The Nature of Naming - Unit 10 in your textbook
Plants - Unit 11 in your textbook Complete the optional quiz HERE.
Dr. George Diggs, Professor of Biology and Co-Director of the Public Health Program, Austin College
Read Dr. Diggs's BIO
Use Lisa's VMS slides to log last week's attendance in VMS
(If you missed class, contact Nancy to schedule a make-up.)
Opportunity: Init Training-Class 08
Date: March 25, 2026
Hours: 3.0
Description: Laws & Ethics and Ecological Grief with Mike Mitchell
Complete your class feedback survey ASAP
Look over Units 10-11 in your textbook. Complete the optional quiz HERE.
Watch the assigned videos
Classification of Life (6:11)
Invasive Plants in Texas (8:49)
Dr. George Diggs on Plants (28:00)
Check out the Go Botany Online Illustrated Glossary It is extremely useful when trying to decipher the many unfamiliar botanical terms used in keys and plant descriptions. Complete this crossword puzzle on botanical terms, using the Go Botany Glossary as a reference. (Alternate activity: if you don't like crossword puzzles, here's the same information in a simpler fill-in-the-blank format and answer sheet)
Complete the What Does That Botanical Name Mean? worksheet.
NOTE: The full Shinner's and Mahler's Illustrated Flora of North Central Texas is available as downloadable, searchable PDFs
Read this article on identifying plants by common plant families: Plant Identification Patterns. See Resources section for more information on identifying plants by families.
Watch additional videos:
Phototropism (6:54)
Your lighted loupe from your Meet & Greet swag bag
If you attended the Field Trip to Chalk Hill Farm, enter it in VMS as:
Opportunity: Init Training - Field Trip (A) if it was your 1st, (B) if it was your 2nd, (C) if it was your 3rd
Date: March 27, 2026
Hours: 3.0
Description: class field trip to Chalk Hill Farm with Fran & Bill Woodfin
If it was your 4th or more field trip, log it as:
AT: BPTMN: Other Pre-approved Training
Date: March 27, 2026
Hours: 3.0
Description: ADDITIONAL class field trip to Chalk Hill Farm with Fran & Bill Woodfin
see chapter calendar
Chapter BioBlitz at Oak Point Park: Saturday, March 28th, 3-5pm, sign up here
Prairie Creek Wetland and Wildscape Workdays - contact Peter Williams at petew59@gmail.com, see calendar for details
Gardening at Monarch View Park - contact Laura Kuwayama at laurak@bptmn.org
Baha'i Faith Plano Center Native Plant Bed Workdays - contact Valarie Atwood at atwood.valarie@gmail.com
McKinney Green Gardens at Gabe Nesbitt Park - contact Paulette Platko at paulette.platko@gmail.com
Pollinator Garden at JM Caldwell, Sr. Park - contact Donna Vickers at cross.vines.gardens@gmail.com
Garden bed maintenance at Holifield Science Learning Center - contact Brett Taylor at brett.taylor@pisd.edu
Garden bed maintenance at Heritage Farmstead Museum - contact Heather Fell at heatherf@bptmn.org or LuAnne Ray at luanner@bptmn.org
City of Plano park workdays - contact Jean Higgins at jeanh@bptmn.org
City of Frisco park workdays - contact Rick Travis at travisfam2@yahoo.com
Collin College Farmersville Prairie workdays - contact Katelyn Miller at katelynmmiller88@gmail.com
Farmersville Heritage Museum Pocket Prairie workdays - contact Diana Tesky at tesky1@yahoo.com
Heard Museum native plant sale - contact Laura Ragan at lragan@heardmuseum.org
LLELA greenhouse workdays - contact ERichard Freiheit at freiheit@unt.edu
Milkweed Grow Out Initiative - contact Carol Clark at carol@r-d-clark.com
Gardening & Prairie work at Blackland Prairie Raptor Center - contact Stephanie LoSoya at stephanie.losoya@bpraptorcenter.org
Hagerman NWR Butterfly Beds Maintenance - check Friends of Hagerman website
Dr. Diggs's Slide Deck
Field Identification of Fifty Common Plant Families The Botany Depot site offers this free handbook, available as a PDF.
Go Botany Online Illustrated Glossary This site is a life saver when it comes to using botanical keys!
Eat Your Weeds! Also from Botany Depot: several brochures about edible wild plants including recipes, plus info on plant toxicity.
Shinner and Mahler's Illustrated Flora of North Central Texas the book is available for free as downloadable, searchable PDFs.
Carolsworld.net - Carol Clark's (BPTMN member) naturalist blog
Native, Invasive, and other plant-related definitions - USDA
Native Plant Society of Texas (NPSOT), Collin County Chapter - website
Native Plant Nurseries and Events in DFW - from the Collin County NPSOT Chapter.
Native Texas Plants: Landscaping Region by Region - book by Sally Wasowski &Andy Wasowski (2003)
Illustrated Flora of North Central Texas by George M. Diggs et al - online or hardback
The Biota of North America Program's North American Plant Atlas - internet database
Texas Native and Adaptive Water Conscious Landscape Plants - brochure created by Lauren Kraus, 2024
Getting Started with Native Host Plants - brochure created by Joshua Peterson, 2024
Meet at the Science Resource Center at the Heard Museum
Week NINE: Wednesday, April 1, 2026
6:00 - 9:00 PM
Class meets IN PERSON
Every year, I am amazed by Mike's ability to take such a "dry" subject like laws & ethics and transform it into such a good, interactive presentation. This was our first year to also feature his Ecological Grief presentation. It was a challenging topic, but hopefully you felt that it was worth the time. You will find a ton of links in the "extras" section found at the top of the Laws & Ethics webpage.
Notes from Last Night:
The end-of-class presentations are OPTIONAL, but if you choose to do one, you can count all of your preparation & presentation time as VH.
Makeup work has been sent to those who have missed classes. Keep in mind that the questions included in the makeup work are for discussing with one or both of your pod Guides. Submitting a list of answers does not meet the state's requirements for class work. There has to be an interactive, live component to the makeup.
Week NINE: Mar 26-Apr 1
Pre-Work:
Check out your pre-work for next week so you'll be ready for Plants with Dr. Diggs. (He has the perfect name for his chosen profession, right? Not as on the nose as Sam Crowe, but still funny.) Bring your lighted loupe for the rotations.
Events This Week:
Field Trip to Chalk Hill Farm
Friday, March 27th
9:00-11:30am
4696 County Road 412, McKinney 75071
After turning into the drive, bear right at the Y and park at the barn on your right. Walk up to the house to meet.
Dress for the weather and bugs. Wear your nametag.
If your plans change, don't forget to update the SUG.
Chapter BioBlitz event (VH event)
Oak Point Park & Nature Preserve
Saturday, March 28th
3-5pm
5901 Los Rios Blvd, Plano, TX 75074
Meet at the main entrance to the park, near the park map.
Sign up on SUG to stay in the loop for any event communications.
Wear your nametag.
Deep Dive - ZOOM (AT event)
"From Screens to Streams: The Decline of Outdoor Play and How We Can Reverse the Trend"
Monday, March 30th
7pm
Events Next Week:
Field Trip to Blackland Prairie Raptor Center
Saturday, April 4th
12:00-2:30pm
1625 Brockdale Park Rd, Allen 75002
(Do not put Blackland Prairie Raptor Center in your GPS! Navigate to Brockdale Park)
Park in the gravel lot and make your way to the picnic tables near the entrance.
Please arrive early to park and settle in,12:00pm is late.
Wear your nametag, outdoor walking shoes and dress for the weather.
If your plans change, don't forget to update the SUG.
Looking Ahead on the Calendar:
Eco Explorers (VH event)
Saturday, April 11th
10am-noon
They are DESPERATELY looking for volunteers to help teach eco lessons. Sign up on their SUG.
Heard Spring Native Plant Sale
The Heard will be hosting their native plant sale in a month so mark your calendars!
Friday, April 17th 4-7pm, for Heard Museum Members only (that's YOU! 🙂)
Saturday, April 18th 9am-5pm, open to the public
Sunday, April 19th 1-5pm, open to the public
Please note: Museum admission is not required to attend the public sale days. Spread the word to your family and friends.
Heritage Farmstead Native Plant Beds Construction Project (VH event)
April 17th, 18th, and 19th
8am-noon, come & go when you can
Sign up here
Monarch View Park Planting (VH event)
Saturday, April 18th
9am-noon
Sign up here
City Nature Challenge (VH event)
Friday, April 24th - Monday, April 27th
TONS of iNat activities in our area that weekend so go ahead and pencil all of the dates on your calendar.
Join the iNaturalist CNC group for DFW here. You can see general CNC info here.
Mothing Events (VH or AT)
No registration needed, just show up.
Saturday April 25 Frisco Commons
Sunday April 26 Heard Museum
Friday May 8 Erwin Park
Friday May 22 Hagerman NWR
Saturday May 30 Brockdale Park
Saturday June 6 Breckinridge Park
Saturday June 20 Oak Point Park
Saturday July 18 Spring Creek Forest Preserve
Saturday July 25 Heard Museum
Saturday September 12 Connemara
Interested in joining the Moth Squad? Contact Rick at travisfam2@yahoo.com
Project WILD Training (AT event)
Saturday, May 1st
10am-4pm
Lewisville Lake Environmental Learning Area (LLELA)
Until April 1st, registration is open just to chapter members. On the 1st, it will open to the public.
Helpful Links:
See you next week,
Nancy
Nancy Casillas, Training Director
Texas Master Naturalist, Blackland Prairie Chapter
nancyc@bptmn.org
214-725-2309