PDF - Native Plant Society of Texas

November 2012 Newsletter
www.npsot.org/tyler
WooHoo Ron and Ruth!
Ron and Ruth Loper won the Benny J.
Simpson award at the 2012 NPSOT State
Symposium held in Kerrville in October!
Read more about Ron and Ruth and their
prestigious award on page 2 of this
newsletter.
Tiana Rehman of BRIT gave a great
program at our October meeting on how
floristics, defined as an inventory of plants in a particular
space, is being accomplished in the 21st century through
digitizing legacy data at the herbarium with new technologies
and collecting new data in collaborative ways.
Our November speaker is Jim Varnum, a self-taught student of
nature who has been a Texas Master Naturalist in the DFW
Metroplex since 1999. According to Jim, his repertoire is chock
full of interesting nature trivia and a few bad nature jokes!
Sonnis Hill organized two recent field trips, one to the Texas
Freshwater Fisheries Center and the second to the Old Sabine
Bottom WMA. Read all about these great trips starting on
page 4. The November field trip will be held at Caddo Lake
State Park and details about the trip will be sent out closer to
the time. You can prepare yourself for what we may
encounter by attending Dr. Carl Turner’s presentation at Tyler
Audubon’s meeting on November 13th. Details can be found
in sidebar on page 6 of this newsletter.
Everyone is invited to meet at Posada’s on E. Fifth Street at
5:00 pm for dinner before the meeting. See you on the 5th!
NPSOT – Tyler Chapter
November 2012 Newsletter
CHAPTER
INFORMATION
The Tyler chapter of the
Native Plant Society of Texas
meets at the Texas Parks
and Wildlife Department
Nature Center at 11942 FM
848 (Bascom Hwy) in Tyler,
Texas on the first Monday of
the month, Sept-May;
second Monday if the first
Monday is a holiday.
Meetings begin at 6:30 pm
with refreshments and a
plant ID workshop followed
by a program at 7:00 pm.
Meetings are open to the
public. Several field trips are
offered throughout the year.
CHAPTER CONTACTS
President: Kay Jenkins
903-566-1624
kay-jenkins@sbcglobal.net
Field Trips: Sonnia Hill
903-849-5357
sonnia36@hotmail.com
Page 1 of 9
CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!
Ron and Ruth Loper
Native Plant Society of Texas members
voted Tyler chapter members, Ron
and Ruth Loper, for the Benny J.
Simpson award. It was presented to
them at the 2012 State Symposium in
Kerrville. This award recognizes
longtime active involvement within
NPSOT at the local, regional or state
level. This is an “in‐house” award
honoring NPSOT members who have
toiled without thought of recompense
and who have been members for at
least ten years as of December 3,
2011.
Originally from Jacksonville, Texas, Ron
earned an Assoc. Degree from Lon
Morris College and a BS in Electrical
Engineering from UT Austin (1965). He
worked 39 years as an engineer in the oil industry for Phillips Petroleum Co., Delta Drilling Co., Kerr
McGee, and Energy Production Corporation and is now retired. Ron is a long-time member and
past president of the Tyler Chapter of the Native Plant Society of Texas. In 2010, he served as State
President of the Native Plant Society of Texas. Ron presents programs on native plants to NPSOT
Chapters, Garden Clubs, etc. and he enjoys amateur photography, travel, and RV camping.
Ruth grew up in Port Arthur, Texas, and met Ron at Lon Morris College in Jacksonville. She received
a BA in Biology from Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas. Ruth taught a few years in high
schools, and then settled down to raise their son, Robert, and daughter, Cathi. The family moved
around a lot since Ron worked in Alvin, Texas; Smackover, Arkansas; Morgan City, Louisiana;
London, England; Stavanger, Norway; Odessa, Texas; Houston, Texas; and Tyler, Texas. For many
years Ruth worked, both as a volunteer and as a paid employee, for Girl Scouts and Camp Fire
Boys and Girls. For ten years, she was the Lab Instructor for the Plant Taxonomy class at the
University of Texas at Tyler. Ruth is also a long-time member and past president of the Tyler
Chapter of the Native Plant Society of Texas.
Congratulations to Ron and Ruth for this well-deserved award and recognition by the members of
the Native Plant Society of Texas!
NPSOT – Tyler Chapter
November 2012 Newsletter
Page 2 of 9
November 5 Program
OUTREACH PROGRAMS
Smith County Master Gardener’s Fall Bulb and
More Workshop and Bulb Sale
On October 13, Sonnia Hill and Kay Jenkins worked the NPSOT
Tyler Chapter information booth at the Smith County Master
Gardeners’ “Fall Bulbs and More” workshop and sale at the
Harvey Convention Center. Our booth celebrated the
beginning of Texas Native Plant Week with handouts and
native plant seeds available. The bulb sale was a huge
success for the Master Gardeners as it appeared they sold out
of bulbs in less than an hour. Other NPSOT members seen
attending the workshop or volunteering for the Master
Gardeners included Harvey and Jan Collen, Tamara Kratzer,
Jim and Laquita Showen and Cecil Wallace.
Whitehouse Recycling Center Open House,
November 3, 2012
Ron and Ruth Loper will set up our exhibit board and offer
brochures to guests attending the Whitehouse Recycling
Center’s open house on November 3rd.
NPSOT – Tyler Chapter
November 2012 Newsletter
"Botanical (A)musings" by
Jim Varnum. Texas Master
Naturalist Jim Varnum will
present a program on
native plants. He discusses
what is a plant (and a
smidgen of plant
taxonomy), how plants get
their names and some
interesting names of plants
and animals, including the
Roadrunner and Wile E.
Coyote. Finally, Jim
discusses his favorite plants.
It’s a surprise, so you have to
find out what they are.
Jim’s interests range from
birds to plants to prairies to
land preservation. He
searches for native plants
out and about in the DFW
Metroplex and beyond.
Upcoming Programs
December 3, 2012: Tyler
chapter of NPSOT hosts Tyler
Audubon for our annual
Christmas Party.
Welcome 2012 New
Members
James Allison
Merwyn & Eileen Bartlett
Harvey & Jan Collen
Duel Glass
Tamara Kratzer
Page 3 of 9
September/October Field Trips
UPCOMING FIELD
TRIPS
Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center, Athens
by Sonnia Hill
We had a fun time at the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center in
Athens on September 27, 2012. Besides me, Kay Fleming, Ron
and Ruth Loper and Tamara Kratzer attended. We took the
long Wetland Trail path, rested a few times and then had a
wonderful lunch just around the corner.
We saw a lot more than carnivorous plants and aquatic flora.
Ron and Tamara could not resist feeding the catfish and we
stopped to view the sleepy alligator. Here are some photos
of what we encountered:
November 2012: Caddo
Lake State Park
Details will be sent out closer
to date.
VOLUNTEER
OPPORTUNITIES:
Membership Committee
Christmas Party Committee
Cattail (Typha lattifolia)
Pitcher Plant (Sarracenia alata)
Photo by Sonnia Hill
Ron Loper and Tamara Kratzer Water Primrose (Ludwigia
feed catfish.
peploides)
NPSOT – Tyler Chapter
November 2012 Newsletter
Page 4 of 9
September/October Field Trips
Old Sabine Bottom Wildlife Management Area
Our Old Sabine Bottom field trip on October 25 was a great
success. You can accompany us with this virtual tour.
EDUCATIONAL
PROGRAMS
The Ladybird Johnson
Wildlflower Center’s Go
Native U is an informal
education program
designed to teach adults
about the sustainable use
and conservation of native
wildflowers, plants, and
landscapes.
Go Native U online
lunchtime seminars are
focused on a variety of
topics including native plant
gardening, botany,
sustainable landscaping,
and others.
We had ten people: Myself, Herb Jarrell, Ron and Ruth Loper,
Tamara Kratzer, Jim Showen, Bryan Bonner and three Master
Naturalists: Rex Rasberry, Ursula Shuster and Mike Gras, all
dressed in orange vests and caps. We saw so many plants
right at the entrance that it took a good 20 to 30 minutes to
get past the parking lot entrance. Here are some of the
plants we observed (photos taken by Sonnia Hill):
To participate, you need to
register and pay $15 for
non-members and $10 for
members. This is an online
webinar that you can
participate in from the
comfort of your own home.
www.wildflower.org/webinar
East Texas Master
Naturalists
http://txmn.org/etwd/
Balloon vine, Cardiospermum
halicacabum
Pitted morning glory, Ipomoea lacunosa
NPSOT – Tyler Chapter
November 2012 Newsletter
Meetings/Trainings held at
the Nature Center and are
open to the public
Training: November 10: 9:00
am ($10.00): Dr. John
Placyk, Professor of Biology
at the University of Texas in
Tyler will speak on
Herpetology.
No ETCMN meeting in
November.
Page 5 of 9
Old Sabine Bottom Wildlife Management Area
(continued)
Cocklebur, Xanthium
strumarium
Many of the plants we see
during the year were in fruit.
Rattan vine, Berchemia
scandens
Possumhaw, Ilex decidua
Dwarf palmetto, Sabal minor
We headed down a path toward
the river but were unable to
continue all the way as the lowest
area was totally flooded. We
walked almost 2 miles and then
returned for some of the folks to
enjoy lunch together at Petty's in
Lindale.
I look forward to seeing everyone at our next meeting,
November 5th.
UPCOMING EVENTS
November 6, 10:00 am at
Rubicon Wild Birds and
More, 19456 State Highway
155 S, Flint, TX: Cliff
Shackleford of Texas Parks
and Wildlife (TPWD) will
present “Birding by Ear”, a
50-60 minute lecture on how
to start learning birdsongs in
your own backyard. Free,
but reservation required by
Nov 3rd: 903-825-2663
November 13, 6:30 pm:
Tyler Audubon Meeting at
Pollard United Methodist
Church, 3030 New
Copeland Road. Speaker is
Dr. Carl Turner of Marshall
who will present a program
on Caddo Lake, its history,
flora and fauna. Dr. Turner
earned an undergraduate
degree in biology and a
Master’s degree in ecology
before attending medical
school and practicing as a
pediatrician for 32 years.
November 17 at Rubicon
Wild Birds and More: Mark
Klym (TPWD) will host a
Wildscaping Workshop
focusing on birds and
hummingbirds and will
include a 30 minute session
on habitat needs and a 45
minute talk on shelter
resources-plant structure
and bird houses.
Sonnia Hill
NPSOT – Tyler Chapter
November 2012 Newsletter
Page 6 of 9
A Fall Orchid – Nodding Ladies’ Tresses
by Kay Jenkins
Nodding Ladies’ Tresses (Spiranthes cernua)
Fall Blooming Plants
Other plant species
observed blooming at Arc
Ridge included:
Downy Lobelia (Lobelia
puberula)
Photo by Sonnia Hill
The nodding ladies’ tresses (Spiranthes cernua) can be a
common sight in East Texas during October and November,
sometimes flowering in large numbers in open fields and
roadsides. Joe and Ann Liggio report in their book, Wild
Orchids of Texas (1999, University of Texas Press, Austin) that
there are thirteen species of the genus Spiranthes native to
Texas. Many people are familiar with the spring-blooming
Spiranthes vernalis (spring ladies’ tresses). Spiranthes means
“coiled flower” referring to the twisted or spiraling
appearance of the flowers on these orchids which also gives
many of the species the common name ladies’ tresses. The
tendency of the flowers of S. cernua to droop is reflected in its
species name – cernua, meaning “drooping” – and its
common name, nodding ladies’ tresses.
Swamp Sunflower
(Helianthus angustifolius)
California Aster
(Symphyotrichum
lateriflorum)
Southern Prairie Aster
(Eurybia hemispherica)
NPSOT – Tyler Chapter
November 2012 Newsletter
Page 7 of 9
A Fall Orchid – Nodding Ladies’ Tresses (continued)
The stem of Spiranthes cernua bears as many as sixty pure
white tubular flowers with inflated bases that form two to four
spiral rows according to Liggio and Liggio (1999). The tubular
corolla of the flower is about ¼ to ½ inch long and is formed
from the downturned lip, the two lateral petals and an
overlapping dorsal sepal. The lateral sepals have curved in
tips and are parallel to and almost touching the two lateral
petals. The tips of the lip, the petals, and the dorsal sepal
spread when the flower opens, giving it a gaping
appearance. The flowers have little or no fragrance and are
pollinated by bumblebees. The lack of fragrance and the
fact that the three to six fleshly leaves wither away before the
flowers appear help botanists distinguish this species from
similar ladies’ tresses species in the S. cernua complex. Liggio
and Liggio (1999) report that a closed-flowered form of S.
cernua is also found in Texas, primarily in the Post Oak
Savannah region. In this abnormal, closed-flowered form of S.
cernua, the seeds are produced by apomixis, a type of
vegetative reproduction.
Photo by Sonnia Hill
Because it contains genes from hybridizing with other
members of the complex, Spiranthes cernua can display a
variety of forms and inhabit a wide variety of habitats. It is
found in open fields, roadsides, clearings, mowed lawns,
wetland pine savannahs, hillside seepage bogs, meadows,
and clearings in pine-hardwood forests and upland woods.
NPSOT – Tyler Chapter
November 2012 Newsletter
Hillside Seepage Bogs
Hillside seepage bogs are
areas of water-logged
ground kept wet by a slow,
steady flow of groundwater
from porous soil or rock in a
hillside (Liggio and Liggio
1999). They contain a top
layer of wet sand and an
underlying layer of
impermeable clay or rock.
Because the almost
continuous seepage
leaches minerals and
important plant nutrients
from the porous soil, hillside
seepage bogs are
characterized by acidloving plants. Hillside
seepage bogs and wetland
longleaf pine savannahs,
often collectively called
bogs, support plant
communities that are
threatened in Texas and
western Louisiana and
several globally rare plant
species.
Page 8 of 9
A Fall Orchid – Nodding Ladies’ Tresses (continued)
Liggio and Liggio (1999) do not report occurrences of this
orchid in Smith, Cherokee or Anderson counties, but it is
reported to occur in numerous other East Texas counties.
Thirteen of them were found on a recent trip (October 14,
2012) to Arc Ridge in Van Zandt County by Sonnia Hill, Kay
Jenkins and Mike Gras. This was the first time that this
species was recorded for the Arc Ridge site.
The Spiranthes cernua plants were growing in a hillside
seepage bog. In previous visits to Arc Ridge, several
sundew (Drosera brevifolia) plants were observed growing
in this hillside seepage bog, but they were not visible in the
recent trip. Plants observed blooming during the recent trip
to the bog, in addition to the S. cernua, include: boneset
(Eupatorium perfoliatum), California aster (Symphyotrichum
lateriflorum), St. John’s-wort or St. Andrew’s-cross
(Hypericum hypericoides subsp. hypericoides), fragrant
goldenrod (Solidago odora), rough-leaf goldenrod
(Solidago rugosa), swamp sunflower (Helianthus
angustifolius), southern prairie aster (Eurybia hemispherica),
small-head boltonia (Boltonia diffusa), beach gerardia
(Agalinis fasciculata), yellow-eyed-grass (Xyris sp.), downy
lobelia (Lobelia puberula), broomsedge bluestem
(Andropogon virginicus) splitbeard bluestem (Andropogon
ternarius), and sugarcane plume grass (Saccharum
giganteum). Other plants growing near the bog included
Dicanthelium sp., Carex sp., Juncus sp., southern waxmyrtle (Myrica cerifera), sweetgum (Liquidambar
styraciflua), red maple (Acer rubrum), and chain fern
(Woodwardia areolata). See the sidebar on page 8 for the
Liggio’s description of hillside seepage bogs.
NPSOT – Tyler Chapter
November 2012 Newsletter
NATIVE GARDENING
TIPS:
Collect seeds from your
favorite fall blooming
plants.
TYLER CHAPTER
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
President: Kay Jenkins
Vice President and Program
Chair: Vacant
Vice President and Field Trip
Chair: Sonnia Hill
Secretary: Marjorie Sherrod
Treasurer: Sandy Wilson
Director: Katherine Greene
Field Trip Co-Chair: Betsy
Smith
Past President: Ruth Loper
Webmaster: Bart Soutendijk
Newsletter compiled by:
Kay Jenkins
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