Heartwood Chapter, Texas Master Naturalist

08/29/2026

Butterfly Big Day on Saturday, September 12, is an international event designed for people of all ages to find as many wild butterflies as they can, spread awareness of the importance of butterflies & other pollinators, and learn how we can help their populations.

To participate, take photos of free-living butterflies (not captive or from butterfly houses).Submit your photos to iNaturalist. Photos of butterflies submitted anywhere in the world on 12th September will count for Butterfly Big Day! You do not have to be able to identify the butterfly in order for your observations to be useful.

For more information, links to brief iNaturalist tutorial videos, and to find the Butterfly Big Day regional partner in your part of the world, visit www.urbanbutterflies.org/big-day
To see all the Butterfly Big Day submissions, visit the iNaturalist project page during or after the event: www.inaturalist.org/projects/butterfly-big-day-2026

08/24/2026

Join us for our chapter meeting on September 9 to hear about the role of trees and forests from woodlands ecologist, Sam Hill.
The public is invited to attend. Come at 6pm for social time and networking.
The meeting is also available via Zoom. The link is in the comments.

08/15/2026

Had a great crowd tonight that came to learn about and see the bats emerge from the Huntsville Mexican Free-tailed Bat Colony.

08/11/2026

See the Perseid Meteor Shower this Wednesday night, August 12-13.
This video from NASA shows what is happening, why it happens each August, why this year is better, when and where to see it.

The Perseid meteor shower 2026 is about to peak, and this year coul...

08/02/2026

Had a great group of volunteers for our Invasive Species work day! We had 9 volunteers that worked a cumulative of 26.75 hours and removed 180 gallons of Air potato and vines, Japanese climbing fern, Elephant ears, and Nandina. 

08/01/2026

The Annual Meeting is open to the public. This year the meeting is in Waco and will include many local sessions in nature., plus classroom sessions on a wide variety of topics like birding, wildlife, pollinators, snakes, ocelots, oyster farming and much more!
A number of our local Heartwood chapter members are presenting sessions. We are proud of you!

Our Texas Master Naturalist 2026 Annual Meeting registration is LIVE!

We have an awesome lineup of speakers this year, with 124+ classroom presentations and 28+ field sessions, covering a variety of topics presented by a variety of speakers from around the state. It's going to be another great event full of learning and exploration, and you can now register and save your seat!

Here are some tips for a seamless registration:

📓 Know what's happening! Read through the agenda before you begin the registration process and make note of the sessions you're interested in.
⏰ Plan for time! The registration process includes questions for demographic information, registration type, session registration, optional items and checkout. This process takes time.
📝 Make a plan B! Have a ranking system of your preferences so you know what to sign up for if your first choice is full.
😅 Don't stress! We have over 150 classroom and field sessions to choose from. There is something for everyone!

Early bird registration ends August 31. Standard registration ends September 30.

To see the full agenda and register for the Annual Meeting, visit our website at: https://txmn.tamu.edu/2026-annual-meeting/

07/30/2026

Join us in creating art for the pollinator garden at W.G. Jones State Forest - Texas A&M Forest Service. Everyone is welcome! We will be there every Tuesday in August from 8am to noon.

Come to enjoy the gardens, be inspired, have fun and create art that will beautify the gardens.

07/30/2026

Congrats to the Conservation Award winners!
We are committed to educating and supporting youth.

A team of Texas Master Naturalists from across the state attended the 2026 Texas State Science and Engineering Fair to judge and select the 2026 TMN Conservation Award winners. The junior winner was Nathan Montelongo from LaJoya, Texas, for his project "Shellfish Contributions to Ecosystem and Human Health: Evaluating Chitosan’s Natural Ability to Remove Microplastics." The senior winner was Aideen Chaloupkas from Lubbock, Texas, for her project "Sunflowers Impact on Soil Recovery and Native Grass Growth." Both winners are invited to present their projects at the TMN 2026 Annual Meeting.

Learn more about the 2026 winners, and past winners, by visiting: https://txmn.tamu.edu/blog/youth-conservation-science-awards

See you this fall in Waco!

07/30/2026

Heartwood Heroes! Braving the heat. Beautifying the community.

They picked up 30 gallons of litter on our adopted path in The Woodlands.
Participants included Ashley Sanders, Janet Koeroghlian, Lauren Stevens, Tom Philpot, Diana Philpot and Michael Michalski.

07/22/2026

Join us on Wednesday, August 5 at Mercer Arboretum and Botanic Gardens. The public is invited.