Rewilding My Lot

When I came to Seguin I was already aware of the Native Plant Society of Texas, and I quickly joined the local chapter (Guadalupe) so that I could learn from others more experienced than I about gardening in this area.

A few weeks later I learned about the Texas Master Naturalist Program, of which I had been unaware. It didn’t take long for me to realize that these were really my people — folks who are passionate about all aspects of nature (not only plants), and who want to learn and help.

So just two weeks before this year’s classes started, I signed up and found myself studying and going to school again for a few months.

And now I have graduated! The first thing that any Master Naturalist will tell you is that this certification makes you a “master” of absolutely nothing. What it has provided for me is an opening to learn more about all kinds of things that relate to nature; a connection with fellow nature-lovers, several of whom are already good friends; and the opportunity to do service activities in my community that are meaningful to me. And in rubbing shoulders with other local naturalists, I have already learned a lot that is helpful in developing my own garden here.

If you want to learn more about your own Master Naturalist program, if there is one, check out their website. The Texas program is here.

These are the topics of classes we did. Obviously we could only be given a taste of these subjects in the training classes, but we are encouraged to continue to learn more in areas that interest us.

• Texas naturalist history
• Community science projects
• Plants
• Urban biology
• Birds
• Geology and soils
• Ecosystems
• Weather and climate
• Insects
• Herps (reptiles and amphibians)
• Phenology (the study of cyclic and seasonal natural phenomena, especially in relation to climate and plant and animal life)
• Aquatic systems

We also had several interesting field trips, such as to Palmetto State Park, Canyon Lake Gorge, and Bracken Cave Preserve (home of the largest colony of bats in North America).