Native By Josephine Keeney Flame Acanthus, Hummingbird Bush, quadrifidus var. wrightii (Acanthus Family)

This is the for you, if you are looking for a beautiful plant that can take the Texas heat and survive with very little water and care. I have never seen it bothered by insects or disease in the fifteen years that I have been growing native plants, that really means a lot, and it is something that can hardly be said about other hardy plants. This shrub is deciduous and has light colored brittle wood, it is cold hardy in the DFW area and likes to wait for the weather to warm up before putting on new growth in the spring. The new stems are square and the leaves are small and light green, growing opposite to each other with no serration on the edges. The bloom period is from June to frost in this area of North Central Texas.

Flame Acanthus can be pruned or sheared to suit your desired size or shape, it bounces back quickly and rewards you with many bright tubular orange-red blooms that attract attention from far away. But if all these virtues weren’t enough, the bright tubular flowers attract all the hummers and butterflies in the neighborhood, making it a delight to watch. Considering all these good points: Flame Acanthus should have a very special place in the yard and especially in the butterfly garden.

Outreach & Communications Guy By George McBride Well hello there fellow Master Naturalist, hope all is going well for you. The HEAT is now on us, and we are wishing for more rain now. Well, this is Texas, so what's new. I just wanted to say "Thank You" to all of the volunteers who have helped me in my Outreach Programs since the first of the year. With your help we have made plenty of contacts and some who want to join us. This means a lot to me. We do have more to come and Bill will blast them out to you as soon as I get them ready. Right now, I am working on the Speakers Bureau, getting speakers to give lectures at different places. If you have a topic that you know well, please let me know and I will add you to my list. Thanks again BRIT, 05/16/15, when we had a booth there. for your devoted and much needed help. Kim Salinas, Susan McGehee & Bill Hall.

CONSERVATION PRESERVATION RESTORATION EDUCATION In an effort for us to get to know each other better and on a more MEMBER personal level, we will feature a different Master Naturalist in our Cross Timbers chapter in each edition of our newsletter.

If you've ever heard him speak, you know he's “not from around here” A newer member as a graduate of the 2013 class

Let's get to know SPOTLIGHT Andrew Keeble Can you tell us a little about your background? I was born in Ipswich, Suffolk, England on June 28th 1964 about 70 miles North East of London. I lived in small villages (<500 people)just outside Ipswich until I was 10 when we moved to Woodbridge, also in Suffolk so that I could attend Woodbridge School. A huge metropolis of 8500 people! 10 miles from the east coast of England. I got my first bird ID book when I was 5 years old and my first binoculars at 6. From 11 years old to about 17 I spent nearly every weekend helping our local Countryside Ranger or local conservation group on projects from flora surveys to building bridges, clearing scrub or monitoring European Avocets. At 18 I went to college and studied Applied Biology, at 23 I joined The Royal Artillery, at 25 I studied For BSc in Horticulture and at 43 I studied for BSc (Honors) in Aquatic Biology. My jobs have included blood-typing horses, managing a worm farm, driving a chemical tanker, garden design and bar tender.

What are the most notable differences between the flora/fauna of Texas and England? The average annual rainfall for Suffolk is 32 inches, the same as Tunisia in Northern Africa and Fort Worth! The difference is that in England you get some rain almost every day of the year. Allied to this is the small scale of England compared to Texas. England has sandy heath, clay plains, chalk hills, granite mountains, sandstone outcrops, hardwood forest, softwood forest etc all the features (nearly!) that Texas has but squashed into a fraction of the area. The range of geology coupled with the influence of the Gulf Stream on the west coast means that the UK is more mild than it should be for the latitude (same latitude as Moscow and Toronto). We get almost tropical/Mediterranean birds and plants in the south while in the north of Scotland there are Arctic birds and plants ( a distance of about 800 miles). Having said that, we had 3 species of oak tree not 333 like here! It was much easier to learn!

What are your areas of interest in Volunteering? I spent some time in England leading groups of children in nature education with the Suffolk Wildlife Trust teaching wild food, tree ID, 'farm to food' and basic ecology/biology. I also spent 10 years as a Scout Leader where I was canoe/kayak, powerboat and first aid instructor as well as leading survival, sailing, hiking and service camps. My idea was to introduce the children to as many activities as possible in the hope that one scout at the age of 70, would sit a grandkid on their knee and say ' I would never have done 'xyz' if my leader had not introduced it to us'.

What do you find the most rewarding by being a Master Naturalist? The biggest thing has to be the look on a child's face when they see something awesome for the first time, when they get one of my questions right or when they figure out something amazing for themselves. Once when I was a Scout leader, we took an autistic boy kayaking. The first grade test involved rolling the kayak and escaping. The boy could usually only remember 1 or 2 instructions at a time so when he rolled his kayak, 5 instructors held their breath, ready to jump in and rescue him. The look on that child's face as he emerged from the water and realized what he had achieved was priceless. The children and the hope that I may achieve something positive in the environment are what keep me excited about being a Master Naturalist, the fact that I learn something new every day, as well as all the lovely, kind, helpful people that I have met at meetings and in fields.

Anything else you'd like to share? My wife is Swedish and is a Statistical Analyst for a Fort Worth Company. I was in the Army Volunteer Reserve in England- Royal Artillery- left just before they told me that I was going to Officer Training at Sandhurst Military Academy. Apart from Conservation/ecology activities, I enjoy Scuba diving- have been diving under ice in England, warm water in Egypt and Indonesia, canoeing, fishing and learning . Favorite artist- Miro, Architect- Gaudi, Music- PinkFloyd, Sport - Rugby

CONSERVATION PRESERVATION RESTORATION EDUCATION By Susan Marchbanks Noun

1. a person who acts as a guide, typically on a voluntary basis, in a museum, art gallery or zoo.

From the Latin docere 'to teach'

If there is anything I love as much as learning about nature, it has to be teaching others about nature. Flooding at This is why becoming a docent was a perfect fit for me the Fort after becoming a Master Naturalist. There are many Worth different places you can volunteer as a docent. They all Nature require a little bit of extra training, but that was just more Center. fun! I am a docent at the Fort Worth Nature Center and Photos Refuge mostly in the spring for school age children's courtesy of field trips. George The hikes are usually an hour to an hour and a McBride. half. I like to hike the steep trails of the Caprock. Many of the children have never been hiking in the woods and their enthusiasm is contagious! I enjoy looking for the biggest reactions from the kids when I share fun facts. If I get a big “EWWWW!” or “WOW!” that lets me know they may remember and relate that fact to someone else. Each hike is unique as are the hikers and their interests. I have to continually challenge myself creatively to make the experience fun and educational. I am always learning as well as the students. Hearing a child say “This is our best field trip ever!” or “I just want to LIVE out here!” warms my heart. It makes me happy to know there will be new stewards of nature and Periodical Cicada Calling in North Texas hopefully I can fan the little sparks of interest into By Mike Quinn flames! Last week, Tim Brys of the Dallas Zoo I made an interesting observation this, my Insectarium brought to my attention that a second year of being a guide. The trails we usually take Periodical Cicada is currently calling in Fannin are very narrow and the kids must all be single file Co. in north Texas. behind me. Because of the recent floods,there was a small portion where I had to take an alternate route Doing some research over the weekend, I put down a wide roadway next to the flooded trail. Each time together the following information: I took this route, I would walk down the middle of the road and the children would, without cue, line up 10 Notes on Texas Periodical Cicadas across beside me instead of behind. Each one was http://texasento.net/Periodical_Cicadas.html asking a question or relating a story to me. Every one of them participating! It made me feel a little like the Pied And I had always thought that Periodical Piper!! I think I may take the short strip of roadway from Cicadas were nearly mythical beasts here in now on, even when the adjacent narrow trail is hikeable Texas.... again. Apparently they are Cassin's 17-year Cicada *For more information on becoming a docent, contact http://bugguide.net/node/view/57940 the park, nature center or preserve you are interested in and ask about their training requirements and programs. Other sightings can be reported here: See the last page of this newsletter to see a list where http://www.magicicada.org/report/report.php volunteers are needed.

CONSERVATION PRESERVATION RESTORATION EDUCATION PHOTOGRAPHS W Do you have a special or unique A picture of flora or fauna that the rest of us might enjoy? N Please share your nature photography with your Master T Naturalist friends!

E Send photos to: [email protected] D

* to add your website, please submit to :[email protected]

CONSERVATION PRESERVATION RESTORATION EDUCATION