Biodiversity of the Texas Hill Country
On Thursday, September 7, 2023, Dr. David Hillis, Director of the Biodiversity Center and the Alfred Roark Centennial Professor of Natural Sciences at the University of Texas at Austin, will discuss the reasons for the high diversity of the Hill Country, what we have lost, and some ways we can support preservation and restoration of the area’s natural resources.
The Texas Hill Country is home to a diverse assemblage of plants and animals. Species from eastern forests, western deserts, northern plains, and the Sierra Madre of Mexico can be found here. The unique geology and geography of the area support numerous endemic species found nowhere else in the world. Biologists are still discovering new species in the area, including beautiful species of flowering plants.
Dr. Hillis owns the Double Helix Ranch in the Mason County, which he manages to restore the area’s biodiversity. He recently published the book, Armadillos to Ziziphus: A Naturalist in the Texas Hill Country (UT Press, 2023). According to columnist Michael Barnes of Austin American Statesman, this text should be on the top 100 Best Books about Texas! There are many lessons to be learned from Dr. Hillis’s research into the interconnection of all living things. How can we use this knowledge to improve our local environments?
A gentle reminder to HLBWS members: please bring a check in the amount of $15 to pay your dues for the 2023-2024 program year. Doors to the meeting will open at 9:30 a.m. for social time and light refreshments. The business portion of the meeting will start at 10:00 a.m. and the invited speaker will begin immediately afterwards. Weather permitting, there will be a pre-meeting bird walk starting at 8:00 a.m. at Haley Nelson Park off Hwy. 29 in Burnet.
