Myths and facts about the beneficial bat by Jolaine Lanehart, Texas Master Naturalist Many people think bats are dirty, rabies-infested, and evil. Bats are very clean, grooming themselves constantly. They do not carry rabies but, like most mammals, they can become infected. Bats will not attack humans nor get tangled in your hair. As members…

To mow or not to mow; discovering native plants in urban lawns Story by Robert Gaitan, Texas Master Naturalist Ever wonder where this American idea that we ‘ought’ to have a large well-kept lawn came from? In the early 1840’s, Andrew Jackson Downing, landscape designer, wrote, “No expenditure in ornamental gardening is, to our mind,…

Hat’s Off to the Historic Texas Ebony Tree by Anita Westervelt, Texas Master Naturalist If ever a tree speaks of Deep South Texas heritage, it’s the Texas ebony, Chloroleucon ebano. One of the more historic trees in the Valley, it’s steeped in tradition and considered the most valuable. These massive trees can reach to 50…

Long live the Texas honey mesquite by Anita Westervelt, Texas Master Naturalist For artful creativity, you can’t do better than the honey mesquite, Prosopis glandulosa. With a history as big as Texas, this tree has a strong hold on our native landscape that has served beast and man through the years. Honey mesquite is one…

Be kind to the Valley’s habitat this Earth Day by Anita Westervelt, Texas Master Naturalist Design your own garden for hours of entertainment the rest of the year and help the native habitat. Clear a patch of ground, visit one of the Valley’s native plant nurseries and fill your freshly cleared area with native plants.…

Versatile, nutritious and beautiful, native Barbados cherry is a great landscape addition by Anita Westervelt, Texas Master Naturalist Bring some Caribbean flavor to your Valley garden with a Barbados cherry, Malpighia glabra. This densely-branched shrub has many names in the Caribbean, West Indies and South America. In Cameron, Hidalgo, Starr and Willacy counties, its northern…