTMN-2021-08-STT24-Frisco-NW-Community-Park-Female-Red-Backed-Jumping-Spider-RTravis.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35319","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1226"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35319"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35319\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14586"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35319"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35319"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35319"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":35334,"date":"2026-06-19T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-19T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/?p=35334"},"modified":"2026-06-28T13:35:01","modified_gmt":"2026-06-28T18:35:01","slug":"last-saturday-workday-monarch-gardens-at-gabe-nesbitt-park-update","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/last-saturday-workday-monarch-gardens-at-gabe-nesbitt-park-update\/","title":{"rendered":"Last Saturday Workday &#8211; Monarch Gardens at Gabe Nesbitt Park &#8211; June Update"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Mary Abercrombie, City of McKinney, Environmental Outreach &amp; Engagement Coordinator, and Class of 2020<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Paulette Platko, Class of 2021 &#8211; Chapter Project Leader<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:30px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2026\/06\/2026-06-BPTMN-McKinney-Monarch-Gardens-June-Image-1024x576.png\" alt=\"collage of monarch park images\" class=\"wp-image-35336\" srcset=\"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2026\/06\/2026-06-BPTMN-McKinney-Monarch-Gardens-June-Image-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2026\/06\/2026-06-BPTMN-McKinney-Monarch-Gardens-June-Image-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2026\/06\/2026-06-BPTMN-McKinney-Monarch-Gardens-June-Image-150x84.png 150w, https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2026\/06\/2026-06-BPTMN-McKinney-Monarch-Gardens-June-Image-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2026\/06\/2026-06-BPTMN-McKinney-Monarch-Gardens-June-Image-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2026\/06\/2026-06-BPTMN-McKinney-Monarch-Gardens-June-Image-400x225.png 400w, https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2026\/06\/2026-06-BPTMN-McKinney-Monarch-Gardens-June-Image.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:30px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Find out more details by reading about the Blackland Prairie Chpater Project &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/mckinneymonarchgardens\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>McKinney Monarch Gardens<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>June Last Saturday Workday Wrap-Up<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Thank you to those who volunteered with us! The summer is in full bloom at the Monarch Gardens \u2600\ufe0f\ud83d\udc1d<br><br>Thanks to your hard work and dedication, we tackled plenty of garden tasks, including weeding beds, clearing pathways, and turning compost to keep the garden healthy and thriving. Your efforts help make the Monarch Gardens a welcoming space for people, pollinators, and wildlife alike. The garden is now bursting with summer blooms, and it is all the more beautiful because of the time and care you shared with us. <br><br>Thank you for helping us grow a greener, more vibrant McKinney, one volunteer day at a time.<br><br>We look forward to seeing you in the garden again soon! \ud83c\udf3c Mary <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Join us for the Last Saturday Workday at Monarch Gardens at Gabe Nesbitt Park! We offer hands-on opportunities focused on native and drought-tolerant gardening, composting, water conservation, and general garden maintenance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>\ud83d\udcc5\u00a0Workdays &amp; Times<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>July 25 | 8\u201310 a.m.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Aug. 29 | 8\u201310 a.m.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Sep. 26 | 9\u201311 a.m.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Oct. 31| 9\u201311 a.m.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>(No events in November or December)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>\ud83d\udccd&nbsp;Location<\/strong><br>Monarch Gardens at Gabe Nesbitt Park<br>3339 Alma Rd, McKinney, TX 75070<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>\ud83e\udde4&nbsp;Typical Activities<\/strong><br>Weeding and garden maintenance<br>Mulching and seasonal garden prep<br>iNaturalist entries<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>\ud83d\ude97&nbsp;Parking<\/strong><br>Parking is available directly across from the garden at 3339 Alma Rd.<br>Please note: Water tower access must remain clear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>\ud83d\udebb&nbsp;Restrooms<\/strong><br>Available within walking distance at The Courts of McKinney (3253 Alma Rd).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>\u2614&nbsp;Weather<\/strong><br>Events are held rain or shine. In the case of severe weather, volunteers will be notified of cancellations or early dismissal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>\ud83d\uddc2&nbsp;Volunteer Hour Tracking<\/strong><br>Workdays at the Green Gardens should be tracked in the TMN portal as:<br>VH: \u201cBPTMN: McKinney Parks Projects\u201d<br>Please list \u201cMonarch Gardens\u201d in the description.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>\ud83d\udcc5&nbsp;Registration<\/strong><br>Registration opens monthly at&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mckinneytexas.org\/2293\/Green-Gardens\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">McKinneyTexas.org\/GreenGardens<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mary Abercrombie<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Environmental Outreach &amp; Engagement Coordinator<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:38px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2026\/06\/McKinneyMonarchGardensatGabeNesbittParkNAMEUPDATELastSaturdayWorkday_Rev_May2026_1200X1200_SummerHrs-1024x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-35253\" srcset=\"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2026\/06\/McKinneyMonarchGardensatGabeNesbittParkNAMEUPDATELastSaturdayWorkday_Rev_May2026_1200X1200_SummerHrs-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2026\/06\/McKinneyMonarchGardensatGabeNesbittParkNAMEUPDATELastSaturdayWorkday_Rev_May2026_1200X1200_SummerHrs-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2026\/06\/McKinneyMonarchGardensatGabeNesbittParkNAMEUPDATELastSaturdayWorkday_Rev_May2026_1200X1200_SummerHrs-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2026\/06\/McKinneyMonarchGardensatGabeNesbittParkNAMEUPDATELastSaturdayWorkday_Rev_May2026_1200X1200_SummerHrs-400x400.jpg 400w, https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2026\/06\/McKinneyMonarchGardensatGabeNesbittParkNAMEUPDATELastSaturdayWorkday_Rev_May2026_1200X1200_SummerHrs-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2026\/06\/McKinneyMonarchGardensatGabeNesbittParkNAMEUPDATELastSaturdayWorkday_Rev_May2026_1200X1200_SummerHrs-600x600.jpg 600w, https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2026\/06\/McKinneyMonarchGardensatGabeNesbittParkNAMEUPDATELastSaturdayWorkday_Rev_May2026_1200X1200_SummerHrs.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:100px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/news\/bptmn-blog\/shaking-the-trees\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\" noreferrer noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"564\" height=\"190\" src=\"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2022\/01\/Shaking-the-Trees-2.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-15395\" srcset=\"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2022\/01\/Shaking-the-Trees-2.png 564w, https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2022\/01\/Shaking-the-Trees-2-300x101.png 300w, https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2022\/01\/Shaking-the-Trees-2-150x51.png 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 564px) 100vw, 564px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-fe48e5de wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button has-custom-width wp-block-button__width-50\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-white-color has-text-color has-background has-text-align-center wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/news\/content-submission-form\/\" style=\"background-color:#046a38\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Submit your article here<\/strong><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:30px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Thank you to those who volunteered with us! The summer is in full bloom at the Monarch Gardens \u2600\ufe0f\ud83d\udc1d<\/p>\n<p>Thanks to your hard work and dedication, we tackled plenty of garden tasks, including weeding beds, clearing pathways, and turning compost to keep the garden healthy and thriving. Your efforts help make the Monarch Gardens a welcoming space for people, pollinators, and wildlife alike.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1226,"featured_media":35336,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[10581,27102,75094,75150,74925,41076,25365],"tags":[74903,75001,75058,74869,75211,74639,75210],"class_list":["post-35334","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-current-news","category-general","category-help-wanted","category-mckinney-green-gardens","category-projects","category-shaking-of-the-trees-post","category-vh","tag-blacklandprairie","tag-blacklandprairiechapter","tag-gabe-nesbitt-park","tag-mary-abercrombie","tag-mckinneymonarchgardens","tag-paulette-platko","tag-stt-72","entry"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/files\/2026\/06\/2026-06-BPTMN-McKinney-Monarch-Gardens-June-Image.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35334","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1226"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35334"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35334\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35336"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35334"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35334"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bptmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35334"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}]