Texas Master Naturalist Annual Meeting October 2015

Front: Hester Schwarzer, Fonda Fox, Sharon Schoech, Molly Hollar, Diane Pierce Back: Donna Piercy, Carla Savage, Sam Kieschnick, Laura Veloz, Dick Schoech, Marshall Fox, Lani Aker, Ann Knudsen, Susan Marchbanks, Jan Miller, Glynda Yandell, Anne Alderfer, Lori Smith

Our Chapter had the largest showing of members we've ever had at State Conference this year!! There were a number of us who were there, but not in the photo. Thanks to Kaaki Cunningham for snapping this picture. The weekend was certainly soggy with rain falling the entire time. A few field trips had to be sadly canceled but there were so many other interesting topics taking their place. The food was delicious and everyone enjoyed the fellowship with all of our members old and new. Lets continue this trend and have even MORE members attend in 2016!! See you there!!

BREAKING NEWS!!! There will be a training session starting at 6:00 P.M. before the January 25th meeting on the new hours reporting system.

There will be laptops and folks to help guide members through the process.

CONSERVATION PRESERVATION RESTORATION EDUCATION What’s in a Name? “Euphoria kernii Haldeman” by Troy Mullens

Species names have three parts, , epithet, and authority (scientist who first published the name).

As an example we will look at the Kern’s Flower or sometimes called the Plains Bumble Scarab.

The authority goes to two brothers who were responsible for the discovery of and naming of this beetle:

Samuel Stehman Haldeman https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Stehman_Haldeman and

Horace Haldeman http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fha11

Samuel Haldeman originally wrote the name as E. cernii but specifically stated it was named after a Mr. Kern. The spelling "kernii" has been in prevailing usage and is retained as the proper spelling per the ICZN code.

Horace Haldeman was one of the first persons to concentrate on collecting in Texas. He sent his specimens, mostly , to his entomologist brother, Samuel S. Haldeman, and a noted coleopterist, John L. LeConte, for description.

These were two fascinating men. Be sure to follow the links and read about them.

The genus and epithet and authority are:

“Euphoria kernii Haldeman” - Kern's Flower Scarab

This is a very color-variable . I had photographed a black flower beetle and was surprised and excited to discover that it was a totally black form of the Kern’s beetle. These are one of the first beetles to appear in large numbers in the Spring. You can find them on prickly pear blooms. Being a Master Naturalist is both hard and rewarding. you need to know about beetles, bees, flies, birds, plants, geology, weather, etc. Remember: All things are connected.

A couple of good links for information about this beetle are: http://bugguide.net/node/view/38180 http://texasento.net/kerni.htm

Photography by Troy Mullens In an effort for us to get to know each other better and on a MEMBER more personal level, we will feature a different Master Naturalist in our Cross Timbers chapter in each dition of our newsletter.

Let's get to know SPOTLIGHT Dick Pafford

Can you tell us a little about your background?

I am a Native Texan and was born in Ballinger, Texas in 1943. I grew up in Dallas with my parents and younger brother. I got polio in the 1949-1950 epidemic, but was fortunate to only be left with a crooked back (scoliosis). I had asthma and many other childhood maladies and became a regular visitor to my pediatrician who my Mom knew from Ballinger. I was inspired by my Pedi doctor and was fortunate to be able to achieve my childhood dream of becoming a physician. I retired from Family Practice in 2010 after 37 years. I am married to my wife of 50 years, have 2 sons and 5 grandchildren.

You are a Master Gardener as well as Master Naturalist, what else are you involved in?

For years I played golf as much as possible but I started having back problems and had to give it up. In college I was a biology major and love being outdoors so I started attending gardening classes at UTA and the Dallas Arboretum. A teacher at one of the UTA classes was a Master Gardener and suggested I might like the Master Gardener program. After I retired, my wife really wanted me out of the house more, so I joined the MG program in 2011. I volunteered at Wildscape and met many of the wonderful Master Naturalists there and joined Master Naturalists in 2012. I became a Citizen Forester in 2015 and am also a Master Composter. I volunteer on the Texas Stream Team at River Legacy.

What are your areas of interest in Volunteering?

As a Master Gardener I have volunteered over 500 hours a year for the last 4 years and have become very involved in helping with the new MG classes and helping the new interns make their way through the program. I love the enthusiasm of working with new people that love gardening and the outdoors and I have recommended the Master Naturalist program to many of them. I like teaching what I have learned and sharing the info that I can remember. I have loved birds since I was a child and frequently go on bird hikes. Both MGs and Naturalists are wonderful people and love what they do and working with them has given me a new way of life in retirement; a way of life that I thoroughly enjoy and would not trade for anything!

What do you find the most rewarding by being a Master Naturalist?

The most rewarding thing for me is working with such wonderful people. I thirst for knowledge and I always learn from the people I volunteer with. I adore people like Molly Hollar and Suzanne Tuttle who have so much knowledge they are willing to share. I enjoy working the MN booth at Buffalo Boogie and Tandy Hills with George and spreading the word about what a wonderful program the Master Naturalist program is. I can’t get enough of Nature and the world we live in and want to help preserve our precious resources, plants and wildlife. I hope by being a Master Gardener and Master Naturalist I can encourage others to feel the way I do and to get outside and enjoy nature and all it has to offer.

CONSERVATION PRESERVATION RESTORATION EDUCATION Texas Native Plants By Josephine Keeney Prairie Phlox, Downy Phlox, Phlox pilosa

This beautiful perennial flower blooms late March through early May and perfumes the garden with a most delightful fragrance.

What a welcome sight it is, after the long dull winter, with it's beautiful shades of pink and lavender purple. Together with yellow Columbine, it brings lovely pastel color to the garden.

It is easy to propagate by cuttings in the Spring and division in the Fall. It is very reliable and spreads itself to make lovely drifts of color.

This plant deserves a very special place in every garden.

Outreach & Communications Guy By George McBride

Hello there fellow Master Naturalist, I hope all is well with you. It was nice seeing most of you at our Christmas party Monday night, 12/21/15. You all looked Great, the food was Great--I don't know about the entertainment though (ha). A New Year is on us now and I hope you had a good one. You need some Volunteer hours? Get ready because I will have a lot coming up in 2016. I will have Bill Shaw blast each one to you, as I set them up. I do need you to help our Chapter as you always have. The first one is on Saturday, 01/24/16. It is "Kids Gone Wild" at the Ft. Worth Stockyards. I will let you know as time gets closer. Thank you for all your Great work for CTMN. George McBride

CONSERVATION PRESERVATION RESTORATION EDUCATION The Christmas Party! We had a great turnout at the Christmas Party this year!

There was a wonderful buffet with all kinds of delectable delights, serenaded by George and his accordian.

Thanks to Marsha McLaughlin for donating 12 gorgeous bottles of different wines for our door prizes this year! Everyone who won one was excited!

We recognized our new and former Presidents along with our new and former Treasurers.

We had a silly little skit with our new board members and an interesting creepy critter presentation.

Much Thanks to everyone who helped put on this great celebration!!!

Photos by Josephine Keeney New Urban Biologists

We are pleased to welcome 2 new biologists to the DFW Urban Program: Rachel Richter, who has been with TPWD since 2013, and Sam Kieschnick, who comes to us from the City of Mansfield. Both Rachel and Sam have lots of experience in conservation education, working with volunteers, motivating the public, and helping to solve wildlife conflict. Help us welcome them to the Wildlife community in DFW!

* From Texas Parks and Wildlife-DFW Urban Wildlife Facebook page.

Rachel will be the advisor for the CTMN and Sam will be the advisor for the NTMN. They will likely work together often in both chapters, and of course Sam will continue as a CTMN member.

Rachel Richter

I’m originally from Arlington, Texas and I’ve always had an interest in all things nature. For college, I went to Texas A&M to pursue a degree in Wildlife and Fisheries Science. I spent a summer as an intern working with sea turtles at the Bald Head Island Conservancy in North Carolina and also worked as a tutor at an elementary school in College Station. After completing my bachelor’s degree, I headed to Texas State to earn my master’s in Wildlife Ecology. At Texas State, I worked as a TA for Biology, Wildlife Management, and Natural History of the Vertebrates labs and also helped out with a variety of research projects. My thesis research used radio telemetry to determine the home range and habitat use of a reintroduced population of javelina at Mason Mountain Wildlife Management Area. For the last two and half years, I’ve been working with TPWD in the Big Game Program where my duties primarily focused on the administration of the Deer Breeder Program. I’m excited to be back in DFW and grateful to have the chance to contribute to the conservation community here. I’ve heard great things about the Cross Timbers Master Naturalist Chapter and I look forward to serving as the chapter advisor. I hope to have the chance to get to know you all at upcoming meetings and events!

CONSERVATION PRESERVATION RESTORATION EDUCATION Friends of Tandy Hills Natural Area receive grant from Texas Parks & Wildlife Department for 2016 BioBlitz

Friends of Tandy Hills Natural Area (FOTHNA) and Texas Wesleyan University (TWU) are pleased to announce the receipt of grant support from the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD). The grant, funded by the TPWD Conservation License Plate program, will help fund a BioBlitz at Tandy Hills (THNA) in April, 2016.

A BioBlitz is an intense period of biological surveying in an attempt to record all the living species within a designated area. Groups of scientists, naturalists and volunteers conduct an intensive field study over a continuous time period. (source: Wikipedia)

The first full-scale BioBlitz project in north Texas will produce a high quality, scientific inventory along with a video documenting the areas biological diversity and the BioBlitz, itself. There will be opportunities for the public to participate. Check the FOTHNA website for updates.

“The biotic richness of Tandy Hills Natural Area will soon become obvious to all. The intrinsic value of nature makes the best argument for conservation.” - Bruce Benz, Biology Department, TWU

“This grant and the BioBlitz supports what we've been saying for years: Tandy Hills is an amazing resource needing protection, restoration and interpretation.” - Don Young, Founder/President, FOTHNA

Our partners in the BioBlitz include, Teaming with Wildlife: True To Texas, Native Prairies Association of Texas (FW chapter), Native Plant Society of Texas (North Central chapter) and Texas Master Naturalists (Cross Timbers chapter). Tandy Hills is a prairie remnant managed by the City of Fort Worth Parks and Community Services Department.

* Story from tandyhills.org

Tandy Hills Prairie...... tandyhills.org * to add your website, please submit to :[email protected]

CONSERVATION PRESERVATION RESTORATION EDUCATION