TX Gulf Coast Master Naturalist

Texas Master Naturalist Gulf Coast Region: well-informed volunteers providing natural resource education, outreach, and service to the local community

[TX Gulf Coast Master Naturalist @TXGCMN]

Golden Crownbeard or Cow Pen Daisy
Verbesina encelioides
Size: 2-3 feet tall
Flowers: February-December; 2 inches across, yellow
Exposure: full sun
Propagation: fall-or spring-sown seeds

[TX Gulf Coast Master Naturalist @TXGCMN]

Rocky Mountain Juniper
Juniperus scopulorum
Size: 35 feet
Fruit: bright blue, berry-like cones on female trees
Exposure: full sun
Tolerance: cold hardy
Propagation: stratified seeds, cuttings

[TX Gulf Coast Master Naturalist @TXGCMN]

Sweet Goldenrod
Solidago odora
Size: 1-6 feet
Flowers: summer-fall; spikes of small yellow flowers
Exposure: full sun, partial shade
Propagation: fresh seeds, root division when dormant

[TX Gulf Coast Master Naturalist @TXGCMN]

Eastern Cottonwood
Populus deltoides
Size: 40-90 feet
Fruit: allergenic pollen on male trees, cottony pods on female trees
Exposure: full sun
Tolerance: cold hardy
Propagation: fresh seeds, semi-hardwood cuttings

[TX Gulf Coast Master Naturalist @TXGCMN]

Winecup
Callirhoe involucrata
Size: 1 foot high 3-foot sprawling stems
Flowers: February-July; 2 inches, purple-to-red
Exposure: full sun, partial shade
Propagation: fall-sown seeds, rake into soil

[TX Gulf Coast Master Naturalist @TXGCMN]

Western Soapberry
Sapindus saponaria var. drummondii
Size: 15-30 feet
Flowers: May-June; showy white panicles
Fruit: clusters of amber berries on female tree
Exposure: full sun, partial shade
Tolerance: cold hardy to -10F
Propagation: scarified, stratified seeds

[TX Gulf Coast Master Naturalist @TXGCMN]

The honey in this jar was produced by bees at work on prairie wildflowers.
We naturalists tend to love native prairie plants for their good looks and useful properties. So the idea of honey made from them was a sweet thought indeed.

[TX Gulf Coast Master Naturalist @TXGCMN]

Black-eyed Susan
Rudbeckia hirta
Size: 1-3 feet
Flowers: May-October; 2-3 inches in diameter, yellow with brown center
Exposure: full sun, partial shade
Propagation: fall-or spring-sown seeds

[TX Gulf Coast Master Naturalist @TXGCMN]

Mexican Buckeye
Ungnadia speciosa
Size: 8-15 feet
Flowers: March-April; small pink blossoms
Fruit: three-chambered pods with black seeds
Exposure: full sun partial shade
Tolerance: cold hardy to 0F
Propagation: fresh seeds

[TX Gulf Coast Master Naturalist @TXGCMN]

Giant Four-o' clock
Mirabilis multiflora
Size: 2 feet tall, 4 feet wide
Flowers: May-September; purplish red, 1 inch across, 2 inches long
Exposure: full sun
Propagation: scarify seeds, stratify one month, plant in spring; soft cuttings

[TX Gulf Coast Master Naturalist @TXGCMN]

Retama or Jerusalem Thorn
Parkinsonia aculeata
Size: 20-40 feet
Flowers: spring-fall; 1/2 inch, yellow, in clusters
Fruit: 2 to 4 inch pods
Exposure: full sun, partial shade
Tolerance: young trees hardy to about 15F
Propagation: seeds, semi-hardwood cuttings

[TX Gulf Coast Master Naturalist @TXGCMN]

Bush Morning Glory
Ipomoea leptophylla
Size: 2-3 feet tall, 3-5 feet wide
Flowers: May-July; 3 inches in diameter, 4 inches long, lavender
Exposure: full sun

[TX Gulf Coast Master Naturalist @TXGCMN]

Clathrus columnatus

This Columned Stinkhorn Fungus is in the Phallaceae  family of fungi.
Unlike gill mushrooms, which release spores into the air for distribution, these  fungi spores are within the gooey brown substance (gleba) near its top.

[TX Gulf Coast Master Naturalist @TXGCMN]

Mexican Plum
Prunus mexicana
Size: 15-25 feet
Flowers: March-April; 1 inch, white
Fruit: edible, 1 1/2-inch, red-to-purple plums
Exposure: full sun partial shade
Tolerance: cold hardy to -10 F
Propagation: double-stratified seeds, cuttings

[TX Gulf Coast Master Naturalist @TXGCMN]

Tegenaria domesica wove funnel web near mailbox; mail carrier wary. #tdomestica #houston #spider
Sunlight and #tdomestica: not a match. #houston #spider

[TX Gulf Coast Master Naturalist @TXGCMN]

Thompson's Yucca
Yucca thompsoniana
Size: 3-20 feet
Flowers: spring-summer; large clusters of white flowers on tall stalks
Fruit: leathery capsules 1-4 inches long
Exposure: full sun
Tolerance: cold hardy
Propagation: fresh seeds

[TX Gulf Coast Master Naturalist @TXGCMN]

Laurel Cherry
Prunus caroliniana
Size: 15-40 feet
Flowers: March-April; creamy, 1-to-2-inch clusters
Fruit: black, 1-to-2-inch drupes, inedible
Exposure: full sun, partial shade
Tolerance: avoid hot, dry locations; cold hardy to 0F
Propagation: double-stratified seeds, cuttings

[TX Gulf Coast Master Naturalist @TXGCMN]

Roughleaf Dogwood
Cornus drummondii
Size: 8-15 feet
Flowers: May-August; 2-to-3 inch, clusters of white flowers
Fruit: white drupes
Exposure: full sun to full shade
Tolerance: cold hardy
Propagation: scarified, stratified seeds, softwood or semi-hardwood cuttings
#nativeplants

[TX Gulf Coast Master Naturalist @TXGCMN]

Purple Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea
Size: 2-4 feet
Flowers: April-May; 3-inch heads with purple-to-pink rays, rusty center
Exposure: full sun, partial shade
Propagation: seeds in spring or summer
#nativetexan #nativeplants #texas #growyourown

[TX Gulf Coast Master Naturalist @TXGCMN]

Hermit crap galvestonislandstatepark @ Galveston Island State Park - Texas Parks and Wildlife https://t.co/YAyz3g6DsE