Plant Party
The Plant Party webinar series is a collaboration between Texas Parks & Wildlife Department, USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. These quarterly webinars are meant to promote advanced training on all things plants and to get people excited about the flora of our state.
Would you like to watch an archived Plant Party? Click below to see what you missed!
Plant Party #22 – Native Plants and Insects – Broadcasted 03-25-2026
What We Know About the Pasture Mealybug – Stephen Biles
Nocturnal Pollinators – Alive at Night! – Sam Kieschnick
Native Pine Bark Beetles – Allen Smith
Oleander Aphids on Milkweed: Monarch Enemies or Allies? – Katie Harris
Desert Termites: Recognizing Damage and Managing Risk – Dr. Tyler Gilreath
Plant Party #21 – Identifying Plants without Leaves or Flowers – Broadcasted 12-10-2025
Winter’s Bite? No, Winter’s Bark! – Dr. Mark ‘Merriwether’ Vorderbruggen
Identification Tips for Grasses Missing Seedheads – Beth McMahon
Winter Tree Identification – Dr. Jeremy Stovall
How to Identify Small Plants: Forbs and Brush – Micayla Pearson
Botanical Forensics: IDing Plants by Winter Fruits and Seeds – Austin Kelly
Plant Party #20 – Plant Management Before Dormancy – Broadcasted 09-17-2025
A Plant’s Perspective -Dormancy – Dr. Chris Miller
The Grazer’s Perspective – Kason Haby
Moisture Management Forecast – Brandon Bing
Native Plants Go to the (Seed) Bank, Too! – Jameson Crumpler
Weed Management Opportunities Before and During Dormancy – Dr. Josh McGuinty
Plant Party #19 – Getting to the Root of Soils – Broadcasted 06-18-2025
Rangeland Soil Health – Lee Knox
Web Soil Survey – Ashley Anderson
Soil Test Analysis Interpretation – Dr. Vanessa Corriher Olson
Microbes in the Rhizosphere – Liz Haney
The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly: Alternative Fertilizers – Dr. Vanessa Corriher Olson
Plant Party #18 – Spring Green Up – Broadcasted 03-19-2025
How Soil Temperature Dictates Plant Physiological Functions – Dr. Monte Rouquette
How a Grass Grows – Dr. Barron Rector
How a Forb Grows – Dr. Stacy Hines
How a Brush/Tree Grows – Camille Wiseman
What Makes a Plant an Early Successional Species? – Tim Siegmund
Plant Party #17 – The Plant Manager’s Christmas Wish List – Broadcasted 12-11-2024
*Note – No recording. Click on the name above to access the pdf of our presentation.
The Plant Manager’s Christmas Wish List – Dr. Megan Clayton and Tim Siegmund
Wildflower Wish List – Tim Siegmund
Spot Spraying Wish List – Dr. Megan Clayton
Plant Party #16 – Management Decision Points – Broadcasted 09-18-2024
Grazing Considerations for Native and Introduced Grasses – Jason Hohlt
Drought Contingency Planning – Sawyer Warick
Managing Soil Ecosystems: How Soil Arthropods and Microbes Drive Resilience – Camille Carey
What Can We Learn From the Soil-Plant Animal Nexus? – Dr. Doug Tolleson
Using Habitat Parameters to Guide Deer Management Decisions – Billy Lambert
Plant Party #15 – Monitoring Native Vegetation – Broadcasted 06-26-2024
Picking the Right Monitoring Tool – Brandon Bing
Understanding Forestry Prisms and Plots – Dan Gaskins
Using Photo Points Efficiently – Dr. Megan Clayton
Navigating the Rangeland Analysis Platform (RAP) – Erika Sullivan
The Future of Monitoring Vegetation – Ryan Nagelkirk
Plant Party #14 – Cooking Up Natives – Broadcasted 03-20-2024
Pellitory Pesto – Eric Knight and Stacy Coplin
Goldenrod Infused Pasta – Dr. Mark ‘Merriwether’ Vorderbruggen
Rubus Salsa – Heidi Kryger Bailey
Leafy Greens – Rachel Galan
Chickpea & Cactus Soup – Marisa Dimas
Plant Party #13 – All About Evergreens – Broadcasted 12-20-2023
Tree Leafing Strategies – Courtney Blevins
Texas Oaks – Courtney Blevins
Junipers of Texas – Elizabeth McGreevy
East Texas Pines – Brian Townsend
Magnificent Magnolias – Tim Siegmund
Plant Party #12 – Plant ID: Tips, Sunflowers, Gramas, and More! – Broadcasted 09-27-2023
Plant Identification Tips – Lee Knox
The World of Native Spurges – Dr. Barron Rector
Common Sunflowers, Silphiums, and Salvias – Chip Ruthven
The Grama Grasses – Lee Knox
Plant Identification Resources – Dr. Megan Clayton
Plant Party #11 – Talking Wetlands – Broadcasted 06-28-2023
What is a Wetland: Function and Common Plant Species – Taylor Garrison
Playas, the Rarely Considered Wetland – Heather Johnson
Adventures in Propagating Native Wetland Plants – Mary Carol Edwards
Managing Livestock Around Wetlands – Leanne Wiley
Algae: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly – Brittany Chesser
Plant Party #10 – Everything Pollinators – Broadcasted 03-29-2023
Do Native Plants Need Pollinators? – Beth McMahon
Feathers, Fur and Exoskeletons: Pollinator Parade – Craig Hensley
Honeybees vs. Native Bees: Do We Really Need Both? – Carol Clark
Herbicides and Pollinators: How They Can Coexist – Dr. Ray Moranz
Monarchs, Milkweeds, and Migrations – Edward Henry
Plant Party #9 – Planting a Seed – Broadcasted 12-21-2022
Seed Terminology – Dawn Stover
A Look at the Plant Materials Centers – Shelly Maher
Hand Collecting Native Seed – Hagen Meyer
The Texas Native Seeds Program – Dr. Tony Falk
Planting Wildflowers – Tim Siegmund
Plant Party #8 – If a Tree Falls in the Forest – Broadcasted 09-28-2022
What is a Forest? – Dr. Eric Taylor
Forest Management 101 – Dr. Eric Taylor
Understanding Oak Wilt – Courtney Blevins
The Relationship of Trees and Water – Courtney Blevins
All About Epiphytes – Dr. Larry Stein
Plant Party #7 – Medicinal and Edible Native Plants – Broadcasted 06-15-2022
Introduction to Ethnobotony and Historic Native Plant Uses – Dr. C. Wayne Hanselka
Native Plants: Traditional Food Uses in Texas – Daniel Cunningham
Current Medicinal Purposes – Dr. Mark ‘Merriwether” Vorderbruggen
Native Plant Utilitarian Uses – Dr. C. Wayne Hanselka
Creating a Native Food Forest – Daniel Cunningham
Native Plant Recipe Book – Download Here!
Plant Party #6: What’s That? Plant ID for Everyone! – Broadcasted 03-30-2022
Major Clumping: The Value of Grouping Plants by Common Characteristics – Steven Evans
Perennial vs. Annual Forbs: How to Know the Difference – Maddi Milner
The Family Breakdown: Taking an Unknown Plant Down to Family – Sam Kieschnick
Genus Paspalum in Texas – Dr. Barron Rector
Using Seek and iNaturalist for Plant ID – Sam Kieschnick
Plant Party #5: Riparian Rendezvous – Broadcasted 12-15-2021
Healthy Riparian Area Management – Kyle Wright
To Graze or Not to Graze? That is the Question. – Dan Caudle
Impacts of Whitetail and Axis Deer on Riparian Vegetative Communities – Matt Buchholz
Watershed and Riparian Ecology: The Science and Management Strategies Driving Watershed Conservation in Chihuahuan Desert – Megan Bean
Freshwater Mussels: What are They and Why Should I Care? – Dr. Charles Randklev
Plant Party #4: Foraging into Fall – Broadcasted 09-22-2021
Armor Up! – Jay Fuhrer
Range Plant Quality in the Fall for Livestock – Dr. Doug Tolleson
Nectar Plants for Fueling the Fall Migration of Monarchs – Ray Moranz
Obnoxious Plant Management in the Fall – Dr. Megan Clayton
Seasonal Variation of Soil Microbes – Dr. Lindsey Slaughter
Plant Party #3: The Lowdown on Invasives – Broadcasted 06-23-2021
“Terms” of Invasion – Dr. Megan Clayton
What Makes Invasive Plants Invasive? – Brandon Carr
The Impact of Invasive Plants: The Good, Bad and Ugly – Steve Nelle
Good Bugs: Using Biological Control to Combat Invasive Plants – Dr. Carey Minteer
The Influence of Invasive Plants on Pollinators – Ross Winton
Plant Party #2: Talking Ecology – Broadcasted 02-24-2021
Ecological Site Descriptions: What Are They and How Are They Made? – Jason Hohlt
Plants as Indicator Species – Tim Siegmund
Conversion of Introduced Grasses to Native Plants – Dr. Tony Falk
Ecological Site Descriptions: How to Access and Use Them for Planning – Jason Hohlt
There Really IS a New Normal… in Three Months! – Dr. John Nielsen-Gammon
Plant Party #1: All About Brush – Broadcasted 12-16-2020
Brush ID Tips – Ricky Linex
Endemic and Rare Plant Species – Jason Singhurst
Brush Sprouting Mechanisms – Dr. Bob Lyons
Restoring Brush Diversity – Garry Stephens
Management with Invora Herbicide – Dr. Megan Clayton
