The Lost Pines chapter serves primarily Bastrop and Caldwell counties of Central Texas (click here to find a statewide list of chapters). These counties are predominantly in the Post Oak Savannah and Blackland Prairie Ecoregions. In addition, our area includes the unique “island forest” of the Lost Pines, the westernmost extent of the loblolly pine (Pinus taeda), separated by about 100 miles from the pine forests of East Texas. Species in the Lost Pines are particularly adapted to the drier conditions here, and provide unique habitat for varied flora and fauna that can be seen in Bastrop and Buescher state parks and other nearby natural areas. You can learn more about what makes these parks so special and see pictures of them by visiting our “State Parks & Natural Areas” page; you can also find many links to information about the native plants, animals and ecology of the Lost Pines region on our resources page.
- High Wire Balancing Act
A Crow Indian legend tells the story about evil spirits that possess a man who tries to do away with a rightful heir by shoving the youth off a cliff. The young man lands in a patch of cedar trees and is rescued by seven bighorn sheep led by the chief of the bighorns, Big… Read More → - Back Roads Nature–Pedernales Falls State Park
In big cities back East, they have a hard time imagining how devastating and destructive flash floods can be. I doubt there’s ever been a flash flood down 5th Avenue in New York City. But despite widespread urban phobia about flash floods, Texans flock to one of the most flash flood prone areas in the… Read More → - Where Do Animals Go When They Die?
We take walks at Bastrop State Park—I and my little dog—almost daily. We’re soul mates, joined at the hip. We get each other. There’s a special place on our route, a hilltop overlooking rolling native grasses, flanked by groves of loblolly pines on either side. It’s astonishingly beautiful. Every time we pass this area, my… Read More → - Pollinators for Texas
The Texas Master Naturalist Lost Pines Chapter is proud to announce that we have been awarded a grant from Pollinators for Texas, sponsored by H-E-B, with the goal of making large scale impacts for pollinator habitats. - Cancel Your Orkin Man!
The word itself raises a confusion of thoughts. Relentless, vicious, cunning, dedicated parent, devoted partner, survivor. Which adjectives does the word “wolf” conjure in your mind? Now, let’s try the same exercise using the word “spider.” Chances are, any positive descriptors disappear. Combine the two words and we’re talking something creepy, shadowy, and sinister—a lurid… Read More → - Back Roads Nature—Cleburne State Park
Cleburne State Park and the nearby city of Cleburne (pronounced Klee-burn) carry their name in common. Where did thisname come from? If you drive near the Johnson County Courthouse in the city of Cleburne, you will see the statue of Confederate Gen. Patrick Cleburne (pronounced Klay-burn) looking out from his pedestal, and all appears to… Read More →