ROLLING PLAINS CHAPTER NEWSLETTER Vol. 5, No. 7 http://txmn.org/rollingplains July 2013 Saguaro—The Largest Cactus EVENTSLOCAL in the United States July 2: Rolling Plains Chapter Written by Jean Luney, Master Naturalist Trainee monthly meeting is at River Bend At the June monthly meeting of the Rolling Plains Chapter, Jack Murphy Nature Center. Location: 2200 3rd made a presentation on Cacti & Succulents. It was so interesting that it Street, Wichita Falls, Texas. Time: made me want to rush right out and buy a cactus. Jack mentioned that the 7:00 p.m. Program: Lynn Seman largest cactus in the U. S. is the Saguaro cactus. The Saguaro is exclusive will talk about her Seymour Fossil to the Senora Desert, which is located in Arizona. In fact, the Saguaro Trip. Cactus Flower is the State flower of Arizona. July 12-13: Stars Over the Most Saguaro cacti develop branches Wichitas Location: Wichita Moun- or arms, as they mature. These arms tains Wildlife Refuge near Lawton. grow upward and there can be as many Begins 30 minutes after sunset as 25. However, some never grow (meet at Boulder Gate). A viewing arms. Saguaros are covered with pro- of bodies in the night sky. Must be tective spines, as a least 8 years old. For reserva- are most cacti, and tions: (580) 429-2151. Cost: $5.00 flower in the late per person. spring, while pro- ducing red fruit in July 20: North American But- the summer. With terfly Association Butterfly Count good weather con- Location: Meet at Lake Arrowhead ditions this cactus State Park by the butterfly garden can live 150—200 at the park headquarters at 6:00 years and can grow a.m. As between 40-60 feet the day Above: Saguaro Cactus tall. If fully hy- gets hot Above right: Elf Owl Right: Gila woodpecker and Sa- drated, a Saguaro quick- guaro flowers can weigh between ly, we 3,200-4,000 pounds. However, they are very slow growing plants and a will ten year old plant may only be 1.5 inches tall. Above: LASP park interpreter take Fernando Barrera with chapter members Jane, Penny and Lynn as advan- During my stay in Tucson, Arizona, I made a visit to Saguaro National they learn about butterflys. tage of Park. The cacti there begin to produce flowers at 35 years of age. The the cool morning and try to beat the blooming season is from late May-June. Being there in October, I missed heat. There is a $3 fee to participate this beautiful display. However, the cacti themselves are very formidable and this goes directly to NABA to and impressive. I did get to see some of the many birds that are hosted offset the cost of the nationwide by the Saguaro. The gilded flicker and the Gila woodpecker excavate nest counts.

ROLLING PLAINS CHAPTER — 1 — TEXAS MASTER NATURALIST cavities inside the cactus. When these nests are abandoned, elf owls, screech owls, purple martins and finches may move in. Harris and red- EVENTS tailed hawks build stick nests, among the arms of the Saguaro. Ravens TPWD and great horned owls may take over an abandoned hawk nest. July 20, 2013—Lake Mineral Wells State Park—Spider Walk— During the blooming season of the Saguaro cactus, the flowers are vis- Join Park Interpreter, David Ow- ited by nectar feeding bats, birds and insects. In the summer, when the ens, at the Amphitheater to learn fruit grows, this provides food for many of the Senora Desert animals. the importance of spiders in the Each fruit contains 2,000 tiny black seeds, which when eaten by a wren wild. We’ll show slides and talk or a coyote, are distributed throughout the desert. A Saguaro cactus can about the different types of spiders, produce 40 million seeds during its lifetime. Only a few will survive to then focus on the Wolf Spiders. Af- become seedlings and fewer still will become adults. Drought, prolonged terward, we’ll take a walk down the freezing and animal eating contribute to a low survival rate. Trailway with flashlights watching for the eye shine reflection of the The Saguaro cactus is not an endangered species and is not subject to park’s Wolf Spiders. Bring your fa- blights. In fact, it is a long-lived plant mostly affected only by climate vorite lawn chair. Held at the Lone change. However, urban development is a major factor in the loss of Star Amphitheater in Lake Mineral habitat and has caused a great reduction in the number of Saguaro cacti. Wells State Park, 100 Park Road Therefore, the greatest danger to this cactus giant, as with so many other 71, Mineral Wells, TX, 76067. Ac- things, is man. cessible for the mobility impaired. The program is free with paid park Texas Master Naturalist entrance fee or a State Park Pass. Time: 08:30 PM to 10:30 PM 15th Anniversary T-shirt Design Contest Contact Email: david.owens@ Deadline is July 30, 2013 tpwd.state.tx.us Contact Phone: (940) 328-1171 The year, 2013, is our Statewide Texas Master Naturalist Program’s 15th Anniversary! To celebrate and commemorate this important milestone, In the Works—Lake Arrowhead we’re looking to you to help us develop a limited-edition 15th Anniver- State Park—Save the Night Pre- sary t-shirt for the program through this contest. We know there are some sentation and Workshop—We are talented Texas Master Naturalists out there to help design that winning working on bringing an advanced t-shirt artwork! The winning design will become the 15th Anniversary, training session to Lake Arrowhead limited edition t-shirt for the TMN program to become available later this in the next month or two. Cindy year. In addition to being named the contest winner, the artist will have Luongo, coordinator for the Texas their name on the design wherever it appears in program materials and IDA Lighting assessment project will receive five of the limited edition shirts for their own use. will be presenting a 3-4 hour train-

ing program with the Save The All submitted designs should include the following: Night Presentation and Workshop. • Reference to TMN program’s 15th anniversary Date and time • Must include—but is not limited to-- the official TMN program state are still in the logo works and I • In the event any specific species are depicted, they should be species will let you that can be found in all natural ecological regions of Texas. know as soon • T-shirt design (back) dimensions must fit within up to a 12 in. x 12 in. as I know. square • Consider developing a slogan or quote for the design and our 15th Anniversary year • Designs can be in pencil, crayon, felt tip or paint, or can be done us- ing photos and/or computer drawing or design software. Don’t Forget! • Design must be easily scan able to a high resolution file (at least 300 Turn in your hours. dpi, and preferably higher!) • Designs must be your own original work and must not contain any A form for keeping up with your third-party logos, trademarks or copyright material outside of the hours is available on the web site. TMN program. Hours needed for recertification • Submitted designs should be signed (original or electronic) by the art- are: 40 hours of public service ist in the lower right hand corner. and 8 hours of advanced train- • Designs must be submitted by July 30th, 2013 for consideration in the ing. Advanced training MUST be contest. approved in advance. Fill out the form and submit along with any Other helpful things to know about… other information about the class • Only one winner will be selected for the 15th Anniversary limited- to the Executive Committee at edition t-shirt design contest. least one week before the event. • Minor modifications may have to be made to the design for screen

ROLLING PLAINS CHAPTER — 2 — TEXAS MASTER NATURALIST printing. In that event, the artist will be able to review the final ver- sion of the image to ensure the integrity of the design. Chapter Activities • Remember, fine detail such as sketching can be done, but some of the Great American Backyard detail could be lost through the digitizing and screen printing process. Campout at Lake Arrowhead • If original artwork is mailed, please take care to protect the piece dur- State Park ing transfer. The Texas Master Naturalist Program is not responsible for damaged, lost or missing artwork. • Final t-shirt color may be selected by the TMN State Program office in coordination with the screen printer to allow for best imprinting/ image transfer possible. A screen printer has been lined up for this project. • Final digitized winning image becomes property of the screen printer, with permissions for use on other than screen printable items for the Texas Master Naturalist Program on a case by case basis. • The Texas Master Naturalist Program reserves the right to utilize submitted images for future program marketing and advertising with notification and credit given to the artists.

Designs shall be sent to: Nadia Gaona Texas Master Naturalist Program Intern Top: Tami Davis on the nature trail with guests during the Chapter’s event at Lake Arrowhead Texas Parks & Wildlife Department during the Great American Backyard Campout. 12861 Galm Rd Above: Jonathan and Amber get a close up view of Captain Andy. Rehabber Lila Arnold San Antonio, TX 78254 appeared courtesy of Wild Bird Rescue during E-mail: [email protected] the Great American Backyard Campout June 22 at LASP. What Makes Rain Smell So Good? Step outside after the first they produce spores, then the storm after a dry spell and it force of rain landing on the invariably hits you: the sweet, ground sends these spores up fresh, powerfully evocative into the air, and the moist air smell of fresh rain. conveys the chemical into our noses. If you’ve ever noticed this mysterious scent and won- “It’s a very pleasant aroma, dered what’s responsible for it, sort of a musky smell,” soil you’re not alone. A mixture of plant oils, bacterial spores and ozone is responsible specialist Bill Ypsilantis told for the powerful scent of fresh rain. NPR during an interview on Back in 1964, a pair of Australian scientists (Isabel the topic. “You’ll also smell that when you are in your Joy Bear and R. G. Thomas) began the scientific study garden and you’re turning over your soil.” of rain’s aroma in earnest with an article in Nature titled “Nature of Agrillaceous Odor.” In it, they coined Because these bacteria thrive in wet conditions and the term petrichor to help explain the phenomenon, produce spores during dry spells, the smell of geosmin combining a pair of Greek roots: petra (stone) and is often most pronounced when it rains for the first ichor (the blood of gods in ancient myth). time in a while, because the largest supply of spores has collected in the soil. Studies have revealed that the In that study and subsequent research, they determined human nose is extremely sensitive to geosmin in par- that one of the main causes of this distinctive smell is ticular—some people can detect it at concentrations a blend of oils secreted by some plants during arid pe- as low as 5 parts per trillion. (Coincidentally, it’s also riods. When a rainstorm comes after a drought, com- responsible for the distinctively earthy taste in beets.) pounds from the oils—which accumulate over time in dry rocks and soil—are mixed and released into the Ozone—O3, the molecule made up of three oxygen air. The duo also observed that the oils inhibit seed atoms bonded together—also plays a role in the smell, germination, and speculated that plants produce them especially after thunderstorms. A lightning bolt’s elec- to limit competition for scarce water supplies during trical charge can split oxygen and nitrogen molecules dry times. in the atmosphere, and they often recombine into nitric oxide (NO), which then interacts with other chemicals These airborne oils combine with other compounds in the atmosphere to produce ozone. Sometimes, you to produce the smell. In moist, forested areas in par- can even smell ozone in the air (it has a sharp scent ticular, a common substance is geosmin, a chemical reminiscent of chlorine) before a storm arrives be- produced by a soil-dwelling bacteria known as acti- cause it can be carried over long distances from high nomycetes. The bacteria secrete the compound when altitudes. (Continued on page 4)

ROLLING PLAINS CHAPTER — 3 — TEXAS MASTER NATURALIST (Continued from page 3) different sensory experiences on a society-wide scale But apart from the specific chemicals responsible, due to evolutionary history. there’s also the deeper question of why we find the smell of rain pleasant in the first place. Some scientists It’s not a major leap to imagine how other cultures have speculated that it’s a product of evolution. might similarly have positive associations of rain embedded in their collective consciousness—humans Anthropologist Diana Young of the University of around the world, after all, require either plants or ani- Queensland in Australia, for example, who studied the mals to eat, and both are more plentiful in rainy times culture of Western Australia’s Pitjantjatjara people, has than during drought. If this hypothesis is correct, then observed that they associate the smell of rain with the the next time you relish the scent of fresh rain, think of color green, hinting at the deep-seated link between a it as a cultural imprint, derived from your ancestors. season’s first rain and the expectation of growth and Read more: http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/science/2013/04/ associated game animals, both crucial for their diet. what-makes-rain-smell-so-good/#ixzz2X9gw0dUb Follow us: @ She calls this “cultural synesthesia”—the blending of SmithsonianMag on Twitter Grants Help Bring Back the Monarch Written by Bill Hopkins, from the current issue of the Native Plant Society of Texas News magazine The Bring Back the Monarchs terfly conservation, to produce and terfly numbers to be at their lowest grant was processed by Jim Hens- distribute milkweeds that support level since reporting began. ley, Rolling Plains Master Natu- reproduction by Monarch butter- ralist. Jim has spent time at Lake flies and to restore Monarch habitat Here is a complete list of the Arrowhead State Park making sure throughout the Texas migration projects receiving grants: the milkweed seed has been planted flyway. Monarch Watch is an edu- • Beacon Hill Community Gar- in the appropriate places. cational outreach program based den, San Antonio • Beacon Hill Almost $4,000 in Playground, grant money has San Antonio been provided by • Trinity River the Native Plant Audubon Society of Texas Center, South and Monarch Dallas Watch to fund • Helbing Ele- planting of new mentary School, Monarch habitat Fort Worth in 18 different • Agrilife Exten- community gar- sion Building, dens around the Rockport state. • Dogwood Can- The awards were yon, Cedar Hill announced March • Bergheim VFD, 29 by Cathy Bergheim Downs, chair of the Bring Back the at the University of Kansas that • Fort Worth Day School, Fort Monarch to Texas Committee. engages citizen scientists in large- Worth scale research projects. • Austin Waldorf School, Lakeway The small grants have been • Acton Nature Center, Acton awarded to schools, nature centers Texas provides critical habitat on • Milano Junction Memorial Gar- and other organizations to create the primary migration pathway den, Milano demonstration gardens or “Mon- of Monarchs to their wintering • Terrell Heights Community Gar- arch Waystations” with habitat for grounds in Mexico. The availabil- den, San Antonio the migrating Monarchs. The funds ity of native milkweed host plants, • The Falls at Colorado Museum, must be used to pay for native so necessary to assure successive Marble Falls milkweeds, native nectar plants, generations continuing north, has • Bluebonnet Montessori School, mulch, compost and soil. The declined in Texas. Herbicide-tol- Lakeway application process for grants is erant crops, mowing of roadsides, • Colorado River Refuge, Bastrop described here. parks and open areas and continued • Katie Prairie Conservancy, NW drought have all had an impact on Houston The Bring Back the Monarch to the number of Monarchs surviving • Clark Middle School, Abilene Texas Committee was established the southern journey to Mexico. • Lake Arrowhead Nature Trail, by the Native Plant Society of Recently released population Wichita Falls Texas and Monarch Watch to raise estimates for the Monarchs over- public awareness for Monarch But- wintering in Mexico report the but-

ROLLING PLAINS CHAPTER — 4 — TEXAS MASTER NATURALIST CORNER Bobcats live on their own. The home ter- RESOURCE ritory of each bobcat Texas Weather stretches over several by George W. Bomar miles and never over- Paperback: 287 pages laps with the territory ISBN -10: 0292708114 of another bobcat of the ISBN-13: 978-0292708112 same gender. Cost: $21.95

The huge ears of the black-tailed This is a jackrabbit can measure up to 6 VERY inches in length. The large ears of well-written this hare help it to loose heat and book for thereby cooling its body tempera- the layman ture. They have large eyes that are regard- high on their head and placed ing Texas toward the side. This along with weather. the fact that their head is slightly flat allows them to see almost 360 Bomar degrees (a full circle) helping to begins the spot predators. 1985 edition with an initial chapter on the atmosphere and how weath- Crickets prefer to hunt for food under cover of er conditions are observed, how night. Their diet consists of data is gathered, and how condi- plants, fungi, dead insects, and tions are reported and forecasted by even­—if food is in short the National Weather Service. supply—each other. Like gras- shoppers, only the males make There is then a succession of chap- that unmistakable summer chirping ters that describe all of the major sound. weather conditions that affect the

FUN FACT OIDS Lone Star State--fronts, floods, hur- ricanes, thunderstorms, tornadoes, provides children in need with heat waves/drought, winter weath- basic hygiene items and clothing er, and wind. Most chapters begin with a vignette about how that particular weather condition affect- ed the state in a significant way at The chapter will have a booth at some point in the past. The rest of Deer Fest at the MPEC Exhibit the chapter is devoted to explaining Hall, August 3. how these phenomena develop and Celebrity appearances from “Sons what, if any, precautionary steps Volunteers will be needed from of Guns” and “Backwoods Life” should be taken regarding them. 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. A sigh-up sheet will be featured. will be available at The end of the book contains a the July meeting. glossary and several appendices so please volunteer containing interesting, extensive your time to help statistical data about Texas weather out. conditions.

Deer Fest proceeds benefit the Adopt-a- Box program which

Chapter Contacts: Terry McKee, President 766-4097; Jim Hensley, Vice President 569-4713; Sue King, Secretary 761-2511; Larry Snyder, Treasurer 569-4534 Committees Chairperson: Leslie Fernandez, RiverBend Liaison 767-0843; Paula Savage, Newsletter Editor and Designer 691-0231; Tami Davis, Website Manager 224-0131; Unfilled, Social Committee; Patsy Petcoff, Grants/Fund-raising 940-923-4478; Dian Hoehne, Communication Chair 692-7234 Advisor: Robert Mauk, TPWD Advisor 766-2383

ROLLING PLAINS CHAPTER — 5 — TEXAS MASTER NATURALIST