“You don’t need to choose between keeping your garden alive during the summer and conserving water––you can have both. All you need to do is pay attention to your current practices and make them more efficient for the summer season,” says Steve Huddleston, senior horticulturist at the Fort Worth Botanic Garden.

Here are six steps you can take to set your garden up for success while focusing on water conservation.

1. Know and follow the basic water regulations.

The City of Fort Worth restricts outdoor watering year round from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm with the exception of watering by hand or with soaker hoses. This rule helps the city reduce water waste. Residents of other area cities should check with their local municipal government to see what restrictions are in effect.

If you choose to water your garden by hand, do it in the morning to reduce wasteful evaporation.

2. Water your plants only when they are thirsty.

Did you know your lawn only needs an inch of water a week to survive?

One inch can penetrate the soil to a depth of six inches. This cycle allows for roots to grow deep into the soil.

If you are unsure if your grass needs more water, complete the step test. If the grass looks blue-gray and your footprint remains when you step on the grass, you need more water. If not, keep it up!

3. Present issues.

According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), one broken sprinkler head could waste up to 25,000 gallons of water and cost more than $90 during a 6-month irrigation season. It’s important to monitor your sprinkler system and repair any broken, missing or misdirected sprinkler heads as soon as you see them.

4. Add to your garden instead of taking things away.

Mulch is a great way to help your garden stay cool in the summer heat. It conserves water in the soil, inhibits weed germination, stabilizes soil temperatures and prevents erosion.

Adding drip irrigation is efficient as well. Since with these systems the water sprays directly onto the roots, you won’t lose your water to the wind. These systems use 20-70% less water than traditional irrigation systems and are sustainable for beds and containers––just not lawns.

5. Take advantage of rain when we get it.

“Collecting rainwater is one of the easiest, low maintenance and cost-effective ways you can have water for irrigation use,” says Huddleston. According to the Texas Water Development Board, 32,000 gallons of water roll off the average Texas roof yearly.

Free water for our plants? Count us in!

6. Set up your garden with the summer in mind.

When creating a garden, look for various plants with different water needs. This helps ensure your garden can thrive at all times. Reducing your grass area and replacing it with shrubs, perennials and groundcovers can also reduce water use and resources needed to maintain your garden.

Timing is key, too. Planting in the fall rather than the spring or summer requires less water and helps your plants’ roots become fully established before the summer heat kicks in.

Do any of these tips sound familiar?

That’s because some of these tips are the basic principles for setting up a xeriscape garden. Don’t worry! Xeriscaping doesn’t limit you to cactus and rock gardens. This type of planting just means you are creating a water-conserving, dry-focused garden.

“It’s easy to feel discouraged about conserving water and maintaining a beautiful garden when the heat is so relentless,” says Huddleston. “But learning how to set up a water-efficient garden properly is a significant first step.”

This post originally appeared in the July newsletter from the Fort Worth Botanic Garden and is shared with permission. 

The post ‘Tis the Season for Dehydration: Watering During a Heatwave first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

Imagining Life without Pollinators
Scientists have looked at what life would be like without bees and butterflies, and it isn’t a pretty picture. It’s true some of the most essential crops don’t rely on pollinators–wheat, rice and corn would be OK, as would sugarcane and sugarbeets. (These plants are able to pollinate themselves.) So what would we lose?
Fruit pies. Apples, peaches, blueberries, strawberries, lemons and limes all need pollinators.
Guacamole. Both avocados and tomatoes rely on pollinators.
Potatoes. Adios, french fries. And there’s would be no point in trying to substitute onion rings–no pollinators, no onions. Plus, without pollinators, you wouldn’t have any mustard for your burger, and your bun wouldn’t have sesame seeds.
Coffee. Without pollinators, you couldn’t get lattes, frappuccinos, flat whites, or basic cups of joe.
Wine. While most grapes can self-fertilize, pollinators are essential for cover crops, the plants grown around grapevines to keep the soil healthy. Adieu, pinot noir and chardonnay.
Chocolate. The cacao plant (Theobroma cacao) is pollinated exclusively by a tiny insect called a chocolate midge. No midge, no fudge.

The point of pollinators.

It’s easy to underestimate the importance of pollinators on our planet, but they are essential. Bees, butterflies and hummingbirds are the most well-known pollinators, but moths, ants, bats and flies also play a role. All of them consume nectar, a sugary fluid produced by flowers.

When a pollinator gulps down tasty, tasty nectar, it also picks up tiny grains of pollen produced by the flower’s anthers, the male part of the plant. The pollinator then carries those grains to the other flowers that it visits in search of more nectar. Some of that pollen will stick to the stigmas of other flowers; the stigma is the female part of the plant. Boom! Those flowers are now fertilized and can produce fruits and seeds.

Roughly 80 percent of all flowering plants need pollinators to reproduce. Of the 1,400 or so crop plants grown around the world, 75 to 80 percent require pollination by animals. As well as supplying basic nutrients, many of these plants produce critical vitamins and minerals. “The majority of dietary lipids, calcium, fluoride, iron, carotenoids, lycopene, beta-cryptoxanthin, and the vitamins A, C, and E consumed worldwide come from crops that require pollinators,” according to the National Resources Defense Council. Without pollinators, we would all have bad teeth and brittle bones, we might be anemic, we would definitely have scurvy, and we would all be at higher risk for heart disease and cancer.

And yet pollinators are at risk with populations declining around the world. According to the Smithsonian Institution, “Decades of stressors including the loss, degradation, and fragmentation of pollinator habitats; the improper use of pesticides and herbicides; and diseases, predation, and parasites have all hurt pollinators.”

It will take widespread, systemic action to eliminate risks to pollinators, but there’s good news. Individuals can make a real difference by creating pollinator-friendly habitats full of native, flowering plants.

Making the Case for Milkweed (Asclepias.)
Milkweed is a special plant, because it is essential to the survival of monarch butterflies. While the butterflies feed on nectar from a wide variety of plants, the females exclusively lay their eggs on milkweeds. When the caterpillars hatch, they feed on milkweed–and that’s it. The decline in monarch butterfly populations has been traced to the eradication of milkweed in agricultural areas. If we’re going to have monarchs, we must have milkweed.

Many experts recommend avoiding tropical milkweed, which does not die back in the winter and might disrupt migration patterns. Look instead for natives including antelope horn milkweed (Asclepias asperula) and green antelope horn milkweed (Asclepias viridis). The plants prefer full sun and sandy, well-drained soils. They tend to grow slowly, and they attract aphids, but it is essential not to spray the plant with pesticides, which would hurt the caterpillars. Usually other insects will take care of the aphids.

It isn’t always easy to find native milkweed in garden centers, so call around before you shop. Nurseries that specialize in native plants are the most likely to carry these varieties. Or you can plan to buy native milkweed at the Fall Plant Sale at the Garden Oct. 5-7, along with many of the plants highlighted in this article.

Black-eyed susan (Rudbeckia hirta) blooming on the Pollinator Pathway.

Plants for North Texas Pollinators

Native plants are particularly important for pollinators, since the pollinators native to this region evolved alongside these native plants. They have mutually beneficial relationships. Non-native plants might not provide pollinators enough nectar or pollen, or they might be inedible to the insects that need to feed on them.

Some great native plants for North Texas pollinators include the following:

Autumn Sage (Salvia greggii). This plant is available in colors from deep red to pale yellow and salmon to red-violet. A small shrub, it adapts easily to a variety of soils, blooms from spring to fall and has a high tolerance for Texas heat.

Black-eyed susan (Rudbeckia hirta).  Bright-yellow, 2-3 in. wide, daisy-like flowers with dark centers make this plant a favorite. Requires full sun.

Butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa). Bright yellow-orange flowers cover this plant in summer. Unlike other milkweeds, butterfly weed does not ooze caustic milky sap if damaged. On the other hand, it is less likely to support monarch caterpillars.

Blue mistflower (Conoclinium coelestinum). Produces feathery flowers in a pale lavender blue. Needs full sun to partial shade and spreads easily.

Lanceleaf coreopsis (Coreopsis lanceolata). Bright yellow leaves bloom above a mound of narrow green leaves. Prefers full sun and dry soil.

Texas lantana (Lantana urtecoides). Native lantana thrives under the worst conditions, include bad soil, high temperatures and low water availability, and yet blooms all summer long. Needs full sun.

Turk’s Cap (Malvaviscus drummondii). This hardy perennial thrives ­in all kinds of soils, endures drought without complaint, and blooms summer through fall. The flowers are generally red, although pink and white varieties are available. Prefer shady locations.

For more ideas about pollinator favorites, visit the Pollinator Pathway. Follow the buzzing to the plants playing host to bees, butterflies and hummingbirds and consider finding room for them in your own garden.

This article originally appeared in the June edition of the Fort Worth Botanic Garden’s newsletter and is shared with permission. 

The post Bring on the Bees and Butterflies! first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

“Orchid exhibits, frequently hosted by world-class botanic gardens, are the perfect opportunity to introduce our community to the beauty and splendor of one of the world’s most diverse plant families,” said Bob Byers, FWBG executive vice president. “Most orchids bloom in late winter and early spring, so that is the ideal time to showcase this amazing flower.”

White egret orchid (Habenaria radiata)

Fort Worth Orchid Society President Dotty Woodson described “World of Orchids” as a first-time orchid event of this magnitude in Texas. “It will turn the Fort Worth Botanic Garden’s rainforest conservatory into an exquisite orchid paradise with thousands of colorful orchids of every shape and size arranged in spectacular displays,” Woodson said.

Diamond Orchid (Ophrys reinholdii)

With approximately 30,000 species, orchids are the largest family of flowering plants in the world and grow on every continent except Antarctica.  Some orchids are terrestrial (ground-dwelling) and grow in temperate and boreal regions.  Many orchid species are epiphytic, which means they grow on other plants but derive moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water or from debris accumulating around them.

Cockleshell orchid (Prosthechea cochleata)

H-E-B/Central Market is the exhibit’s presenting sponsor. “We’re thrilled to partner with the Fort Worth Botanic Garden on its inaugural ‘World of Orchids’ exhibit. This world-class exhibit will put the Garden on the map for orchid enthusiasts and garden lovers all across the region and beyond,” said Mabrie Jackson, senior director of public affairs, H-E-B/Central Market. “We’re excited to have these beautiful and exotic varieties available for enjoyment down the street from our store right here in Fort Worth.”

Flying duck orchid (Caleana major)

During the course of the exhibit, the event is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with last tickets sold at 4:30 p.m. Visitors may pay to see the orchid exhibit alone or pay to see a combination of the orchid exhibit and the entire Garden. Members pay a discounted price for the orchid exhibit.  For more information, visit fwbg.org/orchids.

The post Mother Nature’s Masterpieces first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

This group of plants forms what plant taxonomists refer to as the Vernonieae tribe and includes approximately 1,500 species of herbs, shrubs, trees and vines worldwide. The “ironweeds” have confounded botanists attempting to understand patterns shared by species in this group, which has led experts to describe tribe Vernonieae by a notorious nickname: the “evil tribe.”

“Vernonieae is incredibly confusing. The characteristics among many species overlap and vary to a degree that it’s hard to differentiate them as distinct genera,” said FWBG | BRIT Research Botanist and Principal Investigator (PI), Morgan Gostel. “At the same time, other plants in the tribe are highly distinctive with little in common and are quite easy to recognize and distinguish at the taxonomic level of genus.”

“For most of the history of Vernonieae, more than one thousand species were classified in the same genus (Vernonia), but Vernonia has been reduced to just 20 species. This has left the remaining species of this once vast genus in a state of limbo or ‘purgatory’ until taxonomists determine their correct placement,” Gostel said.

Recently, considerable research in the Americas has begun to unravel the mysteries of the tribe and species formerly placed in the genus Vernonia; however, nearly half of the species of Vernonieae are restricted to the Eastern Hemisphere and have been long neglected by botanists, said Gostel. Funding from this NSF-NERC award will allow Dr. Gostel and his collaborators at Kew to reclassify diversity in Vernonieae from the Eastern Hemisphere and develop tools to help others identify and understand this enigmatic group of plants. Members of the team at Kew include Drs. Isabel Larridon, Benoit Loeuille and Ana Rita Simões.

Taxonomic knowledge like this is essential to conserving the diversity of plant life on the planet, said Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Research Leader and co-PI for the grant, Dr. Isabel Larridon. “Understanding the diversity of the nearly half-a-million plant species on Earth is a strategic priority for Kew Science,” Larridon said. “Yet there are too many plant species and not enough trained taxonomists to study, describe and distribute information about them.”

While resolving questions about Vernonieae, Gostel and Larridon will also advance the distribution of scientific information and the training of the next generation of scientists.

The results of their work will be added to the newly established Global Compositae Database (GCD), a public online taxonomic resource for the Compositae family. The GCD, coordinated by the International Compositae Alliance (TICA) is part of a global effort to develop an online database of all plant life and recognized as a Taxonomic Expert Network by the World Flora Online.

At the same time, the team will train the next generation of plant taxonomists by working with at least three graduate students and four undergraduate students. Further international training will be provided through workshops with students, botanists and herbarium and university staff and via environmental education programs offered by FWBG | BRIT and Kew.

During the four-year project, Gostel, Larridon and their team will conduct field work in five countries critical to sampling for this work (the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Madagascar, Mozambique, South Africa and Thailand) and study plant specimens in numerous herbaria around the world, most notably at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (K); Fort Worth Botanic Garden|Botanical Research Institute of Texas (BRIT), Missouri Botanical Garden (MO), Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle in Paris (P), and Botanic Garden Meise (BR). They will analyze the DNA of Vernonieae and the morphological features such as small hairs, pollen and flowers from these plant species to identify patterns that can help them classify diversity in the group.

“By better understanding Vernonieae, we will be making great strides in understanding the complexity of this group and making important discoveries that will help botanists understand and communicate about plant diversity in other groups,” Gostel said. “We expect the ‘evil tribe’ won’t be so evil when we’re done.”

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The post Researchers from BRIT and the United Kingdom Untangle the Mystery of the Evil Tribe first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

Hosted in cooperation with the Fort Worth Japanese Society, the festival includes cultural demonstrations, performances, unique shopping opportunities and traditional foods.

Japanese Society President Harvey Yamagata says this year’s zodiac symbol represents a new perspective from last year’s Year of the Ox.

“The tiger denotes strength, vitality and growth – qualities that will hopefully stand us in good stead as we look to move past the challenges brought by the pandemic,” Yamagata said. “With new growth on trees and shrubs, warmer weather and the chance to be in beautiful outdoor surroundings, the spring festival corresponds nicely with those attributes.”

Festival admission this spring offers a triple benefit, said Executive Vice President Bob Byers.  “The large outdoor Stickwork exhibit is still up, waiting for in-and-out discovery and exploration.  In addition, David Rogers’ Big Bugs have invaded the Garden on a gargantuan scale and offer a role reversal of dimension and perception.”

Japanese culture highlights from the Spring Festival will include the following:

• Performances by two Taiko drumming groups, traditional Japanese martial arts experts and Master Swordsman G.K. Sugai.
• Displays of the miniature worlds of bonsai trees from the Fort Worth Bonsai Society, and demonstrations in Origami, Calligraphy and Japanese Games.
• Vendors selling treasures from origami jewelry to crafts made with vintage kimonos.
• Traditional dances.
• Food from Asian food trucks preparing delicious meals and snacks, as well as authentic Japanese cuisine prepared by the Fort Worth Japanese Society.

Other event details include the following:

• Tickets are included with the price of Botanic Garden admission ($12) and can be purchased online or at the door. To purchase tickets, visit: org/japanesefestival
• FWBG |BRIT members must apply a promo code at checkout to receive discounts. Questions? Contact the membership office at 817.332.7518.
• Members receive free entry but can register in advance. To become a member, visit org/membership

The post Celebrate the Year of the Tiger first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

Insects outnumber us one million to one. Many live in communal groups working as one for the common good of all. Their ranks include engineers, soldiers, weightlifters, weavers, hunters, stalkers, gatherers, and even royalty.

“When you take this remarkable and diverse group of ‘hidden gardeners’ and recreate them on a gigantic scale using all-natural materials, you have Big Bugs,” said Patrick Newman CEO and President. “The stunning effect is a role reversal of dimension and perception that kids of all ages will absolutely love.”

Photo courtesy of Chris Smith, FWBG|BRIT

The sculptures are created using various combinations of whole trees, cut green saplings, dry branches and other forest materials.  Audiences will marvel or stand buy-eyed before the larger-than-life insect sculptures and gain an appreciation for these invaluable members of the animal kingdom.

Exhibit viewing is included with the price of Garden admission. Members receive free entry. For more information, visit brit.org/bigbugs

The post Big Bugs Are Coming! Big Bugs Are Coming! first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

Official Dog Days dates are as follows:
February 19-20
May 21-22
July 16-17
August 20-21
November 19-20

“Fort Worth dog lovers can give their canines a new ‘leash’ on life in a beautiful, outdoor setting,“ said Patrick Newman, FWBG|BRIT CEO and President and proud owner of two Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, Charlie and Milo. “Dog Days offers yet another way for local residents to explore and discover the many wonders of our 120-acre campus.”

Rough collie with red poppy

Dog Days will be held during regular Garden hours: 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. in the winter and 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. in the summer. Regular admission is required for humans, with an additional $5 per dog. FWBG|BRIT Members receive free admission and pay $5 per dog — with complimentary bandana(s). For the health and happiness of our furry friends, hydration stations will be available across the campus. To ensure the success of Dog Days and safety of all participants, the Garden asks that guests and pets adhere to specific rules and etiquette:

All dogs must be leashed, more than four months old and up to date on vaccinations. 

Waste must be bagged and placed in trash receptacles. The Garden will have bags available for use.

Dogs must be socialized and well-behaved. If dogs are seen acting aggressively, Garden staff reserves the right to ask owners to leave.

Click here for additional Dog Days rules and etiquette.

The post A Howling Good Time at BRIT/FWBG This Weekend first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

Behold nature’s wondrous transformation and marvel at brilliantly colored living jewels fluttering in the Fort Worth Botanic Garden’s Rainforest Conservatory during “Butterflies in the Garden,” the largest exhibit of live, exotic butterflies in north central Texas, starting Feb. 25. and running through April 10. The six-week exhibit will be open daily, including Sundays, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

“Beautiful, exotic butterflies of every hue and size will be flying in the conservatory,” said Bob Byers, executive vice-president. “People will have a chance to walk among hundreds of fluttering butterflies from around the world, watch them land on tropical flowers and lush foliage — maybe even on their shoulders — and learn about the amazing life cycle of the butterfly.”

Hosted by the Fort Worth Botanic Garden|Botanical Research Institute of Texas, Butterflies in the Garden will offer educational programs, exciting exhibits, gift shop items and more designed to enhance the visitor experience.

The exhibit is likely to feature Central American butterflies such as the Starry Night Butterfly (Hamadryas Iaodamia), the Mosaic (Colobura dirce),  the elegant Glass Wing (Greta oto), Small Postman (Heliconius erato), Pink-Spotted Cattleheart (Parides photinus), the green Malachite (Siproeta stelenes), and Tiger Longwing (Heliconius hecale).  The ever-popular Blue Morpho (Morpho peleides) will definitely be featured in the exhibit.  Of all the butterflies in the exhibit, the Blue Morpho is the most striking and a perennial favorite among visitors. Also included in the exhibit will be butterflies from North and South America, Africa and Asia.

Blue Morpho, Morpho peleides

Tickets for timed entrance are currently for sale online. Admission is $12 for ages 16-64; $10 for seniors (65+); $8 for ages 6-15; and free for children under five. For those who want to visit both the Garden and the butterfly exhibit, the price is $18 for adults and seniors and $10 for children. School groups of 20 or more may purchase tickets in advance for $8 per person. FWBG|BRIT members receive a discounted price of $10 for adults, $8 for seniors, and $6 for children.

Additionally, the Botanic Garden|BRIT, along with Studio Outside, Bennett Partners, and DEI Consultants, will launch a robust, citywide public engagement process later this month to inform a long-term master plan for the Garden, with a particular focus on Fort Worth’s rich and growing diversity.

In addition to providing online comment capabilities through a website www.brit.org/masterplan, five community forums are planned as follows:

• 26, 6:30 p.m. Rockwood Park Golf Course Clubhouse
• 27, 6:30 p.m. at Como Community Center
• 29, 10 a.m. at MLK, Jr., Community Center
• 2, 6:30 p.m. at Chisholm Trail Community Center
• 3, 6:30 p.m. at Heritage Church

Estrus Tucker, president and CEO of DEI Consultants, outlined goals for the 90-minute community forums. “Listening, building relationships and informing the master plan are the three major goals for soliciting this public feedback,” Tucker said. “We especially want to hear from new and diverse community voices while building relationships across the city with organizations and individuals.”

Forum agenda formats will consist of brief opening remarks with a welcome from City Council members, an overview of Fort Worth Botanic Garden | Botanical Research Institute of Texas, a summary of the master planning process, a brief statement about “why” these meetings are being held, and a series of interactive conversations, listening sessions, and engaging planning activities. With health and safety of all participants a top priority, CDC guidelines will be followed.

“We consider public feedback immensely important in the master planning process since the Garden is a local treasure belonging to all Fort Worth residents,“ said Bob Byers, FWBG|BRIT executive vice president and co-chair of the Master Planning Committee. “Creating a long-term, inspiring guest experience is at the heart of this process.”

The master planning committee led by former District 7 City Councilman Dennis Shingleton comprises members from throughout the community, representative of Fort Worth civil servants, local garden associations, Fort Worth ISD, FWBG|BRIT Board and staff, and other community advocates and developers.

The post Big Things Are Happening at BRIT! first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

We often hear this question from friends and family in relation to natural “treasures” found in the landscape. Sticks, leaves, flowers, fruit, fungi, lichens, moss. You name it, somebody has likely brought it to BRIT for identification at some point (or emailed us a photo).

This time we feature the crazy, gargantuan, monster acorn caps from the bur oak tree (Quercus macrocarpa).

RAWR! Monster caps! (Credit: everyskyline, Wikimedia) Photo courtesy of BRIT

Bur oak is native to the central and eastern US, including most of the middle swath of Texas, top to bottom. This fast-grower typically likes an open, limestone or chalky clay habitat and is adapted not only to fire and drought but also to extreme cold and flooding. You can find it in the prairies and savannas as well as along waterways. So basically it’s a super champ of trees, which is why it’s common in cultivation.

And as you can see above, THE CAPS OF ITS ACORNS ARE WEIRD, mostly because they’re just so big. Bigger than we’re used to seeing relative to what we think of as lil’ ol’ acorns. But they’re also weird because of the shaggy ornamentation encircling the cap. This is a feature that can vary over the tree’s range. Caps in the southern portion have long fringe hairs while others at the far north of its range are much smaller and barely have any shag at all. The caps seen above have what one might call “average shag.” The shagginess and the size of the cap are the reason for one of the tree’s other common names: mossy-cup oak. To me, because the size of the cap often dwarfs the little acorn attached, it resembles one of those big Russian fur hats (which Google tells me is called a “ushanka”…think George Costanza’s “leave behind” hat).

Bur oak distribution in Texas. Adapted from digital version of “Atlas of United States Trees” by Elbert L. Little, Jr. U.S. Geological Survey.(Credit: everyskyline, Wikimedia)
Photo courtesy of BRIT

There’s another oak, Quercus lyrata (overcup oak), that the bur oak can sometimes be confused with—their ranges overlap a bit in East Texas, they can hybridize, and overcup oak also has an acorn cap that wraps much of the way around the acorn (hence its common name).

Bur oak (Q. macrocarpa) vs overcup oak (Q. lyrata). Adapted from Flora of North America.Bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa) acorn caps. The size can be pretty variable within a single tree, but they’re all pretty bulky compared to other species.Bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa) acorns.Bur oak (Q. macrocarpa) vs. English oak (Q. robur).Bur oak (Q. macrocarpa) vs. Texas live oak (Q. fusiformis).

Bur oak (Q. macrocarpa) vs. Texas live oak (Q. fusiformis).
Photo courtesy of BRIT

I mean, LOOK at the size of these things! You know that scene in Honey, I Shrunk the Kids where the kids are tiny and running around in the yard, and they happen upon a crumb from an oatmeal creme pie, and it’s as big as a house? That must be what it’s like for a squirrel to eat these acorns! But they’re not just a treat for the wee animals. American black bears also consider them worthy snacks, breaking off branches to get to those still attached to the tree.

Bur oak leaves and acorns (Illustrated Flora of North Central Texas).Ornament made from a bur oak acorn cap. (Thank you, littles!)
Photo courtesy of BRIT

So why the big cap? Why the big fruit? The Latin name macrocarpa translates to “large fruit.” The acorns of bur oak are the largest of all the native oaks. But making fruit this big is energy-intensive; it’s expensive to the tree. So bur oaks use a strategy called masting (=”synchronous and intermittent reproduction”) where large nut crops are produced only every few years in order to overwhelm seed predators, making more than could be eaten in a single season and hoping that some will survive to become new trees. Many oaks do this. Serendipitously, the MinuteEarth channel on YouTube just posted a new video on this very topic (When Trees Go Nuts – YouTube).

This doesn’t exactly explain why individual bur oak acorns are BIGGER than acorns from other oak species, but the evolutionary advantages of any large-fruited plant are somewhat related to the idea of masting: fruit/seed predators are given more than they can possibly consume in total, hopefully leaving some fruit and seeds intact to germinate and contribute to the next generation. Think of the strategy of making few big watermelons versus hundreds of little grapes. That may be what’s going on here. Why do you think the acorns are so big?

Excerpt from Shinners & Mahler’s Illustrated Flora of North Central Texas (1999):
Quercus macrocarpa Michx., (large-fruited), BUR OAK, MOSSY-CUP OAK, PRAIRIE OAK, MOSSYOVERCUP OAK. Large tree; nuts and cups (3-6 cm wide) largest of all nc TX species. Stream bottoms, lower slopes, upland woods; usually in at least moderately drained places; in or near limestone areas; se and e TX w to West Cross Timbers and Edwards Plateau. This species is well known for its large acorns and thick, fire-resistant bark.

Links to more info on the species…

Information from the Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center: https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=quma2

Distribution in the US: https://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=quma2

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quercus_macrocarpa

iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/54781-Quercus-macrocarpa

Ethnobotany: http://naeb.brit.org/uses/search/?string=quercus+macrocarpa

Flora of North America: http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=233501058

So keep bringing us your weird and wonderful treasures! We’ll do our best to turn them into teaching moments that benefit us all. Happy botanizing!

The post What Is This Thing? The BRIT Answers first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

Many plants play an important role in holiday celebrations, from evergreen trees to poinsettias, but mistletoe is unique in many ways. It is not only a major player in multiple Western mythologies but also a fascinating example of hemi-parasitism.

Let’s back up a bit. More than 1,000 species of mistletoe are found around the world, and botanists class all of them as “hemi-parasites.” This means that while they use photosynthesis to draw some of their energy from the sun, they also attach themselves to the stems of trees and draw nutrients from the branches. Generally, the mistletoe and its host tree can coexist, but mistletoes can sometimes kill their hosts by depriving them of nutrients. Nevertheless, mistletoes are generally viewed as playing important roles in the ecosystems in which they evolved.

Mistletoe can be striking in the winter, as the green leaves and white or red berries, depending on the species, stand in bright contrast to the bare branches of their host trees. Many early cultures considered mistletoe a sacred plant, and numerous myths grew up around it. For example, ancient Druids are believed to have used mistletoe in a ceremony that involved the sacrifice of two white bulls. In a Norse legend, the beloved god Baldur was killed by an arrow made of mistletoe in a sinister trick by the god Loki. In the Roman epic The Aeneid, the hero Aeneas uses a golden bough of mistletoe to enter the realm of the dead and speak to his father’s ghost.

The association of mistletoe with love and kisses dates back to Greek and Roman marriage ceremonies, and the tradition of decorating with hanging clumps of mistletoe began during the Roman winter holiday Saturnalia. It’s not clear exactly when mistletoe became associated with Christmas, but by the 18th century it was a well-established part of winter holiday celebrations. According to one tradition, women caught under mistletoe had to return any kiss or not receive any marriage proposals for a year.

Those curious about mistletoe should consult the newly released title from BRIT Press, Mistletoes of the Continental United States and Canada by Robert L. Mathiasen. The book serves as a field guide to mistletoes and includes information on the role of the plants within their ecosystems and their relationships with organisms including birds, mammals, insects and fungi.

The next time you find yourself under a clump of mistletoe, take a moment to contemplate the history and botany of this remarkable plant—or just kiss your special someone. The choice is yours!

The post Before Stealing a Kiss Under the Mistletoe… first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.