Environment

Monday, May 21     7:00 PM
Recognizing Good Bugs in your Environment by John Watts - ITMN monthly meeting (AT)

Indian Trail Chapter, Texas Master Naturalist May 2012 Meeting Program – free and open to the public - will be on May 21st at 7:00 p.m. in the Covenant Room of the Waxahachie First United Methodist Church. The Church is located at 505 W. Marvin Avenue in Waxahachie.

John Watts, Insect Specialist / Entomologist at the Texas Discovery Gardens at Dallas’s Fair Park will present an informative and interesting program on the good bugs of our environment -the ones that shouldn’t bug us!

John Watts began studying insects at six years of age and went on to received his Masters Degree in Entomology from the University of Florida where he specialized in insect husbandry. With 18 years of experience in the live butterfly and arthropod exhibit business and an inordinate fondness for nature, John will gladly share his wealth of knowledge with us.

Prairies and Prairie Restoration by TMN Jim Varnum - NPSOT-Cross Timbers (Weatherford) (AT)
Thursday, May 10     6:30 PM

The Cross Timbers Chapter of the Native Plant Society will host Texas Master Naturalist Jim Varnum who will present a program on prairies and prairie restoration.  Prairies are microcosms of plants (mainly grasses and forbs), animals, birds, herps, invertebrates, soil, water - all interconnected and ever-changing.  Jim sorts all this out and tells you how to keep in tact.

FIELD TRIPS - http://www.audubondallas.org/fieldtrips.html

NOTE: It is very important that you RSVP for each trip where it is required.

Scheduled field trips may be cancelled due to weather or for other reasons, at the discretion of the field trip leader. Notice of last minute changes will be posted, if possible, on the Late-Breaking News forum of the "Bird Talk" page. Be on time because trips will depart at the "meeting" time. Most field trips are free and open to everyone, beginners to veteran birders, however some may have an associated fee which will be indicated. Be sure to dress for the weather and conditions, bring food and drinks as indicated, and be prepared with insect repellent, sun block, and a hat. At press time, possible additional field trips are still in development, so please check the Field Trips page on the website regularly for updates.

Family Open House Celebration!

The City of Plano and the Sustainability & Environmental Services Department invite you to celebrate the grand opening of the LEED Platinum Certified 

Environmental Education Center

Building and Garden Tours

Family Activities

Light Refreshments

Saturday, May 19, 1-2:30pm

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Hundreds of years ago, settlers marveled at the wide-open prairies in North Texas. Today, most of those grasslands have been replaced by cities and towns. The Botanical Research Institute of Texas will recapture the vibrancy and history of the North Texas landscape at the second annual Prairie Day event, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, May 19, at BRIT’s headquarters, 1700 University Drive, Fort Worth, 76107.

Prairie Day celebrates the beauty of the North Texas native landscape through a series of family-oriented, hands-on events that showcase the native grasses, wildflowers, and vegetation blanketing the BRIT site.  Maintaining and researching native landscapes is part of BRIT’s ongoing conservation effort. BRIT’s 70,000-square-foot, two-story research center received the highest sustainability award possible from the U.S. Green Building Council in 2011, the Platinum LEED certification.

Entertainment will be provided by the Katie Keenie Band, a country-western band, from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. Lone Star Bar-B-Que will serve lunch for $5.

Thursday May 17th FREE Admission all day 9am-9pm

How Birds Work

Join our monthly FREE Third Thursday event. 

We’ll have guided hikes and animal encounters throughout the day.  Evening activities include: Special guest speaker,Dr. Patty McGill, director of Dogwood Canyon and Trinity River Audubon Centers presenting How Birds Work at 7PM.  

From singing to swimming, from incredible powers of sight and hearing to the extraordinary ability to soar through the sky, birds are amazing.  But how do they achieve these incredible feats? Join us for a closer look at the bird body and the physical adaptations that allow birds to migrate great distances, navigate through the night sky, and return to the same wintering and breeding grounds each year.  

 At 8PM accompany Audubon Texas, Director of Education, Ben Jones, into the Great Trinity Forest on an Owl Prowl. 

Plant Safari 
May 12, 2012 from 8 am - 10 am

We offer the same safari on Saturday. This pre-sale tour by TDG's garden experts shows you how to incorporate native and adapted plants into your landscape. Learn about the environmental conditions they thrive in and the beneficial insects they attract. $15, $10 for TDG Members. Advance registration strongly encouraged.

http://texasdiscoverygardens.org/events_and_classes.php

Plant Sale 

May 12, 2012 from 10 am - 2 pm

We are having our sale earlier this year to give you more time to plant. Enjoy native and adapted plants that are rare to find in local nurseries!

Questions? Contact our program manager at (214) 428-7476 x 240  or programs@texasdiscoverygardens.org for details on classes and events. To register over the phone, call (214) 428-7476 x 343.

Coppell, TX: We have felt the extreme weather...

It’s time to Connect the Dots between climate change and extreme weather...

Saturday May 5th, 2012 The Coppell Nature Park will be doing a "hands on artistic activity" to educate and document the climate change we have experienced in Coppell, TX.

We will be doing this along with thousands of people around the world to support the communities on the front lines of the climate crisis.

When: Saturday May 5^th, 2012

Time: 11:00am to 1pm