Local Rolling Plains Chapter

Texas Master Naturalists ROLLING PLAINS CHAPTER NEWSLETTER Vol. 11, No. 11 http://txmn.org/rollingplains November 2019

President Report EVENTS First off, let me remind everyone that has monarch tags to please return LOCAL them to the November meeting. NOVEMBER 5: Rolling Plains It’s hard to believe the holiday season is already upon us. Our December Chapter training meets in Bolin 3 meeting is our annual Christmas Party. We will meet at the Letter Science Hall room 209 at Mid- Carrier Hall, 5310 Southwest Parkway at 6 pm. Our meal will be pro- western State University Time: vided by Luigi’s. Cost for the meal will be $5 a head and can be given to 7:00 PM. The program: Blair Larry Snyder. Members are encouraged to bring a dessert to share. The Ramon, MSU biologist will discuss highlight of the evening will be the Bad Santa gift exchange. her study about native bees.

It is time to elect new officers for 2020. Nominations will be made at the NOVEMBER 9: Feeder Watch November meeting for president, vice-president, secretary and treasurer. begins - go to this website for more If you would like to serve in any of these positions, please contact Terry information on this: https://feeder- at [email protected] before Tuesday night. Now is the time for you to step watch.org/ up and serve your chapter. NOVEMBER 9: Bird Walk at Lastly, the McKee family would like to thank everyone for their thoughts LASP - 8:00am - meet at dump site and prayers as June McKee continues her rehab at Texoms Christian Care in park. Center after her month stay at Dallas Presbyterian Hospital. I would like to personally commend your officers Kay, Lynn and Larry for filling in NOVEMBER 30: Cross Timbers while I was out. Their help was greatly appreciated. Bird Walk at Lake Mineral Wells —Terry State Park & Trailway, 10:00am to 12:00pm. Reservations are re- quired. Call 940-328-1171 ext 222. For Your Information I plan on purchasing Home & Garden Show tickets on Monday. I will DECEMBER 5: Chapter Christ- have them available at the meeting on Tuesday. The cost to you is $6.00 mas Party at Letter Carrier Hall, each. I’m going to purchase 75 initially but I can always get more. This is 5310 Southwest Parkway at 6 pm. the only fund raiser we ask you to participate in. They make great gifts. Cost for the meal will be $5 a head. Please consider getting a few. Our chapter makes $4.50 off each ticket There will be the Bad Santa gift you buy. exchange.

I know it’s early, but not too early for me to begin to collect dues for JANUARY 1, 2020: First Day 2020. Dues are $ 15.00 annually for a single member and $ 25.00 for a Hike at Lake Arrowhead State couple membership. Yes. I will hound you from now until the end of Feb- Park. Dragonfly Trail, .5 mi at ruary about dues. So, it’d help me immensely if you’d tell me now that 2PM. Onion Creek Trail “Half you have no interest in continuing your membership. Bring your check or Loop”. Meet at The Horn Tunnel. EXACT cash to the meeting or mail to me at 1020 Pawhuska Ln, Burk- 1.5 miles at 4PM. This is a volun- burnett TX 76354-2815 teer opportunity.

ROLLING PLAINS CHAPTER — 1 — TEXAS MASTER NATURALIST Finally, I will add a category in VMS for direct outreach at River Bend. Invasive Spotlight: It’ll be called DO: River Bend Nature Center. Remember, there’s also a category called PO: River Bend Nature Center. Please be careful about Giant Hogweed where you enter your hours for River Bend. Think about the difference Giant hogweed (Heracleum man- between direct and indirect events … direct generally can’t walk off … tegazzianum) is originally from indirect can walk off if they wish. Eurasia. It is an aggressive compet- —Thanks, Larry itor. Because of its size and rapid growth, it out-competes native plant species, reducing the amount of suitable habitat available for Thousands of Tarantulas wildlife. It prefers moist, disturbed soils but can be found in a variety Set Off on Their Annual of habitats. Giant hogweed dies Migration in Colorado back during the winter months, By Mindy Weisberger - Senior Writer - LiveScience leaving bare ground that can lead to an increase in soil erosion. Southeastern Colorado will soon be experiencing the Giant hogweed is a biennial or pitter-patter of little feet — perennial herb in the carrot fam- tens of thousands of them — ily (Apiaceae), growing 15 to as thousands of male tarantulas 20 feet in height with stout dark begin their annual migration to reddish-purple stems and spot- the prairies to find a mate. ted leaf stalks. Hollow stalks and stems produce sturdy bristles. Beginning in late August, The compound leaves with three Oklahoma brown tarantulas leaflets may expand to five feet in (Aphonopelma hentzi, also breadth. It resembles cowparsnip according to the U.S. Fish and known as Texas brown tarantu- (Heracleum maximum) (which can Wildlife Service (FWS). las) will begin their trek through also cause rashes) but its leaves are the La Junta, Colorado, area, a more dissected and pointier than The spiders produce venom to journey to undisturbed grasslands those of cowparsnip. (Cowparsnip subdue their prey, though the that typically lasts through early isn’t found in Texas, however.) October, according to a report by toxins are not harmful to people. However, tarantulas’ sharp fangs The Gazette, a newspaper that It is not found in Texas -- YET! can pierce human skin, and bites serves Colorado Springs. We would like to keep it that way. can lead to bacterial infection. Please report it using the Report Tarantulas also defend themselves Female tarantulas hunker down in It! website if you think you have by brushing off stinging hairs on their prairie burrows for most of found some. their lives, but the males walk for their abdomen, which can irritate a up to 1 mile (2 kilometers) to find person’s skin, eyes and respiratory a mate, according to CNN. How- tract, FWS says. ever, this epic migration will look more like a steady trickle of spiders Males typically embark on a than a dense carpet of hairy brown female-finding trek when they bodies, as the tarantulas aren’t reach sexual maturity at around social and usually travel alone, 10 years old, CNN reported. And Mario Padilla, head entomologist at the spiders’ first migration is also the Butterfly Pavilion, a nonprofit their last; while males may remain invertebrate zoo in Westminster, active through the fall, nearly all of Colorado, told CNN. them will be dead by November, according to a fact sheet posted on Oklahoma brown tarantulas are Colorado State University’s West- fuzzy, brownish spiders; females’ ern Colorado Entomology (WCI) bodies measure 3 inches (7.6 cen- website. timeters) WARNING! Giant hogweed con- The spiders are most active at long and tains a substance within its sap that dusk in the hour before sunset, and weigh makes the skin sensitive to ultravio- tarantula enthusiasts hoping for a about 0.7 let light. This can result in severe glimpse of the leggy travelers will ounces (20 burns to the affected areas, produc- find plenty of amorous arachnids grams), ing swelling and severe, painful on Highway 109 on the Comanche while blistering. If you plan to eradicate National Grassland, according to males are it, be sure to wear gloves, long a recommendation by a La Junta somewhat pants and a long-sleeved shirt. smaller, tourism site.

ROLLING PLAINS CHAPTER — 2 — TEXAS MASTER NATURALIST hen the mostly under- CORNER Wwater Bogoslof vol- RESOURCE cano in the Aleutian Islands Official Guide to Texas State erupts, it produces giant Parks and Historical Sites bubbles that can reach up to by Laurence Parent 1,444 feet across, according Paperback: 240 pages to a new study. These bub- ISBN- 978-1477315408 bles are filled with volcanic Price: $19.39 on Amazon gas, so when they burst they create volcanic clouds tens of Since it was thousands of feet in the sky. first published OIDS he largest fish in 1996, Of- Tto walk on land, ficial Guide the voracious north- to Texas State ern snakehead, will Parks and flee water that is too Historic Sites acidic, salty or high has become in carbon dioxide. Snakeheads eat native species of fish, Texans’ one- frogs and crayfish, destroying the food web in some habitats. stop source for information on They can survive on land for up to 20 hours if conditions are great places to camp, fish, hike, moist. backpack, swim, ride horseback, FACT go rock climbing, view scenic

he bee’s brain is oval in landscapes, tour historical sites, Tshape and about the size and enjoy almost any other outdoor of a sesame seed, yet it has a recreation. remarkable capacity to learn and remember things. For Freshly redesigned, this revised example, it is able to make edition includes eight new state complex calculations on dis- parks and historical sites, com- tance travelled and foraging pletely updated information for efficiency. FUN every park, and beautiful new photographs for most of the parks. The book is organized by geographical Volunteers Wanted for Survey regions to help you plan your trips of Aquarium Stores in Texas around the state. For every park, Some aquatic invasive fish in Texas, such as the pleco (Hypostomus Laurence Parent provides all of the plecostomus), originated from the aquarium trade. Pet owners, for a essential information: variety of reasons including their fish getting too big or having to move, sometimes are no longer able to keep their aquarium fish. Because they of The natural or historical attractions course care for the well-being of their fish, they release the fish into our of the park: natural waters rather than dispose of them. To help counter this problem, • Types of recreation offered Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) created an outreach cam- • Camping and lodging facilities paign to educate the public about alternatives to releasing fish and other • Addresses and phone numbers aquarium organisms, called “Never Dump Your Tank”. • Magnificent color photographs

Another way to approach the problem is to get a better understanding of So if you want to watch the sun set the availability of current or potential invasive fish being sold at aquarium over Enchanted Rock, fish in the stores in Texas. TPWD and Texasinvasives.org are collaborating on just surf on the beach at Galveston, or such a study. The study relies on volunteers visiting stores to determine listen for a ghostly bugle among whether they are selling these species. the ruins of Fort Lancaster, let this book be your complete guide. Volunteers are needed! Please help by participating. Contact Dr. Landel at Don’t take a trip in Texas without [email protected] if you would like to help. it.

Chapter Contacts: Terry McKee, President 766-4097, [email protected]; Kay Murphy, Vice President 704-0406, kay_vince@sb- cglobal.net; Lynn Seman, Secretary, 867-3006, [email protected]; Larry Snyder, Treasurer 569-4534, [email protected] Committees Chairperson: Paula Savage, Newsletter Editor and Designer 691-0231, [email protected]; Tami Davis, Website Manager 224-013, [email protected]; Dian Hoehne, Communication Chair 704-3461 Advisor: Robert Mauk, TPWD Advisor 766-2383, [email protected]

ROLLING PLAINS CHAPTER — 3 — TEXAS MASTER NATURALIST