Texas Master Naturalist, Blackland Prairie Chapter, Class of 2018

My motto: It's not how far you walk that matters: it's how many pictures you take along the way!

I retired from teaching in 2017, but still have a passion for learning and sharing what I've learned. Becoming a Texas Master Naturalist has allowed me to fulfill both of those needs, and iNaturalist has been a tremendous part of that. I started using the app during my TX Master Naturalist class in 2018, just casually, to help me identify a few plants. And within a month or two, I was hopelessly hooked! Trees and other plants are my main focus (Identifying them, not necessarily growing them!) I love being able to identify many of the plants I see, and I enjoy the challenge of figuring out those I don't know. I even enjoy spending an afternoon studying a page of the Big Book (The Flora of North Central Texas), trying to sort out the differences between certain species of Veronica or species of Elms.

Thanks to everyone who corrects my mistakes, and especially those who take the time to explain things to me. I will keep doing my best to pay it forward!

As a member of the Education Committee of our TMN Chapter, I've put together a couple of class resources that I'd like to share here. There is a printable Tree ID brochure, as well as a simplified dichotomous key on the common trees of NCTx. [Note: During the "quarantine," I've had time to turn the key into an interactive project, with clickable links to about 40 common trees of North Central Texas.]

Tree ID Brochure (PDF) Print 2-sided on legal-size paper, z-fold

Trees of North Central Texas: A Google Slides interactive dichotomous key to 45 common trees of North Central Texas

PRINTABLE Key to Trees of North Central Texas

Here are links to external sites I frequently use:

*BONAP - The Biota of North America Plant Atlas
*Botonary, a Botanical Dictionary A dictionary of botanical names, including both the meaning and a pronunciation guide
*Bug Guide
*Discover Life: ID Nature Guides
*Flora of North America ID Keys for many plants
*Go Botany pictorial glossaryHands down, the most helpful guide to decoding botanical keys
*Plants of the World Online iNaturalist's authority for accepted botanical names
*SFASU DendrologyDetailed information on dozens of trees, plus many helpful resources for trees
**Virginia Tech DendrologyAnother helpful tree resource

Here is a hub I've put together for identification guides on iNat:

**A Collection of Helpful Identification Guides Various ID journal posts written or recommended by iNat users

Other stuff:

BPTMN Projects:
*Blackland Prairie Texas Master Naturalist Project
*Blackland Prairie TMN Class of 2020
**BPTMN City Nature Challenge 2020

Saved searches:
Explore observations of NCTx Trees

Identify observations of NCTx Trees, shrubs, and vines

My observations in identify mode

Annotate Monarch Observations

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