This is an archive of articles written by Anita Westervelt between 2015 and 2021 for the Rio Grande Valley Chapter, Texas Master Naturalist. To focus on the most current information, these earlier articles were retired from the original site. We are pleased to provide a permanent home for them here. Please note that the articles are preserved mainly in their original form and may contain outdated information or links. For Anita’s current work, please visit the South Texas Border Chapter’s blog: stbctmn.org/blog.
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Historic Ebony
Hat’s Off to the Historic Texas Ebony Tree by Anita Westervelt, Texas Master Naturalist If ever a tree speaks of Deep South Texas heritage, it’s the Texas ebony, Chloroleucon ebano. One of the more historic trees in the Valley, it’s steeped in tradition and considered the most valuable. These massive trees can reach to 50…
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Honey Mesquite
Long live the Texas honey mesquite by Anita Westervelt, Texas Master Naturalist For artful creativity, you can’t do better than the honey mesquite, Prosopis glandulosa. With a history as big as Texas, this tree has a strong hold on our native landscape that has served beast and man through the years. Honey mesquite is one…
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Earth Day
Be kind to the Valley’s habitat this Earth Day by Anita Westervelt, Texas Master Naturalist Design your own garden for hours of entertainment the rest of the year and help the native habitat. Clear a patch of ground, visit one of the Valley’s native plant nurseries and fill your freshly cleared area with native plants.…
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Barbados Cherry
Versatile, nutritious and beautiful, native Barbados cherry is a great landscape addition by Anita Westervelt, Texas Master Naturalist Bring some Caribbean flavor to your Valley garden with a Barbados cherry, Malpighia glabra. This densely-branched shrub has many names in the Caribbean, West Indies and South America. In Cameron, Hidalgo, Starr and Willacy counties, its northern…
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Spiny Lizard
The Texas spiny lizard, hiding in plain sight by Anita Westervelt, Texas Master Naturalist One quiet Sunday afternoon, the mesquite tree offered a strange silhouette. I did a double-take, sucked in my breath and realized I was about to capture, on camera, something I’d been after for months: the Texas Spiny Lizard, in its favorite…
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Rare Native
Unique and rare native plants add excitement to Valley nature parks by Anita Westervelt, Texas Master Naturalist Extreme south Texas’ native habitat has some pretty unique plants that are not found elsewhere in the U.S. Mexican buttonbush, Cephalanthus salicifolius, is one such shrub that only grows on the banks of the Rio Grande in Cameron…
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Fascination Fun
Fascination with Fasciation by Anita Westervelt, Texas Master Naturalist Fasciated is a weird word for a weird botanical condition. Pronounced făsh′ē-ā′tĭd, it is a rare, abnormal growth in vascular plants — plants that possess xylem (water-conducting tissue) and phloem (food-conducting tissue). In normal plant growth, the growing tip (commonly the flowering part) is normally concentrated…
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Critter Hideaway
Brush piles can be a fascinating way to observe wildlife in your own back yard Story and photos by Anita Westervelt, Texas Master Naturalist Brush piles can provide shelter to small mammals, reptiles, amphibians and birds, especially in urban areas where natural cover might not be available. They also can provide protection for animals such…
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Anita’s Blog — Tree Planting Time
Yay! It’s tree planting time again! It’s cooler, the sun not so strong, making the winter months the time to buy more trees! Consider planting one of the Valley’s old standards — not only to benefit your yard and attract birds and butterflies — but to promote a healthy native habitat. Before you read further,…