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.
- Tigers are Always the First to PounceMy name is Harry Thorax, reporting live from the beautiful (and packed) Plainfield Entomology Auditorium. It’s an honor to participate in this inaugural event—the first annual Western Hemisphere Tiger Beetle Convention, otherwise known as “Tiger Con I.” We are here in New Hampshire to cover this epic gathering of tiger beetles, and I don’t have… Read More →
- Back Roads Nature–Eisenhower State ParkDwight D. Eisenhower is a hero so deeply ingrained in U.S. history that monuments to his fame and respect for his contributions can be found all over this country. Everything’s not always bigger in Texas. Abilene, Kansas—where his boyhood home and presidential library are located—set aside 1,785 acres as their own Eisenhower State Park. Nassau… Read More →
- Black & White & Curious All OverThere is a creature which lives with such intensity, always in motion, burning itself so completely in the fire of survival that nothing is left behind—not even a trace of ash. Voracious, incorrigible, and focused, it approaches obstacles like mere stones in a stream, inundating them and swallowing them up with its force of personality… Read More →
- Painting with LightThey are particles in a quantum field, a wave, an excitation—a form of electromagnetic radiation. Photons are like little paint brushes, each carrying their own hue on a palette of colors. When they encounter obstacles, like land, trees, oceans, etc., some of them are absorbed and some of them are reflected to our eyes as… Read More →
- Back Roads Nature–Goose Island State ParkStanding on the pier, it’s about all I can do to maintain an upright position against the wicked February wind. It’s not just wind; it’s little pellets of steady drizzle that feel like buckshot hitting my face. Were it not tied down, the wind would snatch my hat and hurl it a hundred yards before… Read More →
- Pipsqueaks of the PrairieHis name was Iktomi, of the Teton Sioux. His land was the Black Hills. A Lakota medicine man, Iktomi faced the sharp January winds with only his moccasins and breechcloth, wrapped in a blanket. Against a backdrop of dishwater gray sky and carved granite bluffs, he surveyed the broad prairie before him with appreciation in… Read More →