Native Plants

Making A Tea/Coffee Substitute From Yaupon Leaves

Yaupon Holly, Ilex vomitoria, is the only Native American plant that contains caffeine, and drinking the tea is a lost art that is recently making a comeback. Yaupon tea is a tisane, or herbal infusion. It is not a true tea like that of the Chinese black tea, Camelia sinensis. Yaupon grows throughout East Texas like an undesirable weed. The shrub-size to tree-size plant can be found in pine, hardwood, and mixed forests. It is a menace for pine plantation owners. After thinning a stand of timber, yaupon often takes advantage of the light that reaches the forest floor. The berries are a favorite food of birds, who spread the seeds in their bird droppings. It doesn’t take long for these seeds to find their way onto open ground. In 2-3 years the mature plants can take over the understory and grow to be between 12-45 feet tall, with 25 feet being most common height. In the event of a wildfire, it is a ladder fuel that can allow the fire to move into the canopy of the forest and spread from one tree crown to another. Though a native to the southern states of North America, it is considered a noxious or invasive plant.

Evergreen leaves of Yaupon Holly (Ilex vomitoria). Photo credit: Penny Lanham

As a drink, yaupon tea is becoming popular in cities like Austin, TX because of its potential to provide a more environmentally-friendly replacement for coffee. It even reduces the need for importing Chinese tea. Some enterprising individuals have created companies that will remove the pesky yaupon from your property and at the same time harvest leaves to be sold commercially. But the Austin-ites aren’t the first to discover yaupon’s usefulness. Native Americans called yaupon tea, “Black Drink,” and early tribes drank it gluttonously during a ceremonial purging or “cleansing ritual,” which caused them to vomit. This scene, as described by European observers, lead to the species name for the plant, vomitoria. However, in moderate amounts, the drink is safe to consume. In later reports, the tribes used the drink as part of social and communal gatherings. It gave energy and alertness before important decisions were made. The scientific name has made it somewhat difficult to commercially market the tea, but scientists say that it does not have emetic properties. Actually, according to an article from NPR, Steve Talcott, a professor of food chemistry at Texas A&M University, says it is rich in polyphenols, which are antioxidants. While it is the only North American plant that contains caffeine, the caffeine content is comparable to green and black tea. The caffeine is still quite addictive. As noted in the book, Black Drink: A Native American Tea, it was often drank by early Spanish settlers in America. “In 1615 Father Francísco Ximénez…reported that it was drunk first thing in the morning and that ‘there is no Spaniard or Indian who does not drink it every day in the morning and evening . . . it is more of a vice than [hot] chocolate in New Spain.'”

Foraging for wild edible plants is a practice that was largely forgotten, but has risen again in popularity, especially with help from local experts who often teach classes in plant identification, medicinals or herbalism, and foraging. Many books and blogs have been written by homesteading and gardening enthusiasts, who recognize the importance of living off the land. It has become a movement for environmentalists, preppers, dieters, organic growers, chefs, and those who simply wish to get back to nature. Foraging for yaupon is especially easy because it is so readily available and no one minds if you harvest it! Examples of experts on the subject include 1) Mark “Merriwether” Vorderbruggen, who teaches foraging classes throughout the state is the author of the informative website “Foraging Texas” and the book Idiot’s Guide: Foraging 2) Charles Allen, of Allen Acres Bed & Breakfast in Pitkin, Louisiana, teaches classes on plant identification and foraging in East Texas/Western Louisiana and co-authored the book Edible Plants of the Gulf South, and 3) and the two person team consisting of Eric M. Knight and Stacy M. Coplin, who teach foraging classes at the Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin, TX and authored the book Falcon Guides: Foraging Texas.

Before you make your own Yaupon Tea, be sure you have the correct plant! Chinese Privet (Ligustrum sinense), an invasive, exotic, ornamental bush with fragrant flowers, looks similar to Yaupon. Chinese Privet has opposite leaves and smooth “leaf margins” – botanical term for leaf edges. Yaupon’s leaves alternate on the stem and have “small, round-toothed leaf margins” (technically referred to in botany as “crenulate”). Therefore, you want to look for round, bumpy edges when you are foraging. Chinese Privet is known for its fragrant flowers in spring that attract honeybees. In contrast, Yaupon is not known for its flowers, but for its bright red berries in the fall/winter, which make a beautiful addition to Christmas wreaths. Do not eat the berries! Both are wonderful for birds, but toxic to humans.  

So, how is the tea made? Yaupons leaves are plucked off the stem and can be used fresh, dried, or roasted before brewing. Tea made from fresh or dried leaves tastes more like green tea. Roasting the leaves gives the drink a smoky flavor is said to be very similar to yerba maté (the South American equivalent, made from Ilex paraguariensis). Native American tribes roasted the leaves (also referred to as parching or blanching) in a pan over the fire. Today, most people prefer to roast leaves in the oven at 350°F for 10-15 minutes. Once roasted, the leaves will turn from green to brown. A few blackened leaves will not affect the flavor. Grind the crispy leaves using any method you prefer: mortar and pestle, coffee grinder, or herb grinder. Backpackers and bushcrafters use the old Indian method by grinding with a rock. At this point, your tea leaves can be stored in an airtight jar for later use. If you’re ready to taste it now, add 1 tsp per cup of hot water and let steep for 5 minutes. Longer steeping will result in a stronger tea. Lost Pine Yaupon Tea company claims that boiling or simmering the decoction for a little while will enhance the flavor and bring out the stimulating effects of the caffeine and theobromine (the feel good relative of caffeine found in cacao). The original Black Drink was thought to have other herbs added to it (for flavor or medicinal purposes) and the recipe varied by tribe. When you are finished simmering leaves and herbs, allow the leaves to fall to the bottom and decant the top liquid into a mug. Enjoy hot or iced. Feel free to add milk or your favorite sweetener. This drink provides energy that is jitter free, long lasting and without the coffee crash.

Yaupon Tea Instructions:

  1. Remove leaves from stem.
  2. Roast in oven at 350°F for 10-15 minutes until brown to almost black.
  3. Add 1 tsp dried or roasted leaves to hot water and simmer for 5 minutes.
  4. Add other herbs as desired.
  5. Allow tea leaves to settle and decant top liquid.
  6. Add milk or sweetener as desired.
  7. Drink hot or pour over ice.

Online Sources:

Foraging Texas website by Mark “Merriwether” Vorderbruggen https://www.foragingtexas.com/search/label/Caffeine

Here’s The Buzz On America’s Forgotten Native ‘Tea’ Plant by Murray Carpenter https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2015/08/04/429071993/heres-the-buzz-on-americas-forgotten-native-tea-plant

How To Make Yaupon Tea For A Delicious Alternative To Coffee by Morgan Rogue May 14, 2020 https://insteading.com/blog/yaupon-tea/

The Black Drink Bungle by Samuel Steinberger https://givemeweirddrinks.substack.com/p/the-black-drink-bungle-d03?s=r

Lost Pines Yaupon. Brewing Strong Yaupon https://lostpinesyaupontea.com/blogs/blog/brewing-strong-yaupon-in-the-traditional-way

Walter Reeves: The Georgia Gardener. Yaupon Holly – Make Tea From Leaves https://www.walterreeves.com/landscaping/yaupon-holly-make-tea-from-leaves/

Wild Edible. Yaupon holly (Ilex vomitoria) – how to forage by Eric Orr https://www.wildedible.com/wild-food-guide/yaupon-holly

The Spruce Eats. Yaupon Tea by Linnea Covington. May, 21, 2021. https://www.thespruceeats.com/yaupon-tea-5097556

Brain Stimulants: Mate http://www.ethnoherbalist.com/ Accessed May 27, 2022

Healthline. What Is Yaupon Tea, And Does It Have Benefits https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/yaupon-tea#downsides

Book Sources:

Black Drink: A Native American Tea (2004) by Charles M. Hudson, compiled by William Sturtevant

Falcon Guides: Foraging Texas (2021) by Eric M. Knight and Stacy M. Coplin

Idiot’s Guides: Foraging (2015) by Mark “Merriwether” Vorderbruggen

Edible Plants of the Gulf South (2005) by Charles M. Allen, Andrew W. Allen, and Harry H. Winters

Disclaimer: When foraging, please note that it is vitally important to be sure that you have identified the plant correctly and prepared it correctly. Not doing so can result in illness or death. Side effects of ingesting large amounts of caffeine include digestive issues, anxiety, irritability, changes in heart rate, increased urination, and insomnia. Severe cases may experience disorientation, heart problems, seizures, and psychosis. When using herbal infusions, please consult with your health care provider to determine if there are any interactions with medications you may be taking.

Martin Dies Jr. State Park

2nd Saturday Birding at MDJSP

Our expert birders, Fred Lyons and Philip Hight, lead a birding group every 2nd Saturday of the month at Martin Dies Jr. State Park. The bird species vary depending on the time of year. I went birding with them on October 9th, and we had a pretty good show!

I set out at 8:00am with my hand-me-down binoculars and a simple point-and-shoot camera. The day started out with a Great Blue Heron, Downy Woodpecker, and a female Yellow Warbler sighting at the Cherokee Unit. Little spiderwebs were scattered between the blades of grass as we walked to the water’s edge. They glistened in the early morning sunlight. By 10:00am, we had joined Ranger Amy at the observation bridge at the Walnut Ridge Unit. Memorable events happened here! While sitting on the bench at the observation bridge, facing out toward the lake, an Osprey flew right into our field of view and dove for a fish! Just as perfect as if we had paid to see a show in a theater. Shortly after, a Belted Kingfisher flew in a circle around us, giving us ample opportunity to identify its gender. It was a female. It was joined by a second kingfisher (gender unknown), and they could be seen and heard squabbling in the cove – possibly fighting over territory. Across the lake, just above the flowering water lilies, Double-Crested Cormorants were flying. A white, crane-like bird stood in the water to hunt for fish, but it was far enough away that we were unable to identify it even when using Philip’s spotting scope. Amy thought it might have been a White Ibis, but Philip disagreed, thinking instead that it was a Snowy Egret. Identifying by sight can be a challenge! The Osprey went fishing a second time, much farther away, and caught a bigger fish! One of the group remarked that he was eating well that day.

Ranger Amy was kind enough to take this photo while we were viewing a kingfisher.

Photo Credit: Amy Kocurek


I came away from the trip with new knowledge! This had been my first time birding with a guide. I learned that to quickly find a bird’s location with your binoculars, you start by looking at the bird and then bringing the binoculars up to your eyes without moving your head. This allows you to spot the bird quickly before it moves to another tree branch. I also expanded a little on my existing knowledge. I knew that the SFASU forestry students studied songbirds for one week of their summer field station. As an environmental science student, I did not go, but I learned a few tricks from them. They told me that there are short, catchy phrases that one can memorize, that stick in your head like a jingle. For example, Chuck-Wills-Widow says his own name and White-Eyed Vireo says, “Quick! Bring me a beer! Quick!” I have spent years wondering how to find out more phrases for more birds. Today, the birding group told me that these are called mnemonics – based on a Greek word for memory. I find it to be the easiest way to remember bird songs.

Mnemonics vary, and there are many suggested phrases. Here is a link to a useful list: http://birding-world.com/using-bird-song-mnemonics/

Gear: Ranger Amy gave us booklets with a field checklist, specifically made for Martin Dies Jr. State Park. I checked off 6 different species in three hours! My binoculars got plenty of use too, even my 7×35 did the job, though others in the group recommended a much stronger magnification and many prefer the Nikon brand. I didn’t get to use my point-and-shoot camera for birds; you need a better-quality camera with a telephoto lens for that. However, I did get pictures of the wonderful people who made this trip a learning adventure!

Photo Credit: Penny Lanham

The morning I arrived to go birding my attitude was that birding was boring, however, I needed to learn in order to manage for songbirds on my parents’ land. By the end, I was excited enough to run home and type out this article. I definitely recommend joining the group, even if you aren’t really into birding, and pick up one of those checklists from Headquarters. It was a lot of fun!

Spiderwebs in the grass at the Cherokee Unit of MDJSP. Photo Credit: Penny Lanham

Field Trip

Birding Field Trip – High Island

Our birding experts organized a trip on April 28, 2021 that gave our members a great adventure into the world of coastal bird wildlife viewing! Fred Lyons and Phillip Hight guided a group through the Houston Audubon Society – High Island Sanctuaries that serve as a landing for birds traveling across the ocean to Texas. The sanctuaries include multiple named areas. On this trip the focus was on two of those areas: Boy Scout Woods, which contains extensive boardwalks, and Smith Oaks, the location of a rookery.

Fred Lyons writes, “We arrived at Boy Scout Woods in High Island at 10:00.  Registered at the kiosk and paid fees, $8 per person or $30 for an annual pass.  We took a short walk through the woods and discussed bird migration and the importance of sanctuaries like High Island as rest areas for birds after their 600 mile flight across the Gulf of Mexico.  We also discussed bird watching and some techniques to help.  We moved to Smith Oaks, a larger area which includes a new Canopy Walk and the Rookery. The Rookery has a series of observation points which are close to the nesting sites and make it easy to see the birds.  At the Rookery there are nesting Roseate Spoonbills, Great Egrets, Snowy Egrets, Cattle Egrets, Tricolored Herons, Cormorants and Grackles.  At this time of year the Great Egrets and Snowy Egrets have young birds in the nests.  The Spoonbills are later, and only have eggs now.  We had a nice time watching the activity at the Rookery.  There is always something going on.  The new Canopy Walk was a thrill because the warblers tend to move in the tops of the trees.  Usually you are on the ground looking up.  The Canopy Walk puts you up at their level, so you are nose to beak with the birds.  Our last stop was at Rollover Pass on the coast.  It was windy and the tide was in, so that reduced the birds we saw.  However, we still saw Pelicans, Skimmers, Gulls, a variety of Terns including the Least Tern and the Black Tern, and other shore birds.  A good time was had by all, and we look forward to future trips.”

Photo Credit: Lori Horne

Thanks so much to our volunteers who made this possible! Don’t forget, you can still go birding with these experts right here in the Pineywoods! The 2nd Saturday of the month is birding day at Martin Dies Jr. State Park. Meet at the Walnut Ridge Unit observation bridge at 8am with your binoculars and camera. Next one is May 8th. Fred says, “Currently we are still in the throes of spring migration, so there are a lot of interesting birds to be seen, including warblers, vireos, thrushes and others, as well as indigo buntings, tanagers, water birds, black bellied whistling ducks and more.  Phillip has identified a Red Shouldered Hawk nest at the Cherokee Unit which is easy to see.  This is an opportunity for hours for either service or AT, depending on what you need.” Come out and join us!

To find out more about the Houston Audubon Society High Island Sanctuaries:

https://houstonaudubon.org/sanctuaries/high-island/visitor.html

Trashoff

Spring 2021 Community Events

The Longleaf Ridge Master Naturalists have a great relationship with other like-minded organizations in the Jasper County, TX community.

For example, beautification efforts of Sandy Creek Park have included a wide range of entities (environmental, multiple levels of government, businesses, citizens, etc.) cooperating to design and plan the final outcome. It’s not finished yet, and it’s already a thing of beauty! The Adopt-A-Highway gets picked up each year by Jasper Master Gardeners, Longleaf Ridge Master Naturalists, and counts as a cleanup for the Keep Texas Beautiful Don’t Mess With Texas Trash Off. At this year’s Azalea Festival, The Forest Country Azalea Society, Longleaf Ridge Master Naturalists, Jasper Master Gardeners, and Keep Jasper Beautiful together manned 3 booths that provided plants (including azaleas) for sale to the public, loaded purchases into customer’s vehicles, and offered educational advice, opportunities, and activities for the community. The festival was held on the new section of Sandy Creek Park. Tree planting of bald cypress in that same area is in the planning stages.

April 10, 2021 8:00am Outdoor Learning Center on Water St. in Downtown Jasper, TX 

Spring is a busy time of year! We’ve got another cooperative event coming up! Keep Jasper Beautiful is hosting the Great American Cleanup/Don’t Mess With Texas Trash Off on April 10, 2021 to clean up the streets in our community! This event invites all our cooperating organizations, members of the community, friends, and neighbors to pick up the trash along the roads where we live and work. We hope to have a great big turnout so that we can gear up and disperse throughout our town to make it more beautiful!

Water, gloves, trash bags, and grabbers will be provided. We’ll have donuts in the morning! Wear long pants and closed-toed shoes. Be sure to get in the group photo before you disperse. See you there!

Trashoff

Adopt-A-Highway Trash Pickup with the Master Gardeners/Master Naturalists

March 13, 2021

The Jasper Master Gardeners and Longleaf Ridge Master Naturalists jointly care for a 2-mile stretch along Hwy 2799/W. Houston St. The last trash pickup was Feb. 8, 2020. So what you see here is a little over a year’s worth of accumulated trash. Thanks to all the volunteers who helped out! We appreciate the show of pride in our community!

The weather happened to give us a perfect day. Cloudy, breezy, 75 degrees F, and 60% humidity. Donuts and pigs-n-blankets were provided at check-in. Bags, gloves, orange vests, and grabbers were also made available by the Master Gardeners and Keep Jasper Beautiful. Thanks to Lori Horne for getting that all set up for us at 7:30am! We finished by 11:00am and took our group pictures by the Adopt-A-Highway sign at the corner of Marvin Hancock Dr. & W. Houston St., next to the middle school. We gathered styrofoam fast food cups, cardboard boxes, plastic bags, plastic bottles, plastic wrappers, glass bottles, aluminum cans (which we saved for MDJSP), a tire, and even the bottom door for an oven! There was a rumor that someone found a $20 bill on the side of the road!!! There were even some pretty wildflowers just starting to bloom along the roadside. But watch out for those thistles!

This Adopt-A-Highway section was Part 1 of 3 in our Great American Cleanup sponsored by our local Keep American Beautiful affiliate. If you’d like to join us, our next trash pickup will be April 10, 2021 at 8am! We’ll meet at the Outdoor Learning Center in the Arboretum on Water St. in downtown Jasper. This time we will be more spread out along a few different roadsides within the community. Come out and help us keep Jasper beautiful!

COVID-19

How to Stay Informed of Events

Due to the pandemic, Texas Master Naturalists (TMN) require that we try to the best of our ability to provide remote access to our meetings. We have tried our best to provide virtual meetings during the COVID-19 crisis and met with issues. Our Zoom volunteer did more than we can expect from her, and we appreciate the time she put in. Now, TMN is using WebEx. Even after many practice sessions to prepare for the February monthly meeting, we still had difficulty with audio, video, screen-sharing, and presentation sounds. So, for the foreseeable future, we will have in-person meetings at the Martin Dies Jr. State Park dining hall on the 2nd Tuesday of every month. Bring your own food & drink. Please space out chairs so that we may observe social distancing. TMN safety requirements still apply, even though the mandatory mask requirement has been lifted by the Texas Governor.

If you do not wish to attend, there are still many virtual options for you to stay updated!

#1 Email. Keep an eye on your email for updates on events, trainings, and service hour opportunities. We will also provide links to allow you to get more details. Email is our primary form of communication. If members have questions, don’t hesitate to shoot our president, Sharon, an email. She’s quick to answer. sherlmx@gmail.com

#2 Longleaf Ridge Master Naturalist Website. This website has our chapter information and calendar of events. Penny has recently volunteered to keep the LRMN calendar updated. It mostly includes events hosted by our group, but some virtual events and local opportunities will also be added. https://txmn.org/llr/

#3 Facebook We have a Facebook Page for the public and a Group for members. These are updated less frequently, but will sometimes contain shared posts from other local environmental organizations that may have volunteering or educational opportunities. The page will have “official” news and shared posts. In the group, we welcome photos of our members while serving or enjoying the outdoors OR shared posts about educational topics and/or resources that may be of interest to our members. https://www.facebook.com/LongleafRidgeMasterNaturalists

#4 TMN Website The official Texas Master Naturalist website has the most basic information about the organization, but it also has a news section! You’ll find state-sponsored webinars, classes, trainings, guides for logging hours, and events on this page. https://txmn.tamu.edu/news/

#5 Martin Dies Jr. State Park Events Page Check the MDJSP events website to stay current on Service Hours opportunities. You will need to contact Ranger Amy or Pablo to schedule times to volunteer. https://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/martin-dies-jr/park_events OR Contact the park today at: 409-383-0144 or 409-384-5231 or Amy.kocurek@tpwd.texas.gov

The pandemic has encouraged more people to flock to our state’s natural areas in search of recreation and increased mental health, while maintaining social distancing. We hope you will stay active, keep on learning, keep up those training & service hours, continue the citizen science, and continue to provide education to the public on responsibly enjoying the outdoors, whether in person or remotely. Stay connected!

Longleaf Ridge chapter of the Texas Master Naturalists (LRMN)

Uncategorized

Groundhog Day – When Will It Warm Up Outside?

Traditionally, if the Groundhog sees his shadow when he comes out of his burrow on February 2nd, it means that the day is sunny and warm, and the opposite will be true for the remaining weeks of winter. However, if he does not see his shadow due to a cloudy, dreary day, then spring weather is just around the corner!

As naturalists, we are looking forward to seeing the leaves bud, the flowers bloom, and the birds migrate through our area headed south. We’ll be sad to see our over-wintering species leave.

Punxsutawney Phil, the famous groundhog of Philadelphia, predicted six more weeks of winter weather for 2021. If we had a groundhog here in East Texas, I imagine he would have predicted the same thing, given that it was a sunny, but chilly, day outside.

To learn more about Groundhog Day and how it came to be, see the Farmer’s Almanac website at this link:

https://www.almanac.com/content/groundhog-day-history-meaning-folklore?trk_msg=9QDH6A1FNGR4T0UKKRFTPF1CD0&trk_contact=JF8P1HBOB2K1RBQE9DBLD9J2K8&trk_sid=L5GA3JEG1AV50TM42RK14M02PC&utm_source=Listrak&utm_medium=Email&utm_term=Groundhog+Day+2021+(title)&utm_campaign=Companion+Daily

What does this mean for us? Well, don’t put away your warm wool socks and winter coats just yet. You’ll still need them for hiking, nature trips, and volunteer work days. Check the weather for those warm spells in between cold fronts when planning a trip. Hold off on spreading those wildflower seeds for pollinators… premature sprouting due to a false-spring could result in less wildflower plant survival. Likewise, you many want to hold off on the transplants as well, even though they are already for sale in the local stores. There may be some cold weather plants that are better suited to planting this month, like lettuce, kale, or broccoli for those who like vegetable gardening.

Don’t underestimate the value of “weeds” during this time. I know we hate seeing them in our flower beds and vegetable/herb gardens, but for pollinators during this time of year, they are a critical source of nectar. We are nearing the end of winter, when food stores begin to run out. I have already seen insects on the small, prolific, and very broadly scattered weed flowers this week. They offer an extensive nectar availability. After all, they grow practically everywhere! On a walk along Sandy Creek Park – the city park of Jasper, TX – I observed dandelions (Taraxacum officinale), wild violets (Viola spp.), Bird’s Eye Speedwell (Veronica persica), Indian Strawberry (Potentilla indica), Largeflower Woodsorrel (Oxalis debilis), Henbit Deadnettle (Lamium aplexicaule), and White clover (Trifolium repens). I even observed a honeybee on a dandelion.

To get back to the original question, “When will it warm up outside?”, the Farmer’s Almanac long range weather forecasts predict a pretty mild February and a rainy/stormy March. For those who live in east Texas, this sounds like a general description for normal conditions in this area for this time of year. Well, they weren’t wrong… So basically, I don’t expect a late season freeze. But this is Texas weather we’re talking about, so who knows!

To see more details on the Farmer’s Almanac’s long range weather predicitions, see this link:

https://www.almanac.com/weather/longrange

Paddling

Neches Wilderness Race

By Penny Lanham

My husband tried this challenging competition for the first time in 2020, and I just had to do a write-up about it! Even as a spectator, I had a blast cheering on the racers, talking with paddlecraft lovers, and seeing a new part of the untamed East Texas woodlands.

This endurance race for canoes and kayaks really tests your upper body strength and overall physical abilities! The race starts on the Neches River below the Lake Palestine dam and goes 22 miles to the intersection with the Hwy 79 bridge. It is held in the hottest part of the Texas summer (August) when the water is the lowest and the current is the slowest. The low water level makes a huge difference in the level of difficulty of the race. Not only is the current not aiding you much in your travel, but the debris that is normally found underwater during high water levels (log jams, fallen trees, silt beds) is exposed. This debris serves as an additional obstacle for racers. Get ready to do the limbo under a leaning tree, climb over or swim under fallen logs, and portage around piled up logs, branches, silt, leaves, and other debris!

My husband, John Lanham, is on the far left.

You’ll see many different kinds of paddlecraft at this race, from sleek racing canoes to trending molded-plastic kayaks to antique canoes. Personally, I’m a fan of Perception brand kayaks, but you are welcome to bring your Pelican, Sundolphin, Wilderness System, Epic, Old Towne, Jackson, Wenonah, West Marine… whatever canoe or kayak that you own, manage to borrow, or rent on site. Interestingly, the college buddy that invited my husband to the race had a heavy, 2-person, “been-in-the-family-for-years” canoe! Just note that the heavier the boat, the more effort you will have to give to finish the race (but the accomplishment will be greater!).

Our college buddy’s family heirloom canoe. They call it the Coypu Cadillac. Coypu is the genus for the invasive Nutria Rat (aka River Rat).

The racers who finish this physically challenging race are rewarded at the end with a T-shirt that says “I Survived” and has the race logo below. Those that have to quit at a checkpoint, or have to be picked up along the way after the 3pm cutoff time, also get a shirt, but without the “I Survived.” While there are the usual medals for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners in each category, the shirt in itself is a collectible trophy!

If you’re like me and you know you wouldn’t survive this race, you’re still encouraged to come cheer on the racers! The two checkpoints and the finish line are bridges that cross the Neches. Here, the volunteer fire department records racers ID numbers (for safety reasons), hands out water, electrolyte packets, and bananas. Spectators bring chairs to sit in the shade along the riverbank. The racers spend hours on the water trying to get their mind off the pain in their arms. Their faces light up when they hear the cheers from the onlookers. They know that they’ve completed another section of the race length. I went the extra mile by counting the racers as they passed so I could relay to them their current standing and remaining miles. They were glad to get the updates. We really needed more voices cheering at the finish line! This achievement is far too big a deal to let them pass the line of flags without a lot of whooping and hollering. Please come cheer! Also, if you want to show your racing spirit, the shirts are available for spectators too (obviously without the “I Survived”).

Finishing the race is a great accomplishment!

Everyone gets hot dogs and hamburgers at the finish line! Winners are announced as they come in and can wear their medal while they enjoy the refreshments. A shuttle service will take you back to your vehicle at the beginning. You can also have your loved ones meet you there to celebrate!

This race attracts a great community of people! Some are local while others drive up to 7 hours to participate. Everyone shares common interests such as love of paddlesports and enjoyment of the great outdoors. They also have an appreciation for the charity that the registration fees fund. Money goes toward scholarships at the Trinity Valley Community College for those special needs students such as returning adults, students with B averages, and single parents.

Because we’re nature-loving Master Naturalists, we gotta talk about the flora and fauna that I saw at the Neches River! The race gives both competitors and spectators the chance to see the Upper Neches River – a Senate-proposed Wild & Scenic River back in 2012 (S. 2324). I observed plant species such as Blue Mistflower (Conoclinium coelestinum), various oak hybrids, Cedar Elm (Ulmus crassifolia), and an intriguing grass with gracefully cascading seeds that I have yet to identify. At Checkpoint 1, I sat leisurely on a very large tree that extended horizontally over the water. Under the Checkpoint 2 bridge, a large flock of barnswallows (Hirundo rustica) swooped around the area where they had built nests. At the finish line, the river bottom offered shade for those waiting to see who would make it and the natural levee provided a spot to place our chairs out of the mud. Given that this race takes an average of 5 hours to complete and racers this year were spaced 15-30 minutes apart, spectators have ample opportunity to look through a pair of binoculars or key out plant species while waiting for the racers to pass. Just bring your binoculars and field guides with you!

You can find more info about the race at https://www.necheswildernessrace.com/

Native Plants

My Experience Tending to Passionfruit Vine: Inadvertently Raising Gulf Fritillary Caterpillars

During my time at Stephen F. Austin State University, beginning in 2006, I learned how to identify plants, including edible plants. Among my mentors was Greg Grant, who was in charge of the SFASU Pineywoods Native Plant Center at the time and is now a well-known East Texas horticulturalist and public speaker. He taught me about many of the common plants that we encounter in the East Texas Pineywoods forest. He once plucked up a bittercress weed (Cardamine hirsute) and ate it right in front of me! It was here that I first learned what passionvine (Passiflora incarnata, also called purple passionflower or passionfruit) looked like and how it tasted to suck on the juice sacks that surround the seeds in the fruit. In my opinion, the juice is not quite as tasty as pomegranate, but it is still desirable, native, and edible. At the time, my husband was studying wildlife management under Dr. James Kroll (also known as Dr. Deer). He was kind enough to let me sample some of the passionfruit growing wild at the Whitetail Deer Institute. They were growing near an intermittent stream, and had the best flavor! Deer also feed on this fruit. It is a food source for many critters, both big and small, in the East Texas Pineywoods forest.

When I started gardening at my newly purchased house in Jasper, TX in 2018, my intention was to dig up three new passionvine sprigs in the spring, transplant them to the sunniest spot in my front yard, and raise my own delicious fruit juice snacks. Well, I had no problem transplanting and training the vine on a trellis made of Golden bamboo (Phyllostachys aurea). I had flowers blooming. I was so happy. Then, the caterpillars came. Looking up their spiny red and black features online, I discovered that I had Gulf Fritillary caterpillars (Agraulis vanillae). It turns out that Gulf Fritillarys exclusively eat various species of passionvine (Passiflora spp.) the same way that Monarchs exclusively eat various species of milkweed (Asclepias spp.). That’s ok. The Jasper, TX community was aspiring to teach its residents about butterflies and pollinators at their Butterfly Festival outreach each year. I figured I may let some caterpillars share my vine. Maybe when they became butterflies, they could be seen at the local butterfly garden. Perhaps the Master Gardeners and Naturalists would point out my butterflies to children and say, “Look! That one was born and raised right here in Jasper.”

What I didn’t realize is that the caterpillars were not going to share my passionvine. They were going to dominate it. They were going to demolish every leaf on the plants. More and more caterpillars hatched as the summer heat got hotter. I didn’t have the heart to pick off and kill the caterpillars to control the population. They ate the vine until there was nothing left to eat. The most tender leaves went first, and the broad shade leaves were eaten as a last resort. Some caterpillars became food for birds. Others managed to form a chrysalis. I never did see the adults emerge, but there were empty chrysalids left behind!

That was the first wave. Every leaf was gone. Eaten. With no food left, the caterpillars disappeared. The more woody portions of the vine sprouted new leaves. I thought, “Perhaps I will get fruit now that the caterpillars have gone.” Nope. When enough leaves had grown back and flowers began to bloom again, the butterflies laid new eggs. The eggs hatched, and the demolishing started all over again. I did not get any passionfruit that year. I did get passionfruit the next year, but it never ripened properly. I was rather frustrated. On top of that, it sends unseen roots all over, and pops up in the most unexpected places. I had sprouts in my garden and in my yard up to 8 feet from the host plant. If this plant turns out to be trouble, I sure hope people at least got to see many Gulf Fritillary butterflies all over Jasper!

I still liked tending to the vines. It grew so fast in the summer that I found new tendrils every day to train on the trellis. New sprigs kept popping up all over the yard. I kept several more than last year to provide even more food. Of course, some came up in my garden too. Those had to go! I intended to grow edible plants in the garden – the passionvine could have part of the yard. I just had to cut some more of that invasive bamboo next door and put it to good use! More trellis was needed for the increased number of sprigs to climb.

I did have in mind the benefit that the butterflies brought when it comes to pollination of my other garden plants. Managing the many extra sprigs was not too difficult, but again, I let more grow to provide even more food. The ones I didn’t want got mowed or clipped with hand pruners. Fashioning a homemade bamboo trellis worked well and will be expanded next year. The poles just have to be replaced each year due to weathering.

I suppose the next step in my pollinator management should be to research population dynamics to find out if I should let this first wave/second wave cycle happen. Perhaps I should be reducing the population when the demand for food exceeds the supply? When I do collect enough data and information to discover the best way to raise these caterpillars, it may make an interesting presentation at a Master Naturalist meeting.

Fast forward to July 2020. While I had decisively considered myself to be growing passionvine specifically for the caterpillars, I’ve only observed two caterpillars so far this year! I have seen an increase in the number of birds in my yard. Northern Mockingbirds (Mimus polyglottos) fearlessly land on my trellis while I am in the yard. There’s also a tiny, unidenitifed, brown/black, mottled-feather bird that flits in and out of the azalea bushes nearby. I’m sure these caterpillar predators contribute to the sharp population decline. There is also the possibility that the Gulf Fritillary population in the region is not booming as much this year. Cycles of population explosions and declines are normal in nature. A third possibility could be that the overall decline in pollinator insect populations is becoming noticeable even here in the Pineywoods forest – far from the big city where habitat fragmentation and habitat destruction are a serious problem. Whatever the case may be, as a result, I have triple the amount of leafy vines and no caterpillars to feed on it! I do have fruits, though. Just when I began to wonder, “What I will do with all these vines?”, the fruits started ripening! I guess this will be a harvest year.

I’ll be adding to the list of things to research: “Do caterpillars have an occasional ‘off’ year?” I’m really hoping for this option. It would mean I could raise caterpillars some years and delicious passionfruit others. Time (and more research) will hopefully provide me with an answer.

Purple passionflower (Passiflora incarnata) vines growing on a homemade bamboo trellis in 2019.

For those interested in reading about my experience with passionvine and Gulf Fritillary caterpillars in more detail, I keep a journal on iNaturalist – a place where anyone can contribute their observations to science with the help of a community of enthusiastic naturalists. In the journal, I’ve included various observations of other insects that have been attracted to the vines and a count of the chryallides that I observed in close proximity to the trellis. Click the link below to read more:

https://www.inaturalist.org/journal/redpenny

COVID-19Earth Day

50th Anniversary of Earth Day 1970-2020

by Penny Lanham

Every year on April 22nd, environmentalists gather to teach the public about environmental awareness. We set up tables and chairs inside school gymnasiums or outdoors in a community garden. We put up posters of sea turtles, globes with smiling faces, and Smokey the Bear. We set up children’s activities, such as mock grocery stores with choices of paper, plastic, or cloth grocery bags. We go bowling with empty 2-liter bottles as pins. Here, we invite kids and parents to learn how they can help to protect the planet that they live on.

As part of our teachings, we repeat little take-home-messages in the form of short phrases. These are just a few simple words that are easy to remember, and hopefully trigger your memory when you encounter a situation where you can use them. They urge you to take action for a cause. For example, the one we associate with Earth Day is often the same one we hear on Arbor Day, PLANT A TREE. That’s good! Remember that one. However, on this special occasion, we’d like you to search your memory for a few others that have been put out there. Earth Day is more than planting a tree…

  • It’s about reducing waste
    • wasting of Earth’s resources ultimately into trash (REDUCE & REUSE)
    • waste of chemicals used in producing new bleached white paper (RECYCLE)
    • waste of chemicals used to extract metal from ore when mining (RECYCLE)
    • waste of petroleum used to produce new plastic while old plastic is buried in a landfill (RECYCLE)
    • waste of chemicals used to treat drinking water (SAVE WATER)
    • waste of oil to transport products from halfway around the world (BUY LOCAL)
  • It’s about saving our bees and pollinators 
    • by using natural remedies in place of chemical pesticides (PROTECT POLLINATORS)
    • by planting flowers and “beneficial plant” gardens (GARDEN FOR WILDLIFE) (BUTTERFLY GARDEN)
    • by buying local honey and other bee products (SAVE THE BEES)
  • It’s about stopping illegal dumping, especially in our creeks, rivers, lakes, and oceans (PROTECT OUR DRINKING WATER) (SAVE OUR OCEANS)
  • It’s about planning our errands and carpooling (REDUCE YOUR CARBON FOOTPRINT)
  • It’s about supply and demand
    • recycling supplies plastic to be made into new products
    • buying recycled plastic products creates a demand for the new products
    • you must have both (BUY RECYCLED)
  • It’s about teaching our children
    • not to litter (DON’T LITTER)
    • how to recycle
    • how to make environmentally-responsible decisions in the future when they work a job, own a company, or vote for their leaders (GO VOTE)

Did any of these ring a bell? Did you learn some new phrases? If so, please use them when the time is right. That’s what Earth Day is all about. 

Happy 50 Years of environmental awareness!