Our&much=needed&rain&won’t&dampen&
your&fun.&Find&ways&to&explore&the&
outdoors&from&some&of&the&highlights&
in&this&issue:&
❀ Native&Plants&and&Prairies&Day&
❀&Earth&Day&Texas&
❀ A&Hike=a=Thon&
❀ Best&Places&to&Hike&
Third&Annual&
Native&Plants&and&Prairies&Day&
May&2,&2015&
Volume''57,'April,'2015'
!
In#this#issue:#
#
#
Chapter#News#
Native#Plants#and#########
Prairies#Day#
#
Hike9a9Thon#
#
Earth#Day#
#
Best#Hiking#spots#
#
Chapter#Projects#
#
Big#Chapter#Project#
#
Feature#Articles#
#
Trout#Lily#
#
##
#
Chapter#Information#
#
#
#
#
#
#
#
293#
#
4#
5#
6#
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7#
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8#
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9#
Have&you&seen&the&
Bluebonnets?&
They&are&beautiful&
this&year!&
1"
The&Dragonflyer&
Volume&57,&April&2015&
Chapter(News(
&
NATIVE(PLANTS(&(PRAIRIES(DAY(
May(2,(2015&
Join%us%for%an%exciting%and%FREE%fun%day%on%the%lake!%
&
The& North& Texas& Master& Naturalists& will& host& its& third& annual& Native& Plants& &&
Prairies& Day& on& Saturday,& May& 2,& 2015& from& 10& AM& to& 3& PM,& at& the& Bath& House&
Cultural&Center&grounds&on&White&Rock&Lake.&
&&
This& event& has&been& enthusiastically&received&by&the&community& for& its&focus& on&
Texas&flora&and&fauna,&and&the&use&of&native&plants&in&home&landscapes&as&disease&
and& drought=resistant& alternatives& to& non=native& species.& Native& plants& and&
grasses&have&been&an&important&part&of&Texas&history.&Birds,&animals&and&insects&
all&depend&on&these&native&plants&to&survive.&
&
This&is&a&Free&family& event& with&activities& for&children,& along& with& birds,& snakes,&
bugs,& plants,& and& storytellers.& & There& will& be& 30& demonstration& and& information&
outreach&booths,&30&minute&wildflower&and&prairie&walks&beginning&at&10:30&AM,&
and& a& series& of& speakers& giving& short& talks/lectures& of& 25& minutes& each& on& the&
hour&and&half&hour&starting&at&10:30&AM.&&
&
Major& sponsors& for& the& event& include:& Botanical& Research& Institute& of& Texas,&
Balancing& Energy& Yoga,& Elliott’s&Hardware,&Gecko&Hardware,&Pariveda& Solutions,&
Rain& Fresh& Water,& Texas& Discovery& Gardens,& Whole& Earth& Provision& Company,&
and&Whole&Foods&Market&–&Park&Lane.&
&
Additionally,& there& will& be& a& raffle& with& gifts& provided& by& some& of& the& twelve&
different& event& sponsors.& Others& sponsors& contributing& to& the& raffle& are:& & REI,&
Rohdes& Nursery,& North& Haven& Gardens,& Nothing& Bundt& Cake,& Good2Go& Taco.&
Tickets& for& the& raffle& are& $1& each& or& 7& tickets& for& $5& =& could& win& you& an& exciting&
gift!&
&
For& more& information,& updates& on& the& latest& event& developments,& and& detailed&
listings&for&speakers,&walk&guides&and&exhibitors,&go&to&www.ntmn.org.&
2"
The&Dragonflyer&
Volume&57,&April&2015&
Chapter(News(
Images&from&Native&
Plants&and&Prairies&
Day&2014&
Photos&courtesy&of&Carroll&Mayhew&
and Jim&Bagley
Join(us(this(year(for(
our(third(annual(
Native(Plants(and(
Prairies(Day(
&
May&2,&2015&from&
10:00AM=3:00PM&&
at&the&Bath&House&&
Cultural&Center&on&&
White Rock&Lake&
3"
The&Dragonflyer&
Volume&57,&April&2015&
Chapter(News(
(
(
(
(
Come(out(and(Support(Cedar(Ridge(Preserve(During(our(
5th(Annual(Hike(on(The(Wild(Side(HikeNaNThon(Fundraiser!&
Saturday,(May(9,(2015&
This&family&friendly&noncompetitive&event&aims&to&connect&people&
with&nature&while&helping&raise&funds&to&improve&The&Preserve.&
Registrants&are&eligible&for&the&raffle&drawing.&Each&hiker&will&
receive&one&raffle&ticket&for&every&trail&they&complete.&
Hike&all&four&trails&and&increase&your&chances&of&winning.&
Local&corporations&generously&donate&our&raffle&prizes.&
Last&year&our&raffle&included&tickets&to&local&sports&teams,&movie&tickets,&
gift&cards&to&local&and&national&retailers&and&more.&
&
Registration:(7:00(AM(N(10:30(AM&
11:00&AM&Prize&Drawing&(you&must&be&present&to&win)&
&
Now(Just($10(per(person&
$5&per&child&(6=12&years&old)&&&*&Children&5&and&under&are&free&
Cash&Only&=&Rain&or&Shine
Registrants&will&receive&an&event&T@Shirt&(while&supplies&last)&
(
For(more(information(contact(
Robert(Rinker(817.881.2736(or([email protected](
((
(
(
Audubon(Dallas(Connecting&People&with&Nature&
www.audubondallas.org/cedarridge.html
4"
The&Dragonflyer&
Volume&57,&April&2015&
Chapter(News(
Earth&Day&is&a&free,&three=day&festival&that&seeks&to&elevate&
environmental&awareness&and&influence&the&way&&
North&Texans&think,&live&and&work.&
April&24=26&at&Fair&Park&in&Dallas&
Below(is(a(quick(summary(of(just(a(few(of(the(volunteer(opportunities:(
Support(one(of(seven(stages(where(musicians(
and(performers(will(entertain(and(national(and(
state(recognized(speakers(will(inform(and(
educate.(((&
Assist(at(Workshops/booths(where(attendees(
will(experience(everything(from(composting,(
vertical(gardening(to(make(and(take(crafts.(&
Help(attendees(enjoy(testing(electric(bikes,(
trying(harnessed(tree(climbing(or(checking(out(a(
semiNtruck(simulator.(&
Assist(attendees(to(enjoy(the(giant(OmniGlobe(
with(over(180(animations,(including(realNtime(
weather(patterns(or(the(Aardvark(Computer(
games(to(test(participants(environmental(savvy.((&
Booths(are(located(both(indoor(and(outdoors.(&
Speaker(topics(include(academic(information,(foodie(fun(in(our(Foodland,(farming,(
sustainability(for(the(average(citizen(as(well(as(for small(to(large(businesses.&
Films(will(be(shown(on(a(variety(of(environmental(topics&
For%complete%details%and%other%volunteer%opportunities%please%visit%ntmn.org.%
Or%Contact%Rose%Mercer,%your%outreach%Coordinator,%%[email protected]%
5"
The&Dragonflyer&
Volume&57,&April&2015&
Chapter(News(
Take&a&Hike!&…&In&North&Texas&
On&March&9,&2015,&KERA’s&program&THINK&hosted&a&panel&of&local&experts,&
including&Dana&Wilson&(NTMN)&and&Ben&Sandifer&(nature&blogger)&and&Bill&
Holston&who&shared&their&thoughts&on&the&best&places&to&explore&nature&and&hike&
in&North&Texas.&&Their&suggestions&are&included&in&our&list:&
&
! Spring&Creek&Preserve&in&Garland&
Learn&more&about&
! Tandy&Hills&in&Fort&Worth&
these&locations&by&
! Great&Trinity&Forest&Trail&
searching&the&web&
! Texas&Buckeye&Trail&
for&directions&and&
! William&Blair&Park&Trails&
details.&Also&check&
! Joppa&Preserve&
out&ntmn.org&for&
! McCommas&Bluff&Preserve&
events&and&
! Sante&Fe&Trestle&Trail&
activities&
! Fort&Worth&Nature&Center&
scheduled&at&some&
! Lewisville&Lake&Environmental&Learning&Area&
of&these&special&
! Dogwood&Canyon&
places.&
! Cedar&Ridge&Preserve&
! Trinity&River&Audubon&Center&
! Pemberton&Big&Spring&(Private&property.&Scheduled&guided&tours&only.)&
&
6"
The&Dragonflyer&
Volume&57,&April&2015&
Chapter(Projects(
Big(Chapter(Project(at(Kiest(Park(
March&28,&2015&
Chapter&projects&are&created&to&strengthen&our&&
friendships&and&community&partnerships.&
This&year&we&worked&on&meadow&restoration,&with&adjacent&trails,&
in&67&acres&of&abandoned&city&land,&across&from&Kiest&Park.&
Photos&courtesy&of&Linda&Cooke,&Jim&McIntosh&and&Carroll&Mayhew&
&
&
Sunshine,&friendship&and&hard&work.&&
Fellow&Master&Naturalists&make&a&difference&in&
the&health&and&vibrancy&of&this&natural&space.&
""""""""""7"
The&Dragonflyer&
Volume&57,&April&2015&
Feature(Articles(
Continuing%Discovery%of%Trout%Lilies%in%Northeast%Texas%
&
Last&February&as&a&new&2014&NTMN&Trainee&I&reported&in&the&Dragonflyer&Newsletter&the&
discovery&of&Trout&Lilies&on&my&multigenerational&family&acreage&in&Bowie&County&in&Northeast&
Texas.&I&was&not&aware&of&the&Trout&Lily&prior&to&beginning&the&Master&Naturalist&program.&I&
became&very&interested&in&them.&I&watched&the&whole&short&season&of&their&blooming&last&Spring.&&
While&I&searched&near&the&existing&plants&and&across&our&land&last&Spring,&I&found&no&additional&
Trout&Lilies&other&than&the&one&rather&sizable&patch.&&This&seemed&enough&to&satisfy&me&for&years&
to&come!&
This&February&I&could&hardly&wait&to&greet&the&emergence&of&this&early&harbinger&of&Spring!&&
They&began&to&bloom&mid&February.&&I&can&tell&that&this&colony&is&growing&in&number&due&to&the&
additional&plants&that&have&only&a&single&leaf.&&There&are&many&of&them.&&From&what&I&have&read,&
these&single&leaf&plants&should&next&year&produce&two&leaves&and&a&bloom.&&Exciting!&
This&March&of&2015&I&discovered&two&additional&colonies&of&Trout&Lilies&within&two&hundred&
yards&of&the&first.&Of&the&new&discoveries&both&are&much&smaller&colonies&than&the&first&patch.&&
One&is&near&the&bank&of&a&creek.&The&second&is&on&a&small&rise&twenty&yards&into&the&edge&of&the&
woods,&also&near&the&creek.&&My&eyes&just&fell&on&this&third&spot&by&accident&or&I&would&have&
missed&it.&The&group&of&plants&on&the&small&rise&appears&older.&&Their&leaves&are&larger,&their&
blooms&larger&and&more&elongated&than&the&colony&I&discovered&in&2014.&
I&learned&that&part&of&our&land&has&the&kind&of&soil&and&conditions&to&help&this&beauty&thrive.&&
They&like&deep,&rich&humus=laden&soil,&which&covers&a&good&portion&of&our&acreage.&&We&have&
plenty&of&ants&which&is&one&way&the&little&plant&seed&is&carried&deep&underground&where&it&stays&
for&five&or&six&years&(some&resources&say&seven&years)&before&it&produces&its&first&leaf.&&I&find&this&
plant&fascination&and&am&happy&to&have&found&it&growing&and&thriving&in&a&special&place&that&my&
family,&friends&and&I&frequent&regularly.&&
%
Betty%Black%
8"
The&Dragonflyer&
Volume&57,&April&2015&
Master(Naturalist(Mission(
To&develop&a&corps&of&well&informed&volunteers,&to&provide&education,&outreach,&and&service&dedicated&to&
the&beneficial&management&of&natural&resources&and&natural&areas&within&our&local&communities.&
Primary&objective:&develop&a&Texas&Master&Naturalist&volunteer&network&that&can&be&self=sufficient.
North(Texas(Chapter(Administration(
*President(Judy&Parsons&[email protected]&
Programs(&(Special(Events(Richard&Grayson&&
[email protected]&&
&
Hospitality(Karla&Pollock&[email protected]&&
&
Goals(Jim&Folger&[email protected]&&
&
Speakers(Bureau&Janet&Smith&[email protected]&
&
Audit(Committee(Stan&Altschuler [email protected]&&
&
Technology(Committee(Richard&Grayson&[email protected]&&
&
Policies(&(Procedure(Guidelines(Committee((
(
(
Jim&Varnum&[email protected]&
&
*Vice(President(Bruce&Stewart&[email protected]&
&
*Secretary(Jo&Lynne&Merrill&[email protected]&
(
Historian(Natha&Taylor&[email protected]&
&
*Treasurer(Louise&Smith&[email protected]&
&
*Public(Relations(Jim&Folger&[email protected]&&
&
Website(Rick&Murphy&[email protected]&&
&
Newsletter(Editor(Nancy&Kraut&[email protected]&&
&
Chapter(Resource(Manager(Ellen&Guiling&[email protected]&&
&
*Special(Events/Outreach(Rose&Mercer&[email protected]&
&
*Volunteer(Activities(Mary&Mamantov&[email protected]&&
&
Advanced(Training(Jim&Varnum&[email protected]&
&
*Membership(Nelda&Reid&[email protected]&&
&
*Education(Doug&&&Ellen&Guiling&[email protected]&&
&
*State(Relations(Julie&Collins&[email protected]&&
&
Past(President(Stephanie&Timko&[email protected]&
*&executive&board&member&(officer)&
Meeting&location&varies&by&month.&Please&visit&our&website,&ntmn.org&for&monthly&location.&
Chapter(Meetings:&&First&Wednesday&of&each&month&at&7:00PM,&fellowship&and&refreshments&at&6:30PM&
Board(Meetings:&&Monday&before&the&first&Wednesday&of&each&month&at&6:30PM&
9"