Lost Pines Chapter, Texas Master Naturalist Program

...right here at home... in the Lost Pines

Welcome to the Lost Pines Chapter, Texas Master Naturalist Program! You can learn more about our chapter and the Master Naturalist volunteer program here. Master Naturalist volunteers help manage our local natural resources. If you are interested in joining us, or have questions about our activities, please contact us. Members: please use the contact form to update your address, phone number, or e-mail contact information.

The Lost Pines chapter serves primarily Bastrop and Caldwell Counties of Central Texas. These counties are predominantly in the Post Oak Savannah and Blackland Prairie Ecoregions. In addition, our area includes the unique "island forest" of the Lost Pines, - the western most extension of the loblolly pine (Pinus taeda), separated by about 100 miles from the pine forests of East Texas. Species in the Lost Pines are particularly adapted to the drier conditions here, and provide unique habitat for varied flora and fauna which can be seen in Bastrop State Park and Buescher State Park and other nearby natural areas. You can learn more about what makes these parks so special and see pictures of them by visiting our "Discover the Lost Pines" page; you can also find many links to information about the native plants, animals and ecology of the Lost Pines region on our resources page.

Lost Pines Chapter, Texas Master Naturalist Meetings

Advanced Training at Natural Bridges Cavern

Advanced Training field trip to Natural Bridges Cavern and Bracken Cave (click the image for a larger photo). Back row Craig Stalcup,Walt Elson,Anna Stalcup,Bob Crone,Rick Martinez,Jim Estes,Miriam Hall, Muriel & Pony Lem,Young boy in front of Walt is Scott Stalcup,Front row Mary Del Martinez, Louise Ridlon, Susan Crone and Tammy Vickery.

Environmental Education at Colorado River Refuge

Home Schoolers in action making a human food web. LPMN volunteers included Susan Crone, Bill Brooks, Carol Reidy, and Louise Ridlon.
Bill Brooks photo.

Cedar Creek Park Butterfly Garden
Planting coral honeysuckle at the new Cedar Creek Park

LPMN member Anna Stalcup with Boy Scout volunteers preparing to plant coral honeysuckle at the Cedar Creek County Park

Chapter meetings generally alternate between the Bastrop State Park Refectory, Red Rock Community Center, and the Lockhart State Park, and are at 6:30 PM on the third Monday of each month. Most meetings feature an educational program (Advanced Training unless otherwise noted), and are open to members, prospective members, and the general public.

February 20, 2012; 6:30 PM, Red Rock Community Center. Topic TBA

March 19, 2012; 6:30 PM, Red Rock Community Center. Topic TBA

April 16, 2012; 6:30 PM, Red Rock Community Center. Topic TBA

May 21, 2012; 6:30 PM, McKinney Roughs. Topic TBA

2012 Member Dues

Members, you may pay your 2012 Chapter dues ($10) on-line using a Paypal account or credit card. Please visit our dues page. Alternatively, please bring your check to a Chapter meeting.

Lost Pines Chapter Officers for 2012

Lost Pines Chapter Officers for 2012 were elected at our December meeting.

President, Al Hoerig
Vice President, Ronnie Lanier
Secretary, Joan Estes
Treasurer, Rik Martinez
Past President, Louise Ridlon
State Representative, Marsha Elrod

Members: Take Credit For Your Volunteer Hours!

Scott Moore is now tracking volunteer hours. Please report your volunteer and advanced training hours each month, using the Volunteer Activity reporting form. Send your completed reports to Scott.

Three forms are available:

1. A PDF file for those of you that complete time sheets manually and mail them to Scott,

2. A Word document in which you can insert your scanned signature, or scan after signing and email to Scott, and

3. A word document including the statement needed for an electronic signature.

If submitting your report electonrically, e-mail back to Scott (lpmnhours@gmail.com). If submitting by regular mail, send to Scott Moore, 415 Patton Cove, Bastrop, Texas 78602).

Bastrop and Caldwell County Plant Lists

Thanks to Liz Pullman and Judy Turner, lists of all reported plants for Bastrop and Caldwell counties are now available for your use. Please see our Plants Page to download your copy of each list!

Spring/Summer News and Notes from TMN HQ

Michelle Haggerty, Texas Master Naturalist Program Coordinator, sent a summary of news and information from around the state recently. Highlights include a summary of the 2010 TMN Annual Report: 742 new Master Naturalists were trained last year, and TMN volunteers reported over 250,000 hours of service during the year! Also included are a list of upcoming TMN activities and policy reminders. Read more, here.

Eastern Pine Elfin Butterfly at Bastrop State Park

On March 11, 2011, Eric Isley and Greg Lasley found an Eastern Pine Elfin butterfly (Callophrys niphon) in Bastrop State Park. Bastrop is the western-most county the species has been recorded in. This is also the first validated observation of the Pine Elfin in Bastrop County in fifty (or more) years, according to Mike Quinn. The earlier report was by Texas lepidopterist Roy Kendall. However, that record may have been based on a specimen collected by Ludolph Heiligbrodt in the 1880's; meaning that "or more" could be 130 years. Ten years ago, Dale Clark reported one in the Smith County inn East Texas, so the observation here in the Lost Pines is indeed rare.

This specific record is now in the Butterflies and Moths of North America (BAMONA) database: http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sighting_details/518526.

(BAMONA recently added the feature of specific records which can be accessed by clicking on the orange dots on their range maps. The orange dots on the map provide access to information about the 200 most recently verified sightings of this species.)

Full range and description: http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Callophrys-niphon

Eastern Pine Elfins tend to occupy the tops of pine trees and are only occasionally found at ground level. Adults nectar on a variety of flowers in the spring. Eggs are laid singly on new needles of younger pines, and pines are the host plant for the caterpillar. Common guides don't list Loblolly as one of the host pines, but it seems that this rare population has found a home in the Lost Pines!

Eastern Pine Elfin, Callophrys niphon. Photo courtesy of Greg Lasley, http://www.greglasley.net

In the news...

A recent article in the Smithville Times (and Bastrop Advertiser) "The Snakes Among Us" features a timely discussion of venomous snakes in our area. It was written by LPMN member Denis McGinness and includes extensive comments form Bill Brooks, LPMN unofficial herpetologist, and photography by LPMNer Alvin Cearley. Click here for part 2 of this series.

LPMN members Dale Morrison, Jim Estes and Nick Nichols were featured in an article in the Bastrop Advertiser about volunteering at the Colorado River Refuge. (Click here: 248 kB PDF file)

The Lost Pines Chapter of the Texas Master Naturalist Program was featured in a recent article by Denis McGinness in the "Smithville Times". Read the article here.

2010 Master Naturalist Class

We welcome graduates of the 2010 Lost Pines Master Naturalist Training Class. Class members-
Back row: Jeannie Jessup, Carl Altman-Kaough, Ralph Smoot, Bob Crone, John Stock, Drew Williams
Second Row: Alice Attaway, Nancy Parish, Nick Nichols, Ann Smoot, Sydney Gorton, Gayla Stock, Susan Smith, Caroline Easley
Front row: Carole Minnix, Tana Rogers, Lori Baumann, Roxanne Hernandez
Not pictured: Phil Cook, Sherryl King, Scott Moore, Kelly Overdorff, Bob Price, Hudson Smith

Beetles of the Lost Pines

Mike Quinn has consolidated his outstanding photos of beetles from the Lost Pines and other parts of Bastrop County. You can see them here: http://picasaweb.google.com/entomike/BastropCo#; with additonal photos from Camp Swift at http://picasaweb.google.com/entomike/Swift#