Native annuals are beginning to appear, like Pennsylvania pellitory, a benign, unassuming plant that doesn’t seem to do anything except exist. It’s a plant that once you see it and hear its name, you don’t have to remember it because it’s just always there, ready to be enunciated. Pennsylvania pellitory, like its alliterative eight-syllabic moniker…

by Richard Loya Behind the Gates, an educational component of the East Foundation, has been hosting field lessons for thousands of fifth grade students for several years. The 27,000-acre El Sauz Ranch near Port Mansfield is now the home of Behind the Gates thanks to a dedicated education center. Hands-on learning experiences help students learn about…

by Bill Rich A few years ago my friend Sylvia Casselman told me that she was excited about some frog fruit that had established itself next to her house. As a novice to the world of native plants I had no idea what she was talking about. “Frog fruit?” I thought. Is it something that…

by Sandra Mink I see these slate gray birds with their long sturdy orange beaks hunched over, hiding in the thick tangled brush. I see them swooping up from the drainage ditch near my home, rising with their wide majestic wings extended four or even five feet, spindly legs hanging down beneath them. I am…

by Robert Hernandez The South Texas Border Chapter of Texas Master Naturalist has accepted the invitation to participate in the annual Rio Grande Valley Home and Garden Show (McAllen Convention Center, April 8 – 10, 2022) once again. Our chapter has been assigned a 10 foot by 10 foot booth space during the three-day event. We will use…

by Rudy Escobar Part of becoming a Texas Master Naturalist (TMN) and being one is to educate citizens about our environment and natural resources. As a TMN trainee, one of the requirements is to volunteer in order to become a certified TMN.  Since I believe we should start early by educating our young, I chose to volunteer at the Edinburg Scenic Wetlands and World Birding…