TXGCMN Newsletters

2025

April

  • Tidbits (City Nature Challenge, New Metallic Blue Bee identified)
  • Book Review – Night Magic – Adventures among glowworms, moon gardens, and other marvels of the dark by Leigh Ann Henion,2024
  • Organism of the Month – Bee Fly (Poecilanthrax lucifer)
  • Announcing:  Gulf Coast Chapter Book Club! May’s Book is “Bicycling with Butterflies” by Sara Dyckman
  • Poem – ‘In April’, by Rainer Maria Rilke
  • Weather – Measuring Wind Speed and Direction

March

  • Tidbits (Plant Sales, Newsletter contributions, Chapter Business Volunteers Needed, Poetry)
  • Organism of the Month -Texas Prairie Dawn (Hymenoxys texana)
  • Weather – Fronts: Warm, Cold, Stationary

February

  • Tidbits (Oldest tree in Houston, Upcoming native plant sales, NOAA Predictions March to May
  • Book Review – “The Smallest of Bones” by Holly Lyn Walrath, 2021, Clash Press
  • Cormorants and Anhinga
  • Weather – A new monthly series!

January

  • Tidbits (National Bird Day, Dues are Due!)
  • ‘The Sparrow’ by Paul Lawrence Dunbar
  • Screwworms May Make a Comeback
  • The Story of Three Grackles
  • Great Backyard Bird Count

2024

December

  • Tidbits (Christmas Bird Counts, AT hours via #TMNTuesdays, 2025 dues are due!
  • Winter Solstice
  • ‘To Know the Dark’, by Wendell Berry

November

  • Tidbits (Davy Crockett, Dogs and Butterflies, Voting with My Hands)
  • Artist Boat Awarded Grant – Exploring Environmental Health Hazards with STYLE
  • New Trails at Willow Water Hole
  • Organism of the Month – Portuguese man o’ war (Physalia physalis)
  • Musings, by GCMN member, Andrea Matthews
  • Dues are due!
  • Excerpt from “November” by Edward Thomas
  • GCMN needs you for board, director and committee opportunities

October

  • Tidbits (John Muir, Your Chapter Needs You!, TX State Parks Free Day
  • Patterns in Nature – Conclusion
  • Organism of the Month – Goldenrod (Solidago sp)
  • National Wildlife Federation – Leave the Leaves!

September

  • Tidbits (Jaime Gonzalez quote, Orb Weavers Eat Pollen, American Snout Migration)
  • Patterns in Nature – Cracks
  • Organism of the Month – Red-tailed Hawks (Buteo jamaicensis)
  • New Species of Parasitoid Wasp Discovered on Rice Campus

August

  • Tidbits (Land Preservation Success, Dragonfly News, Milkweed Planting Opportunity 9/27)
  • Patterns in Nature – Bubbles and Foam
  • Organism of the Month – Engelmann’s Prickly Pear (Optunia englemannii)
  • On the Grasshopper and the Cricket, by John Keats
  • Update on Our Storage Unit

July

  • Outreach Updates from David Gwin
  • Patterns in Nature – Fractals
  • Communications & Outreach Director Needed for 2025
  • Organism of the Month – Frogfruit (Phyla nodiflora)
  • Summer Solstice Confessional
  • HANC Accessible Trail Maintenance

June

  • Patterns in Nature – Waves
  • Organism of the Month – Fall Webworm Moth (Hyphantria cunea)

May

  • New Tiger Beetle Species Discovered in Houston Area and other announcements
  • Patterns in Nature – Spirals
  • Shoo Fly, Don’t Bother Me – 2024 City Nature Challenge Personal Discovery
  • Bowled and Beautiful – or How Trees Compartmentalize Their Problems
  • Chapter Field Trip to Quintana Neotropical Bird Sanctuary

April

  • April is National Poetry Month, by Irmi Wilcockson and Taking the Magnolia, by Paisley Rekdal
  • Patterns in Nature – Radial Symmetry
  • Solar Eclipse – Sequence Through the Clouds
  • First Kemp’s Ridley Nest of 2024
  • How the Monarch Got Its Spots
  • Reflections on Outreach – Part 2, by Rose McFetridge
  • Chapter Field Trips – Brazos Bend State Park, by Katy Emde

March

  • Bowled and Beautiful, Introduction inspired by a bowl made from a fallen tree
  • Patterns in Nature – Bilateral Symmetry
  • Reflections on Outreach, Part 1
  • New! – TMN Book Club
  • Texas Total Solar Eclipse – Monday April 8, 2024 Mid Day
  • Sam, TNT, and the Moth Posse at Memorial Park

February

  • March Field Trips – Red Buckeye Trail @ Brazos Bend SP 16th & 17th with Katy Emde
  • Organism of the Month Red Maple (Acer rubrum)
  • First Field Trip Report – Mercer Botanical Center and Botanic
  • Patterns in Nature
  • HANC Accessible Trail Maintenance

January

  • 2024 Chapter Leadership Changes
  • Native Prairie Found in Precinct 1 – Almeda School Road Nature Preserve
  • Blue Green Tree Frog Found!
  • Environmental DNA Can Identify Species and Microbiome
  • TAMU Insect Collection – News from the Open House, January 2, 2024
  • Poem: Self-Portrait as a Giant Coneflower

2023

December

  • Christmas Bird Count Opportunities
  • Dues are Due!
  • Seed Collecting Musings
  • Organism of the Month: Spinybacked Orbweaver (Gasteracantha cancriformis)
  • Making Birding More Inclusive
  • The Forgotten Rio Grande and Sabal Palm Sanctuary

October

  • Book Review – Cemetery Birding – An Unexpected Guide to Discovering Birds in Texas, by
    Jennifer Bristol, 2023
  • JOIN THE BOARD FOR 2024!
  • 2023 State Meeting Report
  • Don’t Rake for Nature’s Sake, Monarch Innovations
  • Prairie Stampede, December 6

September

  • TMN Meeting donations for Houston Basket due at October meeting
  • Fall Plant Sale Dates
  • Gulf Coast Chapter 25-Year Celebration
  • Haibun poetry
  • A Special Supply Chain
  • Join the Board for 2024
  • Book Review – The Warbler Guide, by Tom Stephenson and Scott Whittle, 2015
  • Prairie ID Plant Workshop, October 26
  • Reminder: Woodway gate closed, use 610 entrance for chapter meetings (see newsletter for map)
  • Organism of the Month – Common Eastern Velvet Ant
  • Highlight: Trinity River National Wildlife Refuge – Appreciation Day October 7
  • Clouds in the Sky

August

  • Number of Mosquito Days Decreasing
  • NPSOT Wildscapes Workshop and Plant Sale Sep 23rd
  • Pocket Prairies – Jesse Jones Park
  • Organism of the Month – Bumelia Borer
  • Book Review – Baby Birds – An Artist Looks Into The Nest, by Julie Zickefoose
  • Training Opportunity: Fall Gulf Coast Bird Migration
  • Training Opportunity: Plant Identification Workshop: Flowering Plants for Pollinators
  • September Chapter Meeting: Landscaping to Attract Hummingbirds, Elizabeth White Olsen
  • IMPORTANT: Woodway Gate Closed for chapter meetings, use Loop610 entrance
  • Book Review – Secret Life of the City, by Hanna Bjorgaas

July

    • iNaturalist – Now An Independent 501 (c)(3) Organization

    • Organism of the Month – BEE ASSASSIN BUG (Apiomerus spissipes)

    • Book Review – The Art of Texas State Parks:A Centennial Celebration,1923 – 2023, by Andrew Samson and Linda J. Reaves

    • CHAPTER MEMBERS – PLEASE CONTRIBUTE TO YOUR NEWSLETTER!

June

    • June Chapter Meeting – It was a party!

    • National Moth Week

    • Organism of the Month: HERCULES CLUB ( Zanthoxylum clava-herculis )

    • A Poem: Naturalist Tea, by Irmi Wilcockson

    • Butterfly and Moth Guides for the Greater Houston Area

    • Tips from Michael Eckenfels on Caterpillar/Larva Identification

May

    • Annual Meeting Call for Presentations is Open Through May 31st

    • Please Read – Rules for Volunteering

    • Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtle Nest in Surfside

    • ‘Gator Crossing

    • Organism of the Month – Sesbania Clown Weevil (Eudiagogus pulcher)

    • 10,000 Hour Milestone – Congratulations, John Egan!

    • You too can Submit to the Newsletter

    • City Nature Challenge 2023 – A Big Thank You! (And a Few Stats)

April

    • Annual Meeting Call for Presenters is Open

    • Nature Discovery BioBlitz through April 30th

    • One Clean Houston

    • Simon Armitage, UK Poet Laureate & Haiku

    • Organism of the Month – Lizard’s Tail (Saururus cernuus)

    • Join Us! May 2-3, 2023 TMN Virtual Volunteer Fair

    • Listen to the Life All Around You

    • Chapter Project Update – Lantrip Blooms Prairie

    • City Nature Challenge Coming Soon!

    • Pitcher Plants Use Scents to Attract Prey

    • Houston Children’s Outdoor Bill of Rights

    • Book Review – Garden Time, by W.S. Merwin

March

    • Annual Meeting Call for Presenters is Open

    • April Chapter Meeting is at Houston Botanic Garden

    • Plant Sales

    • Prescribed Burn at Sheldon Lake State Park

    • Organism of the Month – Mabel Orchard Orb Weaver (Leucauge argyrobapta)

    • Willow Waterhole Update

    • Calling All Poets and Poetry Lovers

    • Texas State Parks that are Leased

    • Chapter Project Update – Lantrip Pocket Prairie

    • Fifty Years of Monarch Observation from Houston to Minnesota

    • In Memoriam – Greg Brazaitis

February

    • Fashion-conscious Birds

    • March Chapter Meeting is an Awards Meeting

    • Seeds and Plants for Chapter Project – Lantrip School Pocket Prairie

    • Book Review – Crow Planet, by Lyanda Lynn Haupt

    • Organism of the Month – Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta)

    • Chapter Project Update – Lantrip School Pocket Prairie

    • Ecologist School Houston Visits Exploration Green

January

    • Houston Humane Society Texas Wildlife Rehabilitation Coalition

    • Chapter Meetings will be in Person in 2023

    • Memorial Park Land Bridge Opens Feb 11th

    • Poem – Witnessing Morning, by Molly Remer

    • Next Awards Meeting on March 2nd

    • Chapter Dues are Overdue

    • Visiting Green Spaces Associated with Lower Medication Use

    • Organism of the Month – White Ibis (Eudocimus alba)

    • 26th Annual Great Backyard Bird Count, February 17-20, 2023

    • Washed Ashore Art Exhibit across Galveston Island

    • New eBird Tool on Population Trends

2022

December

    • New Board Members for 2023

    • Chapter Meetings will be in Person in 2023

    • Directors

    • Buffalo Bayou Christmas Bird Count Friday Dec 30th

    • Giving Thanks for our Forests

    • Winter Solstice

    • Chapter Dues are Due

    • Organism of the Month – Fall Leaves

November

    • Art Exhibit at the Post

    • December Meeting in Person at HANC

    • Houston Audubon Hosts Raptor Fest

    • Leave Those “volunteers” in Your Yard

    • Book Review – Pen & Ink Drawing Workbook, by Rahul Jain

    • Out of this World!

    • Organism of the Month – Eastern Mud Turtle (Kinosternum subrubrum)

    • Christmas Bird Count – Help Needed on Dec 19th

October

    • Take Pictures at Annual Meeting

    • Chapter Meetings will either be In-Person or Online

    • Keep Texas Beautiful Fall Sweep

    • Our New Chapter Project – Pocket Prairie at Lantrip Elementary School

    • Organism of the Month – Tersa Sphinx Moth (Xylophanes tersa)

    • Buffalo Bayou Partnership Unveils New
      Bayou-Vac

    • Lights Out Texas!

September

    • Leave the Leaves

    • Chapter Meetings will either be In-Person or Online

    • University of Houston – Downtown Student Life Articles on Monarchs

    • Poem – Sunset, by Jim Blackburn

    • Lights Out Texas!

    • Re-Story-ation – The Land Cannot Heal Until We Tell Its Stories

    • Woodlice (Pill Bugs) May Be Useful for Bioremediation

    • Birds Respond Innately to Unfamiliar Alarm Calls

    • “Vigil” Exhibit at Michelson Museum of Art

    • Organism of the Month – Bolete (Boletus rubroflammeus)

    • There’s Still Time for Houston Bird Week

August

    • Adopt A Beach Cleanup Saturday | Sep 17th

    • Chapter Meetings will either be In-Person or Online

    • Migratory Monarch Listed as Endangered July 2022

    • Florence Augusta Merriam Bailey

    • Learn to Bird 2022 | September 14-16th

    • Organism of the Month – Red-eared Slider (Trachemys scripta elegans)

    • Lights Out, Texas! | Fall Migration 2022 | August 15-November 30th | 11pm-6am

    • How to create habitat for stem-nesting bees

    • Mothing at the Nature Discovery Center

July

    • Texas Wildlife Rehabilitation Coalition Photo Contest

    • Chapter Meetings will be either In-Person or Online

    • June was the Hottest on Record for Houston

    • Class Field Trip – Sheldon Lake

    • Organism of the Month – Dwarf Palmetto (Sabal minor)

    • Drought: Stage One – Water Wisely

    • World Snake Day July 16th – Snakes Changing Color

    • A Master Naturalist in Space

June

    • Major Milestone Completed with New Bird Rookery Island

    • Gordon Hempton – Acoustic Ecologist

    • Washington State’s Idea for Getting People Outside

    • Pollinator Week June 20-26th, 2022

    • Upcoming Citizen Science Surveys

    • Next Month – National Moth Week!

    • Organism of the Month – Southern Live Oak (Quercus virginia)

    • Book Review – A World on the Wing: The Global Odyssey of Migratory Birds, by Scott Weidensaul

May

    • Upcoming Outreach Opportunities

    • Texas Master Naturalist in Space

    • What’s a Philadelphian doing in my Backyard? – Merlin Bird ID App

    • Spring Training Class Field Trip – Katy Prairie Conservancy

    • Conservation Delivery through the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act

    • Reduce or Eliminate your Plastic Use During Plastic-Free July

    • The Architecture of Bees Exhibit

    • Pathogen May Eliminate Crazy Ant Populations

    • Book Review – Garden Revolution: How Our Landscapes Can Be a Source of Environmental Change, by Larry Weaner & Thomas Christopher

    • Organism of the Month –  Mexican Free Tailed Bat (Tadarida brasiliensis)

April

    • Upcoming Outreach Opportunities

    • Texas Master Naturalist in Space

    • Investing in Binoculars for Nature Viewing

    • Spring Training Class Field Trip – Houston Arboretum
      and Nature Center

    • Lights Out, Texas!

    • Tending Nature: Native Plants and Every Gardener’s Role in Fostering Biodiversity

    • Bird Collision Monitoring with Houston Audubon

    • Organism of the Month – Giant Water Bug (Hemiptera belostomatidae)

March

    • Upcoming Outreach Opportunities

    • Upcoming Plant Sales

    • Master Naturalist Merchandise

    • Spring Field Trip – Sea Center Texas

    • Local Native Plants for Bumble Bees

    • How I Got Into Leafhoppers

    • Well Intended Actions – Unintended Consequences – Educate, Educate!

    • Book Review – A Prehistory of Houston and Southeast
      Texas: Landscape and Culture,       by Dan Worrall

    • Poem – Frigatebirds on Westheimer 2

    • Organism of the Month – Snowy Egret (Egratta thula)

February

    • New Wasp Species

    • Upcoming Plant Sales!

    • Master Naturalist Merchandise

    • Soil of the Month – Soil as a Plant Growth Medium

    • Organism of the Month – Bold Jumping Spider

    • Texas Coastal Exchange Launches 1000-Mile Living Shoreline Project

January

    • Editor’s Note

    • Dues are Due!

    • Master Naturalist Merchandise

    • Soil of the Month – Introduction

    • Organism of the Month – Crested Caracara (Caracara cheriway)

    • Book Review – Remarkable Plants of Texas – Uncommon Accounts of our Common Natives, by Matt Turner

2021

December

    • Naturalist Notes

    • Katy Prairie Holiday Open House Dec 27th, 28th, & 29th

    • Christmas Bird Counts Dec 18th-Jan 5th

    • Dues are Due!

    • Water of the Month – Tides Part 2

    • First Day Hikes

    • Identifying Feathers Using the Feather Atlas

    • Organism of the Month – Triangulate Combfood (Steatoda triangulosa)

    • Book Review – Finding the Mother Tree, by Suzanne Simard

November

    • Naturalist Notes

    • Holiday Gift Guide
        • Product Review – XENVO Pro Kit Macro Lens

    • Water of the Month –Tides Part One

    • ProPublica Releases Detailed Maps of Cancer Causing Air Pollution in the US

    • Remainder of Powderhorn Ranch Donated to TWPD

    • Organism of the Month – Lightning Whelk

    • Book Review – On Meadowview Street, by Henry Cole

    • Leptoglossus oppositus: Common name – “Stink Bug”

    • Book Review –The Song of the Trees: Stories from Nature’s Great Connectors, by David George Haskell

    • Willow Waterhole Greenway Receives $4 Million Gift

October

    • Naturalist Notes

    • Poem: Opossum, Oh Please

    • Katy Prairie Conservancy Awarded $2 million in Funding for Wetlands Conservation

    • Garden for Wildlife 45th Anniversary

    • Book Review – A Thirsty Land: The Fight for Water in Texas, by Seamus McGraw

    • Organism of the Month – Bushy Bluestem (Andropogon glomeratus)

    • Texas Pollinator Bioblitz – Goldenrod Visitors

    • Water of the Month – Turbidity

    • Host Plant Specialization in Butterfly Caterpillars

    • Poem: The Poem of the Possum

September

    • Naturalist Notes

    • Water of the Month – The Sound of Water

    • National Estuaries Week 2021 is Sept 18-25th

    • Katy Prairie Conservancy to Offer Plots in its Conservation Cemetery

    • Book Review – Every Day Nature, by Andy Beer

    • Lights Out, Houston! Aug 15-Nov 30th, 11 PM-5 AM

    • Mimicry in Insects

    • Review: The Bee Short Course for Community Scientists

    • Pollinator Photography Tips by Heather Holm

    • Organism of the Month – Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscala)

August

    • Naturalist Notes

    • Water of the Month – Ripple Map

    • Mothing at Exploration Green

    • Removal of invasive shrubs from a prairie habitat

    • Advanced Training Approval Reminder

    • A Choice of Pollinators

July

    • Naturalist Notes

    • Plastic Pickup Challenge July 19-25th

    • Water of the Month – Ripples, Waves, and Swells

    • Book Review – Bicycling with Butterflies by Sara Dykman

    • Poem – Treasuring Things the Abyss Didn’t Want

    • Note from Our Volunteer Services Director re: Hours Reporting

    • Protect Your Pollinators

    • H-GAC’s Regional Conservation Framework Recognized

    • In Memoriam – Millie Morgan

    • National Moth Week: Jul 17-25th

    • Book Review – Armand Bayou Illustrated – A Life on the Bayou, by Mark Kramer

    • Organism of the Month – Gulf Fritillary (Agraulis vanilla)

June

    • Naturalist Notes

    • Water of the Month – The Smell of Water

    • UN Decade of Ecosystem Restoration

    • Organism of the Month – Southern Swamp Lily (Crinum americanum)

    • World Snake Day July 16th

    • Insects: In our lives and in our economy

    • Prevent the Bite! Day & Night

    • Book Review – Big Thicket Plant Ecology – An Introduction: An Introduction, by Geraldine Ellis Watson

May

    • Naturalist Notes

    • Water of the Month – Color of Water

    • Organism of the Month – Roseate Spoonbill (Platalea ajaja)

    • Native Plant Society of Texas Announces First Executive Director

    • Katy Prairie Conservancy and partners announce award of 7mil for the Texas Coastal Prairie Initiative

    • Book Review – Mycorrhizal Planet: How Symbiotic Fungi Work with Roots to Support Plant Health and Build Soil Fertility, by Michael Phillips

    • Member Spotlight – Mary Horn

    • Conserving and Restoring America the Beautiful

April

    • Naturalist Notes

    • Flower Garden Banks Marine Sanctuary Expanded

    • Organism of the Month Broom Moss (Dicranum scoparium)

    • The Dude

    • Water of the Month: Eddies

    • Tech Review – Sibley Birds 2nd Edition

    • City Nature Challenge 2021 Begins April 30th!

March

    • Naturalist Notes

    • Book Review: The Forest Unseen- A Year’s Watch in Nature 2012, David George Haskell, Penguin Books

    • Organism of the Month: Texas Leafcutter Ant (Atta texana)

    • Different Perspectives – Chinese Tallow and Honeybees

    • Water of the Month: Eddies

February

    • Naturalist Notes: Downy Woodpecker, American Forests Releases Tree Equity Scores for Houston Neighborhoods, Puddles

    • Book Review: The Story of my Boyhood and Youth by John Muir

    • Organism of the Month Western Mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis)

    • Member Profile – Candice Donahue

    • The Story of Willow Waterhole Greenway

January

    • Book Review: The Sense of Wonder by Rachel Carson

    • Organism of the Month: Squarestem Spikerush (Eleocharis quadrangulata)

    • Let’s save the world!

    • Google Lens: How did a snake become a lizard?

    • Member Profile – Chatt Smith

2020

December

    • Naturalist Notes

    • Air Pollution a Cause of Death – First in History

    • Organism of the Month: Sinewed Bushy Lichen (Ramalina americana)

    • Know Your Spiders?

    • Holiday with the Cranes!

    • Book Review: The Evolution of Beauty: How Darwin’s Forgotten Theory of Mate Choice Shapes the Animal World—and Us

November

    • Naturalist Notes

    • International Bat Week Oct 24-31

    • Book Review: Darwin Comes To Town – How the urban jungle drives evolution

    • Houston Climate Action Plan

    • Annual Meeting Recap

    • Organism of the Month: Blue Mistflower (Conoclinium coelestinum)

    • Best little carpenter-bee ranch in Texas

October 2020

    • Climate Change Emergency: The Problems and the Solutions

    • Buffalo Bayou Trail Repair – Part 2

    • Book Review: Sparrow Envy

    • Organism of the Month: Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus)

September 2020

    • Buffalo Bayou Trail Repair – Part 1

    • Your Insect Allies: Meet the Beneficial Insects Controlling Pests in your Garden – Webinar Review

    • Book Review Vulture: The Private Life of an Unloved Bird Katie Fallon, 2020, ForeEdge

    • Organism of the Month: Green Heron (Butorides virescens)

August 2020

    • Tiny Treasures – under the mower blades!

    • Organism of the Month Golden Silk Orb-Weaver (Trichonephila clavipes)

    • In Memoriam: Dr. Larry Brown

    • Claims that insects will disappear within a century are absurd, but the reality isn’t reassuring either.

    • 2019 Galveston Bay Report Card

July 2020

    • Mental Health Care During A Pandemic: How Wildlife Photography Helped Me

    • Organism of the Month: Gulf Pipefish (Sygnathus scovelli)

    • Homegrown National Park

June 2020

    • President’s Note

    • Book Review: Spirals in Time: The Secret Life and Curious Afterlife of Seashells

    • Flower Garden Banks Status Report – NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program

    • Point of view is everything

    • Help Harris County Monitor West Nile in Our Community

    • Sky of the Month

    • Invasive Removal Provides Material for Pioneer Village

    • Organism of the Month: Prairie Parsley (Polytaenea texana)

May 2020

    • President’s Note

    • Sightings along Buffalo Bayou

    • Sandhill Cranes 6

    • Organism of the Month Gray Treefrog (Hyla versicolor & Hyla chrysoscellis)

    • Sky of the Month

    • “Restoring Insects, the Little Things That Run the World”

    • Member Profile: Shannon Morrison

April 2020

    • President’s Note

    • Book Review: Feathers: The Evolution of a Natural Miracle

    • Sheldon/Jesse Jones Updates

    • Organism of the Month: Fir Tussock Moth (Orgyia detrita)

    • Exploration Green Update

    • Tiny Safari

    • I See Change

March 2020

    • President’s Note

    • The relationship between connectedness to nature, sustainable behavior, and happiness in children

    • Getting to Know You

    • Bird City Texas Certifies Four Inaugural Communities

    • Organism of the Month:  White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis)

    • Book Review: Nature’s Best Hope: A new approach to conservation that starts in your yard

February 2020

    • President’s Note

    • Sky365: The Discipline of (Daily) Photography

    • Book Review: Land of Bears and Honey – A Natural History of Easts Texas

    • In Memoriam – Dr. Chris Mathewson

    • Organism of the Month Common green lacewing (Chrysoperla carnea)

January 2020

    • President’s Note

    • 2019 Gulf Coast Chapter Accomplishments

    • Steve Brennan Remembrance

    • Experiences of a Nature Journaling Novice

    • Organism of the Month: Ball Moss (Tillandsia recurvate)

2019

December 2019

    • President’s Note

    • 2019 Annual Meeting – Rockwall, TX

    • Do-Over

    • Organism of the Month:  Spiny Softshell Turtle (Apalone spinifera)

November 2019

    • President’s Note

    • Organism of the Month: American Bumble Bee (Bombus pensylvanicus)

    • In Memoriam: Terri Ficker

    • Holiday Wish List

October 2019

    • President’s Note

    • Organism of the Month: Beaver (Castor canadensis)

    • Book Review: The Secret Life of Flies

    • Yellow-Crowned Night Heron Is Official Bird of Houston

September 2019

    • President’s Note

    • Organism of the Month: Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius ludovicianus)

    • Book Review: The Genius of Birds

    • The jigsaw puzzle problem

    • Biophilia

August 2019

    • Mothing at Deer Park Prairie on a Saturday Night

    • Organism of the Month: Longnose Gar (Lepisosteus osseus)

    • 2019 North American Prairie Conference – Continued

    • Allen Brymer Remembrances

    • Sheldon Wetland Restoration Concludes

July 2019

    • Book Review: Life on Matagorda Island

    • Organism of the Month: Rattlesnake Master (Eryngium yuccifolium)

    • 2019 North American Prairie Conference

    • Book Review: The Sixth Extinction – An Unnatural History

June 2019

    • Zoo Trip to New Texas Wetlands Exhibit

    • Book Review: The Hidden Life of Trees – What They Feel, How They Communicate

    • Thistles and not thistles

    • Organism of the Month: Marsh Periwinkle (Littorina irrorata)

    • Gulf Coast Master Naturalist Far Afield

    • Results from 1st Spring Bioblitz at the Nature Discovery Center

    • Heartwood Chapter AT Day

May 2019

    • Organism of the Month: Neotropic Cormorant

    • Associate Spotlight: The Wildlife Center of Texas

    • Annual Global City Nature Challenge: Houston

    • Book Review: Around the World in 80 Trees

April 2019

    • Organism of the Month: Spanish Moss (Tillandsia usneoides)

    • Jesse Jones Park Adopt-A-Trail

    • Wolves!

    • National Poetry Month

    • Larry Allain’s Fantastic Plant Database Available Online

    • Book Review: Where the Sky Began: Land of the Tallgrass Prairie

March 2019

    • Organism of the Month: Southern Skipperling (Copaodes minima)

    • Is it a Bee or a …?

    • Native Bee Natural History Overview

    • Book Review: Dragonflies through Binoculars: A Field Guide to Dragonflies of North America

February 2019

    • Organism of the Month: Gulf Coast Toad (Bufo nebulifer)

    • Squirrel Nesting Season Has Arrived

    • Member Profile – Jane Wood

    • Associate Spotlight: Houston Museum of Natural Science

    • Exploration Green Wins ULI Houston’s People’s Choice Award

January 2019

    • Organism of the Month: Red Maple (Acer rubrum)

    • Designing and Stocking an Outreach Booth

    • Book Review: Exploring Galveston: A Naturalist’s Guide to the Island

    • 2018 Gulf Coast Chapter Accomplishments

 

2022

December

    • New Board Members for 2023

    • Chapter Meetings will be in Person in 2023

    • Directors

    • Buffalo Bayou Christmas Bird Count Friday Dec 30th

    • Giving Thanks for our Forests

    • Winter Solstice

    • Chapter Dues are Due

    • Organism of the Month – Fall Leaves

November

    • Art Exhibit at the Post

    • December Meeting in Person at HANC

    • Houston Audubon Hosts Raptor Fest

    • Leave Those “volunteers” in Your Yard

    • Book Review – Pen & Ink Drawing Workbook, by Rahul Jain

    • Out of this World!

    • Organism of the Month – Eastern Mud Turtle (Kinosternum subrubrum)

    • Christmas Bird Count – Help Needed on Dec 19th

October

    • Take Pictures at Annual Meeting

    • Chapter Meetings will either be In-Person or Online

    • Keep Texas Beautiful Fall Sweep

    • Our New Chapter Project – Pocket Prairie at Lantrip Elementary School

    • Organism of the Month – Tersa Sphinx Moth (Xylophanes tersa)

    • Buffalo Bayou Partnership Unveils New
      Bayou-Vac

    • Lights Out Texas!

September

    • Leave the Leaves

    • Chapter Meetings will either be In-Person or Online

    • University of Houston – Downtown Student Life Articles on Monarchs

    • Poem – Sunset, by Jim Blackburn

    • Lights Out Texas!

    • Re-Story-ation – The Land Cannot Heal Until We Tell Its Stories

    • Woodlice (Pill Bugs) May Be Useful for Bioremediation

    • Birds Respond Innately to Unfamiliar Alarm Calls

    • “Vigil” Exhibit at Michelson Museum of Art

    • Organism of the Month – Bolete (Boletus rubroflammeus)

    • There’s Still Time for Houston Bird Week

August

    • Adopt A Beach Cleanup Saturday | Sep 17th

    • Chapter Meetings will either be In-Person or Online

    • Migratory Monarch Listed as Endangered July 2022

    • Florence Augusta Merriam Bailey

    • Learn to Bird 2022 | September 14-16th

    • Organism of the Month – Red-eared Slider (Trachemys scripta elegans)

    • Lights Out, Texas! | Fall Migration 2022 | August 15-November 30th | 11pm-6am

    • How to create habitat for stem-nesting bees

    • Mothing at the Nature Discovery Center

July

    • Texas Wildlife Rehabilitation Coalition Photo Contest

    • Chapter Meetings will be either In-Person or Online

    • June was the Hottest on Record for Houston

    • Class Field Trip – Sheldon Lake

    • Organism of the Month – Dwarf Palmetto (Sabal minor)

    • Drought: Stage One – Water Wisely

    • World Snake Day July 16th – Snakes Changing Color

    • A Master Naturalist in Space

June

    • Major Milestone Completed with New Bird Rookery Island

    • Gordon Hempton – Acoustic Ecologist

    • Washington State’s Idea for Getting People Outside

    • Pollinator Week June 20-26th, 2022

    • Upcoming Citizen Science Surveys

    • Next Month – National Moth Week!

    • Organism of the Month – Southern Live Oak (Quercus virginia)

    • Book Review – A World on the Wing: The Global Odyssey of Migratory Birds, by Scott Weidensaul

May

    • Upcoming Outreach Opportunities

    • Texas Master Naturalist in Space

    • What’s a Philadelphian doing in my Backyard? – Merlin Bird ID App

    • Spring Training Class Field Trip – Katy Prairie Conservancy

    • Conservation Delivery through the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act

    • Reduce or Eliminate your Plastic Use During Plastic-Free July

    • The Architecture of Bees Exhibit

    • Pathogen May Eliminate Crazy Ant Populations

    • Book Review – Garden Revolution: How Our Landscapes Can Be a Source of Environmental Change, by Larry Weaner & Thomas Christopher

    • Organism of the Month –  Mexican Free Tailed Bat (Tadarida brasiliensis)

April

    • Upcoming Outreach Opportunities

    • Texas Master Naturalist in Space

    • Investing in Binoculars for Nature Viewing

    • Spring Training Class Field Trip – Houston Arboretum
      and Nature Center

    • Lights Out, Texas!

    • Tending Nature: Native Plants and Every Gardener’s Role in Fostering Biodiversity

    • Bird Collision Monitoring with Houston Audubon

    • Organism of the Month – Giant Water Bug (Hemiptera belostomatidae)

March

    • Upcoming Outreach Opportunities

    • Upcoming Plant Sales

    • Master Naturalist Merchandise

    • Spring Field Trip – Sea Center Texas

    • Local Native Plants for Bumble Bees

    • How I Got Into Leafhoppers

    • Well Intended Actions – Unintended Consequences – Educate, Educate!

    • Book Review – A Prehistory of Houston and Southeast
      Texas: Landscape and Culture,       by Dan Worrall

    • Poem – Frigatebirds on Westheimer 2

    • Organism of the Month – Snowy Egret (Egratta thula)

February

    • New Wasp Species

    • Upcoming Plant Sales!

    • Master Naturalist Merchandise

    • Soil of the Month – Soil as a Plant Growth Medium

    • Organism of the Month – Bold Jumping Spider

    • Texas Coastal Exchange Launches 1000-Mile Living Shoreline Project

January

    • Editor’s Note

    • Dues are Due!

    • Master Naturalist Merchandise

    • Soil of the Month – Introduction

    • Organism of the Month – Crested Caracara (Caracara cheriway)

    • Book Review – Remarkable Plants of Texas – Uncommon Accounts of our Common Natives, by Matt Turner

2021

December

    • Naturalist Notes

    • Katy Prairie Holiday Open House Dec 27th, 28th, & 29th

    • Christmas Bird Counts Dec 18th-Jan 5th

    • Dues are Due!

    • Water of the Month – Tides Part 2

    • First Day Hikes

    • Identifying Feathers Using the Feather Atlas

    • Organism of the Month – Triangulate Combfood (Steatoda triangulosa)

    • Book Review – Finding the Mother Tree, by Suzanne Simard

November

    • Naturalist Notes

    • Holiday Gift Guide
        • Product Review – XENVO Pro Kit Macro Lens

    • Water of the Month –Tides Part One

    • ProPublica Releases Detailed Maps of Cancer Causing Air Pollution in the US

    • Remainder of Powderhorn Ranch Donated to TWPD

    • Organism of the Month – Lightning Whelk

    • Book Review – On Meadowview Street, by Henry Cole

    • Leptoglossus oppositus: Common name – “Stink Bug”

    • Book Review –The Song of the Trees: Stories from Nature’s Great Connectors, by David George Haskell

    • Willow Waterhole Greenway Receives $4 Million Gift

October

    • Naturalist Notes

    • Poem: Opossum, Oh Please

    • Katy Prairie Conservancy Awarded $2 million in Funding for Wetlands Conservation

    • Garden for Wildlife 45th Anniversary

    • Book Review – A Thirsty Land: The Fight for Water in Texas, by Seamus McGraw

    • Organism of the Month – Bushy Bluestem (Andropogon glomeratus)

    • Texas Pollinator Bioblitz – Goldenrod Visitors

    • Water of the Month – Turbidity

    • Host Plant Specialization in Butterfly Caterpillars

    • Poem: The Poem of the Possum

September

    • Naturalist Notes

    • Water of the Month – The Sound of Water

    • National Estuaries Week 2021 is Sept 18-25th

    • Katy Prairie Conservancy to Offer Plots in its Conservation Cemetery

    • Book Review – Every Day Nature, by Andy Beer

    • Lights Out, Houston! Aug 15-Nov 30th, 11 PM-5 AM

    • Mimicry in Insects

    • Review: The Bee Short Course for Community Scientists

    • Pollinator Photography Tips by Heather Holm

    • Organism of the Month – Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscala)

August

    • Naturalist Notes

    • Water of the Month – Ripple Map

    • Mothing at Exploration Green

    • Removal of invasive shrubs from a prairie habitat

    • Advanced Training Approval Reminder

    • A Choice of Pollinators

July

    • Naturalist Notes

    • Plastic Pickup Challenge July 19-25th

    • Water of the Month – Ripples, Waves, and Swells

    • Book Review – Bicycling with Butterflies by Sara Dykman

    • Poem – Treasuring Things the Abyss Didn’t Want

    • Note from Our Volunteer Services Director re: Hours Reporting

    • Protect Your Pollinators

    • H-GAC’s Regional Conservation Framework Recognized

    • In Memoriam – Millie Morgan

    • National Moth Week: Jul 17-25th

    • Book Review – Armand Bayou Illustrated – A Life on the Bayou, by Mark Kramer

    • Organism of the Month – Gulf Fritillary (Agraulis vanilla)

June

    • Naturalist Notes

    • Water of the Month – The Smell of Water

    • UN Decade of Ecosystem Restoration

    • Organism of the Month – Southern Swamp Lily (Crinum americanum)

    • World Snake Day July 16th

    • Insects: In our lives and in our economy

    • Prevent the Bite! Day & Night

    • Book Review – Big Thicket Plant Ecology – An Introduction: An Introduction, by Geraldine Ellis Watson

May

    • Naturalist Notes

    • Water of the Month – Color of Water

    • Organism of the Month – Roseate Spoonbill (Platalea ajaja)

    • Native Plant Society of Texas Announces First Executive Director

    • Katy Prairie Conservancy and partners announce award of 7mil for the Texas Coastal Prairie Initiative

    • Book Review – Mycorrhizal Planet: How Symbiotic Fungi Work with Roots to Support Plant Health and Build Soil Fertility, by Michael Phillips

    • Member Spotlight – Mary Horn

    • Conserving and Restoring America the Beautiful

April

    • Naturalist Notes

    • Flower Garden Banks Marine Sanctuary Expanded

    • Organism of the Month Broom Moss (Dicranum scoparium)

    • The Dude

    • Water of the Month: Eddies

    • Tech Review – Sibley Birds 2nd Edition

    • City Nature Challenge 2021 Begins April 30th!

March

    • Naturalist Notes

    • Book Review: The Forest Unseen- A Year’s Watch in Nature 2012, David George Haskell, Penguin Books

    • Organism of the Month: Texas Leafcutter Ant (Atta texana)

    • Different Perspectives – Chinese Tallow and Honeybees

    • Water of the Month: Eddies

February

    • Naturalist Notes: Downy Woodpecker, American Forests Releases Tree Equity Scores for Houston Neighborhoods, Puddles

    • Book Review: The Story of my Boyhood and Youth by John Muir

    • Organism of the Month Western Mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis)

    • Member Profile – Candice Donahue

    • The Story of Willow Waterhole Greenway

January

    • Book Review: The Sense of Wonder by Rachel Carson

    • Organism of the Month: Squarestem Spikerush (Eleocharis quadrangulata)

    • Let’s save the world!

    • Google Lens: How did a snake become a lizard?

    • Member Profile – Chatt Smith

2020

December

    • Naturalist Notes

    • Air Pollution a Cause of Death – First in History

    • Organism of the Month: Sinewed Bushy Lichen (Ramalina americana)

    • Know Your Spiders?

    • Holiday with the Cranes!

    • Book Review: The Evolution of Beauty: How Darwin’s Forgotten Theory of Mate Choice Shapes the Animal World—and Us

November

    • Naturalist Notes

    • International Bat Week Oct 24-31

    • Book Review: Darwin Comes To Town – How the urban jungle drives evolution

    • Houston Climate Action Plan

    • Annual Meeting Recap

    • Organism of the Month: Blue Mistflower (Conoclinium coelestinum)

    • Best little carpenter-bee ranch in Texas

October 2020

    • Climate Change Emergency: The Problems and the Solutions

    • Buffalo Bayou Trail Repair – Part 2

    • Book Review: Sparrow Envy

    • Organism of the Month: Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus)

September 2020

    • Buffalo Bayou Trail Repair – Part 1

    • Your Insect Allies: Meet the Beneficial Insects Controlling Pests in your Garden – Webinar Review

    • Book Review Vulture: The Private Life of an Unloved Bird Katie Fallon, 2020, ForeEdge

    • Organism of the Month: Green Heron (Butorides virescens)

August 2020

    • Tiny Treasures – under the mower blades!

    • Organism of the Month Golden Silk Orb-Weaver (Trichonephila clavipes)

    • In Memoriam: Dr. Larry Brown

    • Claims that insects will disappear within a century are absurd, but the reality isn’t reassuring either.

    • 2019 Galveston Bay Report Card

July 2020

    • Mental Health Care During A Pandemic: How Wildlife Photography Helped Me

    • Organism of the Month: Gulf Pipefish (Sygnathus scovelli)

    • Homegrown National Park

June 2020

    • President’s Note

    • Book Review: Spirals in Time: The Secret Life and Curious Afterlife of Seashells

    • Flower Garden Banks Status Report – NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program

    • Point of view is everything

    • Help Harris County Monitor West Nile in Our Community

    • Sky of the Month

    • Invasive Removal Provides Material for Pioneer Village

    • Organism of the Month: Prairie Parsley (Polytaenea texana)

May 2020

    • President’s Note

    • Sightings along Buffalo Bayou

    • Sandhill Cranes 6

    • Organism of the Month Gray Treefrog (Hyla versicolor & Hyla chrysoscellis)

    • Sky of the Month

    • “Restoring Insects, the Little Things That Run the World”

    • Member Profile: Shannon Morrison

April 2020

    • President’s Note

    • Book Review: Feathers: The Evolution of a Natural Miracle

    • Sheldon/Jesse Jones Updates

    • Organism of the Month: Fir Tussock Moth (Orgyia detrita)

    • Exploration Green Update

    • Tiny Safari

    • I See Change

March 2020

    • President’s Note

    • The relationship between connectedness to nature, sustainable behavior, and happiness in children

    • Getting to Know You

    • Bird City Texas Certifies Four Inaugural Communities

    • Organism of the Month:  White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis)

    • Book Review: Nature’s Best Hope: A new approach to conservation that starts in your yard

February 2020

    • President’s Note

    • Sky365: The Discipline of (Daily) Photography

    • Book Review: Land of Bears and Honey – A Natural History of Easts Texas

    • In Memoriam – Dr. Chris Mathewson

    • Organism of the Month Common green lacewing (Chrysoperla carnea)

January 2020

    • President’s Note

    • 2019 Gulf Coast Chapter Accomplishments

    • Steve Brennan Remembrance

    • Experiences of a Nature Journaling Novice

    • Organism of the Month: Ball Moss (Tillandsia recurvate)

2019

December 2019

    • President’s Note

    • 2019 Annual Meeting – Rockwall, TX

    • Do-Over

    • Organism of the Month:  Spiny Softshell Turtle (Apalone spinifera)

November 2019

    • President’s Note

    • Organism of the Month: American Bumble Bee (Bombus pensylvanicus)

    • In Memoriam: Terri Ficker

    • Holiday Wish List

October 2019

    • President’s Note

    • Organism of the Month: Beaver (Castor canadensis)

    • Book Review: The Secret Life of Flies

    • Yellow-Crowned Night Heron Is Official Bird of Houston

September 2019

    • President’s Note

    • Organism of the Month: Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius ludovicianus)

    • Book Review: The Genius of Birds

    • The jigsaw puzzle problem

    • Biophilia

August 2019

    • Mothing at Deer Park Prairie on a Saturday Night

    • Organism of the Month: Longnose Gar (Lepisosteus osseus)

    • 2019 North American Prairie Conference – Continued

    • Allen Brymer Remembrances

    • Sheldon Wetland Restoration Concludes

July 2019

    • Book Review: Life on Matagorda Island

    • Organism of the Month: Rattlesnake Master (Eryngium yuccifolium)

    • 2019 North American Prairie Conference

    • Book Review: The Sixth Extinction – An Unnatural History

June 2019

    • Zoo Trip to New Texas Wetlands Exhibit

    • Book Review: The Hidden Life of Trees – What They Feel, How They Communicate

    • Thistles and not thistles

    • Organism of the Month: Marsh Periwinkle (Littorina irrorata)

    • Gulf Coast Master Naturalist Far Afield

    • Results from 1st Spring Bioblitz at the Nature Discovery Center

    • Heartwood Chapter AT Day

May 2019

    • Organism of the Month: Neotropic Cormorant

    • Associate Spotlight: The Wildlife Center of Texas

    • Annual Global City Nature Challenge: Houston

    • Book Review: Around the World in 80 Trees

April 2019

    • Organism of the Month: Spanish Moss (Tillandsia usneoides)

    • Jesse Jones Park Adopt-A-Trail

    • Wolves!

    • National Poetry Month

    • Larry Allain’s Fantastic Plant Database Available Online

    • Book Review: Where the Sky Began: Land of the Tallgrass Prairie

March 2019

    • Organism of the Month: Southern Skipperling (Copaodes minima)

    • Is it a Bee or a …?

    • Native Bee Natural History Overview

    • Book Review: Dragonflies through Binoculars: A Field Guide to Dragonflies of North America

February 2019

    • Organism of the Month: Gulf Coast Toad (Bufo nebulifer)

    • Squirrel Nesting Season Has Arrived

    • Member Profile – Jane Wood

    • Associate Spotlight: Houston Museum of Natural Science

    • Exploration Green Wins ULI Houston’s People’s Choice Award

January 2019

    • Organism of the Month: Red Maple (Acer rubrum)

    • Designing and Stocking an Outreach Booth

    • Book Review: Exploring Galveston: A Naturalist’s Guide to the Island

    • 2018 Gulf Coast Chapter Accomplishments