Page 1 of 18 Coastal Prairie Courier 0000000000000000000011111110000000000000000

Table of Contents:

CPCTMN Program.......1

September Program.. ..2

Membership Minute......3

Terracycle….……..……4

Plant Sales……….…….5

Seabourne Team………6

Plant of the Month..……7

VSP Highlights………...8

Bird Spotter…...…..….10

Why Little Birds Mob…11

Our Own Backyard…..13

Pauline’s Photos……..14

The Butterfly Effect…..15

Book Corner………….16

Lighter Side…………..17

Snow on the Prairie… 18

Please send chapter events and nature-

related articles, photos, and items of

interest to the chapter to Lynn by the 25th of

the month. Suggestions for the newsletter are also welcome. Thanks.

Lynn Trenta, Courier Editor

2

We are a group of trained volunteers who share our appreciation and

knowledge of nature with the community through outreach, education and

conservation/restoration projects

August 31st, 2019

Volume 7, Issue 8

Coastal Prairie Chapter Courier

Thursday, August 8th, Erik Wolf gave us a wonderful talk about edible and medicinal plants. We learned what they are, where to find them, how to prepare them, what they were used for, and their broader impact. The edible and medicinal plants were used by the Native Americans as medicine and food, for smoking, drinking and as coverings.

Foraging ethics and safety questions are “Can I?” and “Should I?” You usually need permission to forage on private or public property. Some National parks require a $20 permit and some private landowners will give permission.

Then the questions that follow are “Can I eat this?” Proper identification of the plants you are collecting is essential. There are books and websites that can help with this. One website is “Eat the Weeds”. You should know the hazards of using wild plants.

Information about some common and local plants you can collect follows, but please check with Erik to confirm these:

• Oxalis or wood sorrel, which has a citrus taste and contains vitamin A and C. It can be used as a poultice to treat inflammation and soreness.

• There are 300 species of clover and it is species specific as to the safety and use.

• Pony’s Foot, sometimes called dollar weed, has leaves that are edible.

• Goldenrod leaves can be dried and smoked, or made into a tincture, which is infused in alcohol or made into a tea. It can be used as a diuretic. The flowers have an anise flavor. The pollen of the goldenrod is not airborne.

• The Turkey tail mushroom is the most widely researched edible plant and it has been found to increase white blood cells and improve the immune system. A tincture is made. Mushrooms should be cooked as chitin is part of their shell.

Continued on the next page---

Edible and Medicinal Plants Summary by Lynn Trenta

Photos by Pauline Zinn

Photo by Lynn Trenta

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September Program-One on One with Randy Lemon

Master Naturalist Program on September 5th is going to be “One-on-One Time with Houston's Gardening Guru: Randy Lemmon from KTRH Garden Line”, Rosenberg Convention Center, 3825 Texas 36 South, Rosenberg, TX, USA. The social time is at 6:00pm and the program at 6:30pm. Randy Lemmon will discuss “Why Does It Seem That Organics Haven't Taken Hold in this Market?” after which he will be answer all your gardening questions. His latest book will be available for purchase and signing. The Texas Master Naturalists are sponsored by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. For additional information call 281-633-7033 or email mmcdowell@ag.tamu.edu

Free and Open to the Public Conducted by Coastal Prairie Chapter – Texas Master Naturalists

• Loblolly Pine-High in vitamin C—1 cup of tea has the vitamin C of 3 oranges. Pine pollen is a natural testosterone booster and is an antibacterial agent.

• Plantain can be used for insect bites, as a bolus, skin, tea from leaves good for sore throats.

• Lion’s Mane Mushroom is edible when cooked.

• Yaupon Holly’s dried leaves can be made into a caffeinated tea.

• Hercules Club—can numb the mouth.

• Dewberry-Flowers, Berries, and leaves for tea. The roots are an astringent.

• Oak and iron gall can be made into ink, a mouthwash and an antiseptic.

• Henbit’s leaves, flowers, stem are anti-inflammatory and reduces fever.

• Turk’s Cap flowers, berries and young leaves are edible.

• Oyster Mushroom needs to be cooked and 100% ID is necessary.

• Japanese Honeysuckle is an anti-inflammatory.

• Passion Vine/Maypop’s parts are all edible and the flowers can be made into tea for anti-anxiety.

• Dwarf Palmetto has an edible fruit.

• Spiderwort has parts that are all edible.

• Cleavers—leaves can be used to make a tea.

• Elderberry—the berries and leaves can be used.

• Woods Ear needs to be cooked.

• Mimosa Tree—is medicinal and antibacterial and a tea can be made.

• Curled Dock—Root, leaves and seeds can be used.

• Bull Nettle seeds and root are used.

We thank Erik for bringing us all of this fascinating information and for his extensive research! An interesting topic and one that many people want to know about.

Edible and Medicinal Plants (Continued)

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Welcome Class of 2019! This year's incoming class of Texas Master Naturalists impresses with enthusiasm, positivity, and a love of learning.

Numbering 27 members, the TMN-In Training members have already made an impact! In addition to completing three Initial Training classes, many have begun:

• Volunteering at Seabourne and other locations,

• Engaging in community outreach,

• Completing advanced training sessions,

Attending chapter meetings, and

Participating in citizen science opportunities.

They are off to a great start!

Restarting our Mentoring Program, led by Diane Russell, has had a significant positive impact. Thanks to everyone serving as a mentor. And thanks to everyone for making the new class members feel welcome and supported.

Membership Minute By Bert Stiplecovich

Photo by Pauline Zinn

Photos by Garrett Engelhardt

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Do you just cringe when you are forced to throw away packaging because it is not accepted in your city recycle bin?? Me, too! But, take heart, we have a new program for collecting and recycling some of that “un-recyclable” waste. There’s a company named Terracycle that has a goal to reduce our consumer waste to zero. Terracycle works with corporations that produce consumer goods and develops waste stream programs to collect and recycle that waste. I have been participating with this company for over 10 years now. There are three waste streams that I am going to collect from y’all. The streams are:

• All brands of disposable razor blade heads and plastic razors, flexible and rigid razor packaging (sponsored by Gillette Company)

• All brands of mouthwash bottles and caps, all brands of deodorant packaging, old toothbrushes, floss and soap packaging (sponsored by Tom’s of Maine)

• All brands of foil-lined granola/energy/protein bar wrappers, Clif brand shot drinks, Clif brand energy

food pouches (sponsored by Clif Bar company)

Please collect these items and deposit them in the stainless three-compartment recycle bin placed in the AgriLife offices kitchen. Here’s what it looks like:

For Those About to Terracycle – We Salute You! By Jamie Fairchild

Here’s my one request: I graciously ask all participants to rinse and dry any sticky, gooey, or yucky items. I’m going to pick up the items in these bins and store them at my house until I have enough to make a shipment. Plus, we don’t want to lure any ants into the kitchen area. If you’d like to know more about Terracycle and their programs, you can visit their website at teracycle.com

You can also contact me on SLACK or my email jamie@coastalprairie.org with any questions at all.

And, each shipment earns points towards a donation to our favorite non-profit. I’ve registered TXMNCPC, or we can choose to send our donation to any chosen 501c3! So start saving those items – let’s keep them out of our landfills – and fill up our own bins!

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Upcoming Plant Sales Fall Plant Sale at the Houston Museum of Natural Science

Saturday, September 28 | 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. (or until sold out)

Did you know that the Fall is the best time to plant in Houston? Many plants thrive in the milder temperatures, and a plethora of busy butterflies and other important pollinators are stocking up on precious nectar and pollen or preparing to migrate for the winter. On Sept 28 from 9am-noon, let the experts at HMNS help you select beautiful nectar and host plants for your garden at our fall plant sale. We will also have fun activities for the whole family, like exciting roach races, thrilling up-close bug encounters, and more!

https://www.hmns.org/cockrell-butterfly-center/plant-sale/

Fall Plant Sale at the Houston Arboretum

Friday and Saturday, October 25 – 26 9:00 am – 4:00 pm

Fall is one of the best times to plant in Houston so get ready to garden at our Fall Plant Sale! We will be offering native flowers, shrubs, and trees – perfect for attracting butterflies, bees, and other pollinators to your yard or garden. Proceeds benefit the Arboretum’s conservation and education efforts. Members receive discounts on all plant sale purchases.

Check back closer to the sale for a full list of available plants.

https://houstonarboretum.org/events/fall-plant-sale/

Native Plant Society Wildscapes?

Wildscapes, on September 21st has a great plant sale, book sale, and box lunch and you can register early bird (by today, August 31st) or at regular price after today at www.npsot.org/wp/houston/wildscapes-workshop. If you miss signing up for Wildscapes this year and want to buy native plants for pollinators, there are 2 other great alternatives, the plant sales at the Houston Museum of Natural Science and the Houston Arboretum.

Photo by Wayne Poorman

Photo by Lynn Trenta

Page 6 of 18 Coastal Prairie Courier Seabourne Creek Nature Park Organization

Seabourne Project Leader –

Karl Baumgartner kbum@pdq.net Seabourne Director-

Jerry Trenta jerrytrenta@txtrentas.com Arboretum – Pauline Zinn pmzinn@comcast.net Garrett Engelhardt engelhardtlee@gmail.com Birding Hikes –

Bob Schwartz rmsbirder@gmail.com Carol Schwartz Adirondack31@hotmail.com Mark Scheuerman

Bird Sanctuary - Bill Johnson rxrelo@aol.com Boy Scout Activities – Rick Adams jra4242@yahoo.com Butterfly Garden –

Diane Russell dprussell2000@gmail.com Bert Stiplecovich bert@coastalprairie.org

Seabourne Lake –

Garrett Engelhardt engelhardtlee@gmail.com Sal Cardenas sacar53@gmail.com Prairie Restoration –

Karl Baumgartner kbum@pdq.net Jim Butcher jrmbutcher66@yahoo.com

Jerry Trenta jerrytrenta@txtrentas.com Mark Morgenstern morgy@consolidated.net

Prairie Demo Garden – Andrea Morgenstern amorgy@gmail.com Mark Morgenstern morgy@consolidated.net Seabourne Nature Festival –

Bert Stiplecovich bert@coastalprairie.org Jim Butcher jrmbutcher66@yahoo.com

Seabourne Volunteer Communication and Native Plant Nursery Lynn Trenta lynn@txtrentas.com

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Missouri Ironweed is a wonderful tall perennial plant with wide clusters of red-violet flowers, often blooming from August to November. You can see it now in our Prairie and Native Plant Demo Garden at Seabourne Creek Nature Park in several of the plots. Ironweed grows 3 to 5 feet tall with stiff, leafy stems branching at the top in full to partial sun in average to very wet soils. The flowers are all of the disk variety, no ray flowers, which causes the flower cluster to have a fuzzy appearance. Leaves are lance-shaped to narrow-ovate up to 7” long with serrated margins. Ironweed can aggressively colonize as it grows through rhizomes once established. It is a great plant to add color and it attracts many bees and butterflies . It is of special value to native bees and a host plant for the American Painted Lady butterfly. Come out to Seabourne to see it’s beautiful magenta flowers! Although it is reported to bloom until November, we have not witnessed this at our native plant garden.

Plant of the Month By Lynn and Jerry Trenta

Photo by Lynn Trenta

Photo by WD and Dolphia Bransford

Ironweed (Vermonia missurica)

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Attention all members! There has been a change to one category in our VMS system. The new category is to be used for most citizen science projects. The title is "iNaturalist, eBird and Other Citizen Science". You can use this category when reporting hours for your iNaturalist sighting trips and reporting, your eBird trips and reporting, plus any other citizen science projects as they are approved. You will continue to use the separate VMS categories for the Great Backyard Bird Count, Christmas Bird Counts, and NestWatch projects. Thank you Bert Stipelcovich and his team for working on our VMS categories to ensure they more accurately match our volunteer efforts.

AG’TIVITY BARN – UPDATE! BATS-FRIENDS OF GARDENERS & GROWERS Date: September 27 – October 6, 2019 at 8:00 am to 1 pm Location: Fort Bend County Fair Grounds Contact: Terri Hurley at thurley001@outlook.com We decided that Linda Lourim’s new bat exhibit would be perfect to present at our booth this year for the ‘Path to the Plate’ theme of this year’s event. Bats are wonderful little creatures and are important to gardeners and growers! They eat tons of insects every day, thereby reducing the amount of pesticides used by farms. Plus, bats are an important pollinator for many types of produce from bananas to the agave plant used for tequila production. Linda will provide a short 10-15 minute talk and instruction on how to present her new bat exhibit at the September chapter program during the business portion. Please plan to attend this training if you are interested in volunteering at the Ag’Tivity Barn. If you can’t make the September training, we can make other arrangements to get you trained. Keep a watch for the Sign Up Genius email coming your way! [VSP hours to be records in VMS under “Ag’Tivity Barn”]

VOLUNTEER SERVICE PROJECTS HIGHLIGHTS

By Terri Hurley, Volunteer Service Project Director

Bat Exhibit—Photo by Linda Lourim

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VOLUNTEER SERVICE PROJECTS HIGHLIGHTS (continued)

ONGOING PROJECT of the MONTH: Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow

Network (CoCoRaHS) A new VSP opportunity has recently been approved! It is the weather citizen science project hosted by the Community Collaborative Rain Hail and Snow Network, otherwise known as CoCoRaHS. CoCoRaHS is a grassroots volunteer network of backyard weather observers of all ages and backgrounds working together to measure and map all types of precipitation. To join this project, you will need to purchase one of their official rain gauges and you read it after a rain event and log the amount each morning or if there is no rain then that is logged as well. You also maintain the gauge, making sure that it is clean and free of debris daily. The data that you log into the website is used and analyzed by many different organizations such as the National Weather Service, meteorologists, hydrologists, emergency managers, etc. You can get more information at their website at https://cocorahs.org/ [VSP hours to be recorded in VMS under the category “iNaturalist, eBird & Other Citizen Science”]

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The Monthly Bird Spotter-A closer look at our common Native Birds

The Blue Jay By Jade Hems

Blue Jay with Crest Down by Jude (Flickr)

Male and female alike

Blue Jay with Crest Up Rachid H (Flickr)

➢ Loud and vibrant, the Blue Jay is a large colorful songbird with a big crest.

➢ Common wherever oak trees grow, Blue Jays are often found first by their raucous call!

➢ Blue Jays pair for life and stay together year-round. The nest is constructed from fresh shoots and rootlets, carefully broken from freshly dug ground or new tree growth and woven together. The young stay with their parents for at least two months after fledging, loafing while the parents forage. Unattended fledglings remain under the watchful protection of their parents who will shortly return!

➢ Blue Jays are smart and adaptable omnivores with a particular fondness for acorns. They can carry 5 at a time in their mouth and expanding esophagus ‘gular pouch’!

➢ Studies show a single Blue Jay will cache 3,000 to 5,000 acorns in the fall! Each is chosen with great care, to be free of weevils and weighed for freshness. They later find them with incredible accuracy, leaving some, which grow to new mature oak trees. The growth of oak tree forests is closely associated with the caching behavior of Blue Jays!

➢ Known to raid small songbird nests for eggs and young, Blue Jays are sometimes considered “bully birds”, but they account for only a small percentage of songbird nest predation.

➢ Accomplished mimics, Blue Jays can clear other birds from a backyard feeder by mimicking meowing cats and Red-shouldered or Red-tailed Hawks. Other species hear the alarm and flee for cover, leaving the Blue Jay to enjoy the meal!

➢ The crest of a Blue Jay is used for communication. Crest level reflects social status, dominance and aggression are signaled by a raised crest. During family time, at the nest, with the mate or when the family forages together, the crest is lowered. With outsiders Blue Jays are on full alert, with crest up. The relationship of Blue Jays seen together can therefore be determined by observing crest level!

➢ Fun Fact: Now is the time to look out for bald headed birds! While molt is usually progressive, keeping feather cover intact, Blue Jays sometimes molt all their head feathers at once! With a completely bald head they resemble mini vultures! New feathers grow in a few weeks and all is well.

Reference: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Blue_Jay/overview

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Why Little Birds Mob Big Birds? By Matthew L. Miller 7/22/19 Sent in by Wayne Poorman

Recently, CNN featured a photograph of a blackbird riding the back of a bald eagle, an image the correspondent called “almost too cute to be real.” The story fortunately went on to note that this was not a joyride, but the blackbird driving away an intruder.

While the photo is extraordinary, the behavior is not. I suspect most birders and backyard nature enthusiasts have seen numerous examples of a small bird – or flock of small birds – attacking a much larger and more imposing hawk, owl, or heron.

You may wonder what exactly would prompt a chickadee to take on red-tailed hawk. And, perhaps: how do the little birds survive such antics? Why doesn’t the hawk just grab an easy meal?

Here’s a primer on the avian dramas playing out in your neighborhood.

Defend The Territory

Many bird species are territorial during certain times of the year, and even small birds will fiercely defend their space. The reasons for territoriality vary. Some male birds set up territories to attract mates and will fiercely drive off any rivals.

Other birds will set up on an abundant food source and become aggressive against intruders. Mockingbirds, for instance, will guard a berry tree in the fall. As Mass Audubon notes, “If there are bird feeders within a mockingbird’s feeding territory, other birds will be driven off, even though the mockingbird has no interest in the food offered at the feeder.”

Great blue heron and red winged blackbird flying in Burnaby Lake, British Columbia, Canada. Photo © Tulus Simatupang

If you see an angry Canada goose…. just run. Photo © bbqmag /Flickr

But most birds are territorial to protect their nests. Birds will aggressively dive bomb any potential predator, large or small. This includes nest raiders like blue jays and avian predators like hawks, as well as cats, dogs and humans.

Even a seemingly innocuous robin can look quite fierce as it squawks and dive bombs your head. One set up a nest just off our back porch this summer, and its attacks were sufficient to deter my young son’s curiosity about the nestlings.

On a spring foray at dusk to try to catch a grass carp in an urban pond (don’t ask), I came a bit too close to a well-hidden Canada goose nest. The female came roaring out of the brush, hissing and flapping. On the terror scale, it may as well have been a Grizzly Bear. In Australia, the “swooping season” of Australian magpies is almost a rite of passage, with bicyclists and walkers often subject to dramatic ambushes by these angriest of birds. And while this may be annoying or even scary for a human, it’s no doubt an effective deterrent. It would take a formidable predator to risk the pecking and battering of an enraged mama goose or magpie.

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A red-winged blackbird. Photo © Ken Thomas /Flickr

Why Little Birds Mob Big Birds? (Continued)

Despite their territorial natures, red-winged blackbirds feed in large flocks in fields. To avoid unpleasant fights at dinner, male blackbirds tuck in their wings and don’t display at these times. Back at its display ground, a red-winged blackbird will fend off rivals of its own species at its territory, but like many birds, will also drive away just about anything that gets near. Including bald eagles. And humans. Similar to other birds, though, red-winged blackbirds adapt their defensive strategies to the situation.

I frequently run along a greenbelt trail near my home in Boise, going by several blackbird display areas. I’ve never been attacked. The birds see joggers, walkers and bikers all day long. If they dive bombed every human, that’s all they’d do all day (and they’d probably lose their territories to less aggressive blackbirds).

However, I once did a 9-mile summer run along a very rural Iowa road. Judging by the honks and looks of passing cars, jogging was a far less common pastime there. And red-winged blackbirds dive bombed me along much of my route, and with relentless fury. I was large and threatening, and as such needed to be driven out of the territory.

Mob Mentality

Of course, it makes sense that birds would attempt to deter predators close to nests. But you may notice that a small bird (or flock of small birds) often chase and harass large hawks high in the sky, obviously far from any nests. Why?

Ornithologists say that there is a lot going on when birds mob a hawk, owl, heron or other large bird. The very presence of a bird of prey presents an existential threat to the avian neighborhood. As long as that bird’s around, nestlings are not safe. A red-tailed hawk could swoop out of the sky and snatch a baby bird before the parent even knows it’s gone.

The best defense, to invert the old sports cliché, is a good offense. And for small birds, going on the offensive means letting all other birds know that there’s danger overhead. Once the small birds know, they won’t be safe until they drive the danger away. A mob of small birds makes it difficult for a hawk to hunt. And this is more than just an alarm: The bird sounds are also a call to arms (or…wings?) to all other small birds, regardless of species. The Cornell Lab explains: “The mobbing birds tend to use similar-sounding call notes, regardless of their species, and this may act to recruit other individuals to form a mobbing flock.”

To read more of this article go to: https://blog.nature.org/science/2019/07/22/why-do-little-birds-mob-big-

birds/

Red-Winged Warning

The red-winged blackbird – the bird photographed “riding” an eagle – exhibits particularly fascinating territorial behavior. Males set up territories where they call and display their red wings. As the Cornell Lab of Ornithology notes, as males mature, their black feathers get glossier and the red wings get brighter. The birds also do a flight display over their territory, flying at slow speed for a more dramatic display. According to the Lab’s publication All About Birds, “Older males secure the highest quality territories and the fittest mates. In experiments, males with blackened epaulets often lose their territories.”

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In Our Own Backyards and Other Places

Chapter Outreach at the Fort Bend Photography

Club

Shrews Photo and Text by Diane Eismont

Did you ever see a shrew? These are the first ones I ever saw. They are not mice or moles. Moles have broadened shovel-like front feet, webbed to the base of the claws. Shrew's ears are small & concealed in the short fur, their eyes are small & their tail is short compared to mice. I found these living underneath a cattle water tank I was cleaning. They had a series of runways in the soft, damp soil. One week, when I lifted the tank to empty it, they had 4 furless babies, which they scrambled to gather up. Prior to that, I saw a copperhead under the tank. You can guess why he was there! ( We removed him as too dangerous since the tank often needs drained & cleaned.) I believe them to be a "Least Shrew" - one of the smallest mammals at 79mm and a weight of 4-7.5g. They eat insects such as grasshoppers, crickets, sow bugs & hard-shelled beetles, earthworms & snails. Owls & snakes eat them.

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Seabourne Photos by Pauline Zinn

Photos by Pauline Zinn

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The Butterfly Effect As monarch populations continue to decline, a grassroots movement of native milkweed

stewards is emerging across Texas. by Lindsay Stafford Mader

August 12, 2019

Barbara Keller-Willy remembers her reaction when fellow Texas gardeners told her that native milkweed, a plant essential for the survival of the monarch butterfly, was nearly impossible to grow: How hard could it be? It was 2009, and Keller-Willy had just quit her job as an engineering executive. She was spending her time volunteering for local nature and prairie restoration projects.

Keller-Willy had been a corporate problem-solver for most of her professional career. Learning that milkweed was resistant to even the most green-thumbed growers’ coaxing only tempted her to confront the challenge. So, she planted 300 seeds at her home in Sugar Land. Only three survived. “It was sobering,” she says. “It made me think this isn’t as easy as I thought it was going to be.”

Barbara Keller-Willy is restoring 93 acres of blackland prairie in Milam County as a pollinator preserve. julia robinson

For the last two decades, gardeners and butterfly enthusiasts have been trying to grow native milkweed to help monarch butterflies, which lay their eggs exclusively on the plant and depend on it for food. Monarchs are revered through North and Central American for their beauty. But Since the 1990s, monarch numbers have declined by 90 percent, and advocates are urging the federal government to put the butterfly on the endangered species list. Research has found that the eastern population of monarchs—the one that migrates through Texas—has 11 to 57 percent chance over the next two decades of reaching numbers so low that it may never recover. To read more of this article go to: https://www.texasobserver.org/the-butterfly-effect/?fbclid=lwAR3n2xV6y_CLMdhqQdili92Mhu4fiMZIAb69f6qC21WxDDwDwQLwHmdbrMO

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Book Corner

In Eager, environmental journalist Ben Goldfarb reveals that our modern idea of what a healthy landscape looks like and how it functions is wrong, distorted by the fur trade that once trapped out millions of beavers from North America’s lakes and rivers. The consequences of losing beavers were profound: streams eroded, wetlands dried up, and species from salmon to swans lost vital habitat. Today, a growing coalition of “Beaver Believers”―including scientists, ranchers, and passionate citizens―recognizes that ecosystems with beavers are far healthier, for humans and non-humans alike, than those without them. From the Nevada deserts to the Scottish highlands, Believers are now hard at work restoring these industrious rodents to their former haunts. Eager is a powerful story about one of the world’s most influential species, how North America was colonized, how our landscapes have changed over the centuries, and how beavers can help us fight drought, flooding, wildfire, extinction, and the ravages of climate change. Ultimately, it’s about how we can learn to coexist, harmoniously and even beneficially, with our fellow travelers on this planet.

Eager Ben Goldfarb

Written for a general audience, with spectacular images for birders and nature enthusiasts at every level, Hummingbirds of Texas reveals the enormous appeal of this tiniest and shiniest of birds. The book opens with a look at the many manifestations of the human attraction to these flying jewels. • The Hummingbird Roundup, a citizen-science project run by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has recruited hundreds of people to feed hummingbirds and record their activities throughout the state. • The Rockport–Fulton Hummer/Bird Celebration, one of several festivals dedicated to hummingbirds, draws thousands of people each fall to the Texas coast where birds gather in huge numbers before migrating south. • Bird-loving landowners invite the public to enjoy hummingbirds that live and breed on their ranches. • Tips make attracting hummingbirds to your own lawn or garden easy, such as what to plant in the ground or in pots and how to choose and take care of feeders. The authors then showcase the nineteen different hummingbird species that have appeared in the region covered by the book. Magnificent color photographs and original artwork aid in identification and accompany descriptions, range maps, and abundance graphs for each species.

Hummingbirds of Texas Clifford E. Shackelford, Madge M. Lindsey, and C. Mark Klem,

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Thanks to Becky (Facebook)

The Lighter Side

Thanks to John Donaho (Facebook)

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.

2018 Officers

President Jerry Trenta Vice President Debby Wendt Secretary Pauline Zinn Treasurer Jamie Fairchild

2019 Committee Directors

• Past-President Amber Leung

• Programs Debby Wendt

• Communication--Lynn Trenta

• Publicity Margo Johnson

• Volunteer Service Projects Terri Hurley

• Advanced Training Ramona Ridge

• Membership Bert Stiplecovich

• New Class Carol Hawkins

• New Class Representative David Goff

• State Representative Andrea Morgenstern

• Seabourne—Jerry Trenta

CPTMN 2019 Board Members

We’re on the Web!

See us at:

http://txmn.org/coastal

COASTAL PRAIRIE CHAPTER OF THE TEXAS MASTER NATURALISTS

1402 Band Rd Extension Office

Rosenberg, TX 77471—8678 Phone: 281-633-7033

Researchers from Texas Woman’s University say a chemical found in a native Texas plant appears to stop pain without causing addiction.

DENTON, Texas — “See how pretty they are?” notes Camelia Maier, walking through a garden on the campus of Texas Woman’s University. “They’re very nice.” She stops to pulls a leaf off one of the plants she was admiring. White sap starts running down the stalk. “You see it coming out dripping?” she asks. “The chemicals in this sap – that’s what we use.”

According to Maier and her TWU colleagues, the chemicals in a plant commonly called "snow on the prairie" might lead to a breakthrough in the fight against opioid addiction.

Euphorbia bicolor is the plant’s scientific name. To read the rest of this article go to: Snow on the Prairie Article

Erik Wolf posted this on our CPCTMN Facebook Website

Check out our Chapter Instagram https://www.instagram.com/cpctmn/

To post photos and information, email Ramona Ridge or Erik Wolf

Potential alternative to opioids discovered in plant native to Texas Teresa Woodard August 28, 2019

Our Chapter Facebook Page is at

TXMN Coastal Prairie Chapter Facebook

To post photos and information, email John Donaho

Also, share our chapter Facebook entries with your friends on your Facebook Page

____________________________________________

We also have Facebook Page that

allows chapter members to post items. You can join by going to the website below and clicking on “Join”. The administrator will allow you access. This is for chapter members only. https://www.facebook.com/groups/1882734648662315/?ref=bookmarks