Text taken from photo contest news release and condensed by Paula Dittrick, TMNCPC blogmaster. Photo by Dittrick.
Texas Master Naturalists have until Sept. 30 to submit photos of aquatic plants for a contest sponsored by Texas Master Naturalist program in partnership with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. Contest entries must have been taken since May 1.
“This year to spice things up and make this project competitive, we will be having a contest between TMN chapters and individuals,” said a contest news release.
Photos are to be submitted to an iNaturalist project entitled TMN Aquatic Plant Photo Submission. Images must be taken and submitted between May 1 and Sept. 30 of 2021. Rules say the photos:
● Must be an aquatic plant identified as an obligate wetland species as defined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture on its list. Obligate wetland plants almost always occur in wetlands. With few exceptions, these plants are found in standing water or seasonally saturated soil near the surface.
● Must meet the criteria for quality plant photos (see Best Practices for Quality Plant Photos in the contest literature).
The TMN chapter submitting the highest number of species will receive a set of field guides including:
—Wetland Plants of Texas: A complete guide to the wetland and aquatic plants of the Lone Star State, Volumes 1 and 2 by Steven W. Chadde
—Grasses, Sedges, Rushes: An Identification Guide by Lauren Brown and Ted Elliman.
The three individuals submitting the highest number of species will receive one 5 x 7-inch canvas print of the submitted photo of their choosing.
Anyone entering the contest automatically agrees to the use of these photos in educational materials including, but not limited to, online courses, programs, social media, AquaPlant, and publications. AquaPlant is a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service web site designed to help landowners identify and manage plants in their ponds or tanks.