September 2023:

Speaker Series –
Janet Smith, Sex in the Garden
Date: September 5, 2023
Time: 7:00 – 8:30 p.m.
Location: Zoom
Janet will talk to us about sex in the garden. But this is about pollination, so it is open to all and totally G-rated. LOL. Pollination is an essential part of life – our vegetables and fruit MUST pollinate in order to produce the food we need. She will talk about how we can help this process at our own homes.
Janet says she is a recovering plantaholic who considers the Master Naturalist, Master Gardener, and Native Landscape Certification training as her 12-step program. She now has a special interest in native plants and restricts her selections to heat and drought tolerant plants that multi-task by attracting pollinators like butterflies, bees, hummingbirds as well as lizards and other interesting insects.

Join Zoom Meeting:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89187002517?pwd=Ujc1UTEyVjNNbDhUUFJYMjFCV2lNdz09

 

Meeting ID: 891 8700 2517

Passcode: 212786

Insect – Bumblebee – from NPSOT

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Monthly Work Session
Date: September 9, 2023
Time: 9:00 – 11:00 a.m.
Location: Halff Park at Ranger Drive
NOTE: If temperatures are still around 100 degrees, we may cancel. Please watch our Facebook page or call Dana Wilson, 469-531-6856, or Barbara Baynham 972-495-3569, with last minute questions.
September is ragweed management and trail maintenance. The Halff Park Trail goes through the largest trees in the Preserve, so it is always fun to work here. We break into teams and each team has a knowledgeable volunteer, so you know exactly what to do.
For last-minute information, especially if the weather is questionable, check our website or Facebook page for updates, including dates and locations which may change because of conditions. We don’t want anyone working in the forest or on the prairie if there is a chance of lightning strikes.
Safety Information:

• BRING WATER and bug repellant.
• Close-toed shoes are mandatory. Heavy work gloves, long pants, and protective eyewear are recommended for your protection from poison ivy and thorns.
• If you have them, bring loppers and/or small tree saws. (No power tools.)
• All participants and the parents of minors must sign our Liability Waiver.
• Youth under 18 must be accompanied by an adult; no drop off/pick up of those under 18.
• For Master Naturalists, this may count as Volunteer Hours on the Preservation Society for Spring Creek Forest project.

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4^th Sunday Nature Walk –
Judy Aschner will show us insects on our prairie
Date: September 24, 2023
Time: 2:00 – 3:30 p.m.
Location: 1787 Holford Road 
Judy will show us and tell us how insects are incredibly important to life as we know it. They are vital both as pollinators and as a food source for birds and animals. We will be on the hunt for late summer prairie/grassland insects. Bring your camera or phone so we can record our observations on iNaturalist. Also, bring a magnifying glass if you have one so you can see the amazing detail of their structure.
Judy Aschner Is a North Texas Master Naturalist and Entomology Specialist whose main interest is insects – their lifestyles and interrelatedness with man and each other. She is an active iNaturalist contributor who has over 800 observations of over 500 species.

Entypus sp., Tarantula Hawk Wasp by Judy Aschner

Your Opinions are Needed

You are invited to help create the new Master Plan for the Dallas County Open Space Program
Your Preserves, Spring Creek Forest and Park Preserves, are part of the Dallas County Open Space Program. Dallas County helped purchase the land back in 1987 and our Preserve is one of more than 20 Open Space parks located all over the county. They now want your thoughts on how to manage the parks going forward.
The Dallas County Open Space Master Plan will help guide enhancements and improvements to the county preserves over the next ten years. Please come to the meeting to learn more about the plan process and provide input on your vision for the preserves.
See https://www.dallascounty.org/departments/plandev/openspaces/ or for more information on the Dallas County Open Spaces Program, or contact mia.brown@dallascounty.org
Date: Monday, Sept. 18, 2023
Time: 6:30-8:00 PM
Location: District 1 Road and Bridge Office 715 Rowlett Rd. Garland, TX 75043

Become a North Texas Master Naturalist

A Master Naturalist is in a community of volunteers dedicated to caring for our natural resources. You will connect with a community of people that enjoy nature and the outdoors. You will learn more about our natural environment in the North Texas area from experts in their fields. And you will help others learn to love and value our natural environment. There are many Chapters in various regions around the state. The Texas Master Naturalist Program is coordinated jointly by Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

The North Texas Master Naturalist Chapter is accepting applications for the 2024 Class beginning September 15 through October 31. Classes begin January 30, 2024.
Information on how to apply is at www.NTMN.org.

Great Scout Project
on the trail from Halff Park
An Eagle Scout project was conducted to add signs to the natural surface trails between Halff Park and North Garland Avenue in the east end of Spring Creek Forest Preserve. The signs,which are on carsonite posts, provide hikers with directional information, 911 locators in case of emergency, and a QR code that directs the hiker’s digital device to the Society’s Trails Map web page.
Future projects will install signs at 1770 Holford, 1787 Holford, and Harris Section Greenbelt (including paved trail).
Thank you so much to this great group of Scouts and mentors!

October 2023:
Both the Speaker Series and the
4^th Sunday Nature Walk –
Kimberlie Sasan, All about Galls
Galls are odd growths on trees or bushes. The gall is an example of a plant-animal relationship. More than 2,000 types of insects and other organisms can cause abnormal plant growths. They may be found on any part of a plant—buds, leaves, flowers, twigs, under the bark, and even on the roots.
Kimberlie Sasan is a Texas Master Naturalist and Master Entomology Specialist who enjoys volunteering in a wide variety of nature activities.  She has been documenting moths and other creatures in her Keller backyard for over six years where she has identified over 300 species of moths. She has a passion for photographing insects and studying their life cycles. An iNaturalist user since 2015, Kimberlie has made over 29,000 observations.Speaker Series Date: October 3, 2023
Time: 7:00 – 8:30 p.m.
Location: Zoom

4^th Sunday Walk: Date: October 29, 2023
Time: 2:00 – 3:30 p.m.
Location: 1770 Holford Road 
  
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Monthly Work Session
We break into teams and each team has a knowledgeable volunteer, so you know exactly what to do.
For last-minute information, especially if the weather is questionable, check our website or Facebook page for updates, including dates and locations which may change because of conditions. We don’t want anyone working in the forest or on the prairie if there is a chance of lightning strikes.
Date: October 14, 2023
Time: 9:00 – 11:00 a.m.
Location: 1770 Holford Road