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.
- Backroads Nature–Blanco State Park
Sometimes you feel like a nut. Sometimes you don’t. Why are we so fickle when it comes to our favorite state parks? Maybe we’re just spoiled. In the Lone Star state, we have some 94 state parks, historic sites, and natural areas to choose from. Who isn’t smitten by the majesty of sculpted Palo Duro… Read More → - Here Today. . .
By Larry Gfeller This is no usual story. The ending hasn’t been determined yet. In this story, the choices we make will decide how the story ends. I sit on my back porch, stare at my pine trees, and wonder about water. . .what I’m actually thinking about is the concept of tipping points. A… Read More → - Keep Your Head in the Clouds
“It was a dark and stormy night” is an infamous bromide that has launched a million pulp romance novels. In a few words it conjures emotions we’ve all experienced before. Weather and clouds express mood—nature’s emojis. Somewhere in our past, each of us has lazed serenely under a gentle summer breeze and a brilliant sky… Read More → - Back Roads Nature–Mother Neff State Park
Lazing beside a river shaded by towering cottonwoods, the afternoon sun filters through to the grass below. There’s a noisy picnic in progress, laced with the smell of fried chicken and blueberry pies while busy mothers set out the spread. Kids swim and splash along the shoals and fathers nurse cane poles from the bank—the… Read More → - The Original Survivor
Man is the only species that makes war against its own kind. Some situations, like the recent coronavirus outbreak, pit man against an invisible bug or microbe. But how often have we battled for survival against the plant world? It was once so, a gigantic plague covering an area equivalent to the present day United… Read More → - Killing Unicorns
Nestled atop a promontory overlooking the Colorado River, an old Tonkawa sits cross-legged as he watches the setting sun paint the water in fool’s gold. Harchuknni comes here often. Shell earrings set off his chiseled face, two tipped feathers punctuate his parted white hair, the braids cascade down his chest. He wears a long loincloth,… Read More →