[{"id":7350,"date":"2026-05-31T14:08:48","date_gmt":"2026-05-31T19:08:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/?p=7350"},"modified":"2026-05-31T14:20:02","modified_gmt":"2026-05-31T19:20:02","slug":"eastern-screech-owl-megascops-asio","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/eastern-screech-owl-megascops-asio\/","title":{"rendered":"Eastern Screech Owl (Megascops asio)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

From Texas Parks & Wildlife Services<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Description: <\/strong> The screech owl is a small nocturnal owl with piercing yellow eyes and prominent ear tufts. Nestlings are covered with fluffy white down. It comes in two color morphs, a more common gray phase and a rich reddish phase. Reddish owls are more common in the southern states, while the gray phase prevails in the north. A bird’s color has nothing to do with its age or sex, nor does it change over its lifetime. Indeed, both color phases can occur within the same brood. In Texas, the very similar looking western screech-owl replaces the eastern in the Trans-Pecos. At the Pecos River, the ranges of the two species overlap. The best way to tell the two species apart is by listening to their vocalizations, which are markedly different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Life History: <\/strong> The screech-owls are the most strictly nocturnal of all North American owls. For this reason they are more often heard than seen. During the day, they usually spend their time in a tree cavity or old woodpecker hole where they will occasionally be harassed by small birds if their presence is detected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nocturnal:<\/strong> After dark, the owl emerges to hunt, with most prey items being captured in the first few hours after nightfall. Preferred food items include large insects and small terrestrial mammals, but reptiles, amphibians, bats, spiders, scorpions, snails and earthworms are also taken. When bathing, these small owls will occasionally capture small fish and crayfish which happen by. Food is swallowed whole and small pellets of indigestible materials such as bone, fur and arthropod exoskeletons are regurgitated periodically. Should you find fresh, moist pellets on the ground underneath a large shade tree, it is a good indication you have an owl in your yard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Breeding<\/strong>: Screech-owls breed in late winter or early spring and choose a hollow stump or old woodpecker hole as a nest site. Sometimes they will accept specially designed owl boxes, especially when the bottom is covered with sawdust. Nests are usually found from 15′ to 20′ off the ground. Four to five white eggs are laid in the nest and the young hatch synchronously after 26 days of incubation. Nestlings are defended vigorously by both parents. Tended by both male and female, young birds fledge after four weeks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Habitat:<\/strong> A common denizen of open woodlands and clearings, the eastern screech-owl can often be found in parks and suburban yards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Distribution: <\/strong>The eastern screech owl ranges throughout the entire eastern half of the United States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

From Texas Parks & Wildlife Services Description: The screech owl is a small nocturnal owl with piercing yellow eyes and prominent ear tufts. Nestlings are covered with fluffy white down…. Read More →<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1238,"featured_media":7356,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"About Screech Owls","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false},"categories":[78438,78479],"tags":[24423,78482],"class_list":["post-7350","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-article","category-pine-warbler","tag-piney-wood-lakes-master-naturalists","tag-screech-owls","entry"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/files\/2026\/05\/skreech.jpg","uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/files\/2026\/05\/skreech.jpg",275,183,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/files\/2026\/05\/skreech-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/files\/2026\/05\/skreech.jpg",275,183,false],"medium_large":["https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/files\/2026\/05\/skreech.jpg",275,183,false],"large":["https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/files\/2026\/05\/skreech.jpg",275,183,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/files\/2026\/05\/skreech.jpg",275,183,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/files\/2026\/05\/skreech.jpg",275,183,false],"archive":["https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/files\/2026\/05\/skreech.jpg",275,183,false],"gform-image-choice-sm":["https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/files\/2026\/05\/skreech.jpg",275,183,false],"gform-image-choice-md":["https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/files\/2026\/05\/skreech.jpg",275,183,false],"gform-image-choice-lg":["https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/files\/2026\/05\/skreech.jpg",275,183,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"texasbebe13","author_link":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/author\/texasbebe13\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"From Texas Parks & Wildlife Services Description: The screech owl is a small nocturnal owl with piercing yellow eyes and prominent ear tufts. Nestlings are covered with fluffy white down.... Read More →","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p5WQEU-1Uy","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7350","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1238"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7350"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7350\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7356"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7350"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7350"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7350"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":7340,"date":"2026-05-31T13:02:17","date_gmt":"2026-05-31T18:02:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/?p=7340"},"modified":"2026-05-31T13:29:01","modified_gmt":"2026-05-31T18:29:01","slug":"space-invaders","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/space-invaders\/","title":{"rendered":"SPACE INVADERS"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Sharon Hanick<\/em>, Member
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No, not the video game GenXers grew up with in the late 70s. The invaders this article is referring to are Brown-Headed Cowbirds. In the birding community, this species is often frowned upon, and I could go so far as using the term \u201cdespised<\/em>\u201d. Why, you might ask? Bird watchers love all birds, right? Mmmmm, not exactly. To understand why, let\u2019s first break down its scientific name, Molothrus ater, molothrus<\/em> meaning \u201cgreedy fellow, vagrancy\u201d and ater<\/em>, meaning \u201cblack, dark and gloomy\u201d. With these descriptions, we have the makings of a graphic novel villain. The reason behind the \u201cdislike\u201d is solely due to the fact that this species engages in what is known as \u201cbrood-parasitic breeding\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"Female<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"Cowbird<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"Brown-headed<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Sounds ominous, right? This term refers to the practice of laying one’s eggs among the eggs of a different species and then abandoning them to be raised by the parents of that nest. Indeed the epitome of a dead-beat parent! The cowbird assumes no responsibility. Dumping its parental duties on another brings added stress, and oftentimes imminent mortality for the eggs and chicks of the surrogate parents. he reason behind the \u201cdislike\u201d is solely due to the fact that this species engages in what is known as \u201cbrood-parasitic breeding\u201d. Sounds ominous, right? This term refers to the practice of laying one’s eggs among the eggs of a different species and then abandoning them to be raised by the parents of that nest. Indeed the epitome of a dead-beat parent! The cowbird assumes no responsibility. Dumping its parental duties on another brings added stress, and oftentimes imminent mortality for the eggs and chicks of the surrogate parents. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How did this brooding behavior begin? Did some of the birds just decide one day that they weren\u2019t ready to be parents? This evolutionary strategy bypassed the high energy costs of building nests and raising young, allowing females to invest heavily in producing more eggs per season. This enabled them to keep up their nomadic lifestyle following herds of bison across the great plains foraging heavily on insects and parasites. This kept the herds healthy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How exactly does this play out? The cowbird eggs usually hatch sooner than the other species\u2019 eggs, giving them a head start. This means that they get the food first, grow faster and in turn become so greedy that they engage in the ultimate form of sibling rivalry, tossing the other eggs or hatchlings from the nest or simply smothering them. Some bird species can actually identify these eggs as not their own. Those that can identify and are large enough to do so, simply kick them out or puncture the egg with their beaks and give them a good fling. However, this is a problem for smaller birds who cannot successfully rid their nest of the unwanted eggs. For some species such as Kirtland’s Warblers and Black-capped Vireos, the actions of this cowbird have led to their decline. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With this information one may be tempted to \u201chelp-out\u201d by removing the cowbird eggs. However, this is illegal. Take heart, as there are official programs in place involving targeted trapping and culling along with restoring large tracts of habitat to limit cowbird access. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As they aided the bison herds of the past these cowbirds are also beneficial to livestock today. They also have a very melodious song. I hear it every morning as I watch a pair at my feeders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Sharon Hanick, Member No, not the video game GenXers grew up with in the late 70s. The invaders this article is referring to are Brown-Headed Cowbirds. In the birding… Read More →<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1238,"featured_media":7343,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"Space Invaders|Bird behavior","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false},"categories":[78438,78479],"tags":[78480,78481,24423],"class_list":["post-7340","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-article","category-pine-warbler","tag-bird-behavior","tag-cowbirds","tag-piney-wood-lakes-master-naturalists","entry"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/files\/2026\/05\/Eastern_Phoebe-nest-Brown-headed-Cowbird-egg.jpg","uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/files\/2026\/05\/Eastern_Phoebe-nest-Brown-headed-Cowbird-egg.jpg",390,293,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/files\/2026\/05\/Eastern_Phoebe-nest-Brown-headed-Cowbird-egg-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/files\/2026\/05\/Eastern_Phoebe-nest-Brown-headed-Cowbird-egg-300x225.jpg",300,225,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/files\/2026\/05\/Eastern_Phoebe-nest-Brown-headed-Cowbird-egg.jpg",390,293,false],"large":["https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/files\/2026\/05\/Eastern_Phoebe-nest-Brown-headed-Cowbird-egg.jpg",390,293,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/files\/2026\/05\/Eastern_Phoebe-nest-Brown-headed-Cowbird-egg.jpg",390,293,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/files\/2026\/05\/Eastern_Phoebe-nest-Brown-headed-Cowbird-egg.jpg",390,293,false],"archive":["https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/files\/2026\/05\/Eastern_Phoebe-nest-Brown-headed-Cowbird-egg-390x225.jpg",390,225,true],"gform-image-choice-sm":["https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/files\/2026\/05\/Eastern_Phoebe-nest-Brown-headed-Cowbird-egg.jpg",300,225,false],"gform-image-choice-md":["https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/files\/2026\/05\/Eastern_Phoebe-nest-Brown-headed-Cowbird-egg.jpg",390,293,false],"gform-image-choice-lg":["https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/files\/2026\/05\/Eastern_Phoebe-nest-Brown-headed-Cowbird-egg.jpg",390,293,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"texasbebe13","author_link":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/author\/texasbebe13\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"By Sharon Hanick, Member No, not the video game GenXers grew up with in the late 70s. The invaders this article is referring to are Brown-Headed Cowbirds. In the birding... Read More →","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p5WQEU-1Uo","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7340","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1238"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7340"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7340\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7343"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7340"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7340"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7340"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":7016,"date":"2025-10-28T10:17:48","date_gmt":"2025-10-28T15:17:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/?p=7016"},"modified":"2025-10-28T10:17:50","modified_gmt":"2025-10-28T15:17:50","slug":"seednsee-lone-star-seed-library","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/seednsee-lone-star-seed-library\/","title":{"rendered":"SeedNSee – Lone Star Seed Library"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

by Becky McGraw-Wall, PWL Member<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Piney Wood Lakes chapter of TMN has a new project in the works, thanks to a grant by HEB and the efforts of project coordinator Julie Kuylen. The SeedNSee-Lone Star Seed Library will soon be available to local library patrons inside the Livingston Municipal Library. Seed libraries are growing in popularity across the country along with the movement to grow more native plants for pollinators and with the movement to cultivate more resilient non-hybridized, open-pollinated vegetables. The use of commercially produced seeds has led to a loss of genetic diversity in plants, especially in food crops. Seed libraries enhance biodiversity by preserving and sharing seeds adapted to our local ecosystems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A seed library works just like it sounds- a library patron can \u201ccheck out\u201d free seeds to plant in a garden, then hopefully return seeds to the library after the plants have grown and new seeds have been harvested to keep the project self-sustaining. The mission of the SeedNSee Library is focused on both conservation and education. Participants can learn about the role of native plants in supporting our local ecosystem by seeding<\/em> <\/strong>native pollinator-friendly plants and seeing <\/em><\/strong>how these gardens enhance biodiversity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The seed library will offer free packets of native wildflowers, herbs and vegetables suited to our East Texas environment, which participants can plant in home, school or community gardens. Each packet will include planting and growing instructions, instructions for seed harvesting, and educational material about the species\u2019 role in supporting pollinators and healthy ecosystems. Participants will be encouraged to record and share their observations about germination times, plant growth and pollinator visits, to pass on to subsequent growers and enhance our understanding of local ecology. The organizers of the seed library program anticipate sponsoring educational events at the library to help teach the community about seed harvesting, native plants adapted to East Texas, the importance of host plants for caterpillars, the impact of native flowers for pollinators, and related conservation topics. The grand reveal for the SeedNSee Library is expected to be in November 2025.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Becky McGraw-Wall, PWL Member The Piney Wood Lakes chapter of TMN has a new project in the works, thanks to a grant by HEB and the efforts of project… Read More →<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1488,"featured_media":7017,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false},"categories":[78439],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7016","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-projects","entry"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/files\/2025\/10\/IMG_2077.jpg","uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/files\/2025\/10\/IMG_2077.jpg",2015,1259,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/files\/2025\/10\/IMG_2077-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/files\/2025\/10\/IMG_2077-300x187.jpg",300,187,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/files\/2025\/10\/IMG_2077-768x480.jpg",768,480,true],"large":["https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/files\/2025\/10\/IMG_2077-1024x640.jpg",1024,640,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/files\/2025\/10\/IMG_2077-1536x960.jpg",1536,960,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/files\/2025\/10\/IMG_2077.jpg",2015,1259,false],"archive":["https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/files\/2025\/10\/IMG_2077-400x225.jpg",400,225,true],"gform-image-choice-sm":["https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/files\/2025\/10\/IMG_2077.jpg",300,187,false],"gform-image-choice-md":["https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/files\/2025\/10\/IMG_2077.jpg",400,250,false],"gform-image-choice-lg":["https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/files\/2025\/10\/IMG_2077.jpg",600,375,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"shailap","author_link":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/author\/shailap\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"by Becky McGraw-Wall, PWL Member The Piney Wood Lakes chapter of TMN has a new project in the works, thanks to a grant by HEB and the efforts of project... Read More →","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p5WQEU-1Pa","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7016","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1488"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7016"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7016\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7017"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7016"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7016"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7016"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":6973,"date":"2025-09-30T13:54:51","date_gmt":"2025-09-30T18:54:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/?p=6973"},"modified":"2026-05-31T13:03:06","modified_gmt":"2026-05-31T18:03:06","slug":"a-real-pain-in-the-asp","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/a-real-pain-in-the-asp\/","title":{"rendered":"A Real Pain in the Asp"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

by Sharon Hanzik, PWL Member<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019ve ever experienced the sting of North America\u2019s most venomous caterpillar, you understand the title of this article. It was a mild Fall day. I was living in a rural environment in Fort Bend County where Live Oak Trees are the predominant oak species. I was enjoying a day with my five-year-old great nephew. We had trekked down a gravel road on the property that wound through forest and pasture, he on his bicycle and I walking my dog. We were having a great time! On our way back we took a shortcut, as we were hungry and ready for lunch. We needed to climb a rail fence. He went over and I reached to haul his bicycle over the top. As I pulled back my arm I felt  hell-fire on the inside of my upper arm. I knew immediately that I had made full contact with an Asp, properly known as the Puss Caterpillar. Growing up along the Gulf Coast, I was definitely familiar with this species, having even been stung a time or two, each time on the tougher skin of my fingers. As I had made full contact with every venomous spine on its wretched little body, I knew I needed to act quickly, so we rushed back to the house. I called my mother to let her know what happened, just in case I needed emergency assistance. I was already feeling a bit on the woozy side. I removed any loose hairs and spines, took a benadryl and used an ice pack. I never let my nephew know how badly I hurt. I gave him a banana, put on Fantasia and he remained distracted. All turned out ok. I did end up with a caterpillar-shaped scar for months and this cautionary tale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Southern Flannel Moth is the adult version of this particular caterpillar. It is cute, fuzzy and harmless but produces a dangerous offspring found along the Texas Coast and into Mexico. The caterpillar is considered polyphagous, meaning that it dines on a wide variety of species including oaks, elms, maples and willows as well as common garden plants such as roses and hibiscus. Its nickname \u201cAsp\u201d refers to its potent, venom-like sting. Its proper name, Puss Caterpillar, refers to its fluffy pussycat-like appearance. But as they say \u201ckittens have claws\u201d. The scientific name of the moth is also interesting. Megalopyge (large rump) opercularis (covered) refers to its robust, fluffy appearance, although the moth is quite small.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The caterpillars seem to be most prevalent in the late summer-early fall. Be on high alert. If stung, remember to first try and remove any spines. Use hydrocortisone cream or make a baking soda and water paste and apply to the area. An ice pack will help numb the pain. An antihistamine can also help. If symptoms are worse, such as nausea, chest pain or dizziness, do seek emergency medical attention.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Sharon Hanzik, PWL Member If you\u2019ve ever experienced the sting of North America\u2019s most venomous caterpillar, you understand the title of this article. It was a mild Fall day…. Read More →<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1488,"featured_media":6971,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false},"categories":[78438],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6973","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-article","entry"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/files\/2025\/09\/puss-caterpillar.jpg","uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/files\/2025\/09\/puss-caterpillar.jpg",1200,800,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/files\/2025\/09\/puss-caterpillar-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/files\/2025\/09\/puss-caterpillar-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/files\/2025\/09\/puss-caterpillar-768x512.jpg",768,512,true],"large":["https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/files\/2025\/09\/puss-caterpillar-1024x683.jpg",1024,683,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/files\/2025\/09\/puss-caterpillar.jpg",1200,800,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/files\/2025\/09\/puss-caterpillar.jpg",1200,800,false],"archive":["https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/files\/2025\/09\/puss-caterpillar-400x225.jpg",400,225,true],"gform-image-choice-sm":["https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/files\/2025\/09\/puss-caterpillar.jpg",300,200,false],"gform-image-choice-md":["https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/files\/2025\/09\/puss-caterpillar.jpg",400,267,false],"gform-image-choice-lg":["https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/files\/2025\/09\/puss-caterpillar.jpg",600,400,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"shailap","author_link":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/author\/shailap\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"by Sharon Hanzik, PWL Member If you\u2019ve ever experienced the sting of North America\u2019s most venomous caterpillar, you understand the title of this article. It was a mild Fall day.... Read More →","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p5WQEU-1Ot","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6973","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1488"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6973"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6973\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6971"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6973"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6973"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6973"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":6965,"date":"2025-09-30T10:57:29","date_gmt":"2025-09-30T15:57:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/?p=6965"},"modified":"2025-09-30T12:18:36","modified_gmt":"2025-09-30T17:18:36","slug":"history-of-the-piney-wood-lakes-chapter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/history-of-the-piney-wood-lakes-chapter\/","title":{"rendered":"History of the Piney Wood Lakes Chapter"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

by Becky McGraw-Wall, PWL Member<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>
The original organizers of the Piney Wood Lakes TMN chapter, Susan Moran (far left) and Susan Tullos (far right).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Piney Wood Lakes Texas Master Naturalist Chapter is celebrating its 15 year anniversary this October. The Texas Master Naturalist Program is a partnership between the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, with the goal of training volunteers to educate, outreach and support the natural resources within a community. In 2009, then-Polk County Chamber of Commerce Director Sydney Murphy held 3 public meetings to determine interest in forming a local TMN chapter. Assisted by the Polk, Tyler and Trinity County Agrilife Extension Agents, the new chapter was established thanks to the organizational efforts by founding members Susan Tullos and Susan Moran. The PWLTMN chapter was officially recognized as the 42nd chapter of the statewide Texas Master Naturalist program in August 2010.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Susan Tullos became the first chapter president (serving continuously from 2010 to 2016), and Susan Moran served as training director and Treasurer. Seventeen members completed training and received their certification at the ceremony in 2010. In fact, all 17 of the initial members completed the requirements for both their certification and recertification hours by the time of the induction ceremony! Of these founding members, 3 remain active: Susan Tullos, Kathleen Applebaum, and Justine Henley. All the past presidents of the chapter have remained active in the chapter, including Timi Maples (2017-2018), Ron Diderich (2019-2021), Nelda Tuthill (2021-2022), Tina Crichfield (2023-2024), and Jessica Jones (2024-2025). In 2024, there were 47 active members, who cumulatively completed over 4500 service hours that year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Initially, the chapter served Polk, Tyler and Trinity Counties. San Jacinto County was added to the chapter in 2014 to fully encompass the area around Lake Livingston for the Water Willow Project. The early projects for the new chapter included the Monofilament Recovery and Recycling Program (which continues to this day), the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas Nature Trail improvements, and the Polk County Come Clean Lake Livingston Project presently run by Polk County Chamber of Commerce. The Water Willow Project has now evolved into the Friends of Lake Livingston Project (FOLL), a multiple TMN chapter venture aimed at erosion control and restoration of aquatic habitats in Lake Livingston. Another big accomplishment for the group has been the creation of the Gazebo Nature Preserve, a required Federal public recreation area at the construction site of the Thomas Hydroelectric Plant. There are now 18 active projects maintained by PWLTMN.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Numerous statewide awards, recognitions and grants have been bestowed on PWLTMN chapter in the past ten years. Over 100 volunteers with the group have contributed more than 44,000 hours of service to the community. Of note, the chapter secured a grant through the Arbor Day Foundation to distribute 640 native trees to residents in Onalaska following the 2020 tornado devastation of the tree canopy there. In 2021, chapter advisor Matthew Marsh received the statewide Chapter Advisor Award from TMN. Most recently, the PWLTMN chapter has been awarded a 2025 Pollinators for Texas award, supported by HEB, to establish the \u201cSeedNSee Lone Star Seed Library\u201d a native seed catalog at the Livingston Public Library.
PWLTMN continues to grow and contribute to the communities surrounding Lake Livingston. Interested trainees are always welcome to join the 2026 class starting in February.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Becky McGraw-Wall, PWL Member The Piney Wood Lakes Texas Master Naturalist Chapter is celebrating its 15 year anniversary this October. The Texas Master Naturalist Program is a partnership between… Read More →<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1488,"featured_media":6970,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false},"categories":[78438],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6965","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-article","entry"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/files\/2025\/09\/PWL-Early-Group-Photo-copy-scaled.jpg","uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/files\/2025\/09\/PWL-Early-Group-Photo-copy-scaled.jpg",2560,1442,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/files\/2025\/09\/PWL-Early-Group-Photo-copy-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/files\/2025\/09\/PWL-Early-Group-Photo-copy-300x169.jpg",300,169,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/files\/2025\/09\/PWL-Early-Group-Photo-copy-768x433.jpg",768,433,true],"large":["https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/files\/2025\/09\/PWL-Early-Group-Photo-copy-1024x577.jpg",1024,577,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/files\/2025\/09\/PWL-Early-Group-Photo-copy-1536x865.jpg",1536,865,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/files\/2025\/09\/PWL-Early-Group-Photo-copy-2048x1154.jpg",2048,1154,true],"archive":["https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/files\/2025\/09\/PWL-Early-Group-Photo-copy-400x225.jpg",400,225,true],"gform-image-choice-sm":["https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/files\/2025\/09\/PWL-Early-Group-Photo-copy-scaled.jpg",300,169,false],"gform-image-choice-md":["https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/files\/2025\/09\/PWL-Early-Group-Photo-copy-scaled.jpg",400,225,false],"gform-image-choice-lg":["https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/files\/2025\/09\/PWL-Early-Group-Photo-copy-scaled.jpg",600,338,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"shailap","author_link":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/author\/shailap\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"by Becky McGraw-Wall, PWL Member The Piney Wood Lakes Texas Master Naturalist Chapter is celebrating its 15 year anniversary this October. The Texas Master Naturalist Program is a partnership between... Read More →","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p5WQEU-1Ol","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6965","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1488"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6965"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6965\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6970"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6965"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6965"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6965"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":6892,"date":"2025-08-26T12:26:10","date_gmt":"2025-08-26T17:26:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/?p=6892"},"modified":"2025-08-26T12:43:01","modified_gmt":"2025-08-26T17:43:01","slug":"carnivorous-plants-of-east-texas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/pineywoodlakes\/carnivorous-plants-of-east-texas\/","title":{"rendered":"Carnivorous Plants of East Texas"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

by Shaila Palamand, PWL Member<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>
Pink Sundew (Drosera Capillaris). Photo by Shaila Palamand<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Often considered exotic, spooky, and even potentially dangerous, carnivorous plants are in fact native to our area and are not only beautiful, but also beneficial.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Four species of carnivorous plants can be found right here in East Texas: Pitcher Plants (Sarracenia), Sundews (Drosera), Butterworts (Pinguicula), and Bladderworts (Utricularia). They typically live in wetlands and bogs \u2013 such as the Big Thicket National Preserve \u2013 and are able to thrive in the nutrient-poor soil of these areas by consuming insects and other small organisms, which provide them with the nitrogen and phosphorus needed for photosynthesis and growth. Based on their diet, some of these plants may be characterized as \u201cinsectivorous\u201d rather than carnivorous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Flytraps may be the most widely recognized type of carnivorous plant, but our East Texas species have different methods and mechanisms of catching prey:<\/p>\n\n\n\n