My family proudly supports the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. I first visited the Wildflower Center when I was four years old, and I’ve loved our Texas wildflowers and native ecosystems ever since.
Thanks, Wildflower Center, for featuring my exploits as Commander Ben, The Invasive Hunter, on your Passion for Nature video page.
I’m recovering from surgery from an old sparring injury, but I’ll be back in action again soon, so watch out invasive species!
Young naturalists train to be invasive hunters during last year’s Nature Nights at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Nature Nights starts this Thursday, June 13, at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center from 6 to 9 p.m. The event is free and has great activities for the entire family. Get to know the difference between a root and shoot at this Thursday’s event, focusing on the power of plants.
And I have great news to share! I’m bringing back my Invasive Hunter Academy to this Thursday’s Nature Nights, so be sure to stop by and say “Hi!”, get to know some common invasive species in Central Texas, and train to become an Invasive Hunter. It’s lots of fun for kids of all ages!
Commander Ben having fun with young Invasive Species Hunters last year at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Get a free ticket for the special auditorium presentation
If you enjoyed Nature Nights during previous summers, there’s also something new happening at this year’s Nature Nights. The first 250 people who attend Nature Nights will receive a free ticket at the admissions table for the special auditorium presentation.
So in addition to enjoying all the display tables and activities (and the Invasive Hunter Academy!), be sure to get your ticket so you can get admitted into the auditorium for the special presentation that’s part of each Nature Nights event.
Summer 2013 Nature Nights at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
My sketchbook of the top 24 invasive plant species in Austin, Texas
As the Invasive Hunter, I always have to keep my skills sharp, so on a Saturday in May, I attended an invasive species workshop at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. This workshop was designed especially for citizen scientists who are working with the city of Austin as part of the Austin Invasive Plants Management Plan.
The city of Austin and the Invaders of Texas Program teamed up to train local volunteers how to identify and monitor invasive plants. Citizen scientists who volunteer with this program get to work side by side with city staff to develop a map of where invasive plant species are located, and the city of Austin will use this map to determine how to best treat or remove the invaders.
Learning up close how to identify invasive plants
Ms. Jessica Wilson, Wildland Conservation education manager with the city of Austin, welcomed us to the workshop, and Ms. Jessica Strickland, Invasive Species Program Manager with the Wildflower Center, gave a great talk about invasive species in Texas and those around Austin, the Invaders of Texas Program, and how to report sightings of invasive species online and through the TX Invaders mobile app.
Top 24 invasive plant species in the city of Austin
We learned about the top 24 invasive plant species in Austin from samples in the Wildflower Center’s library, and got to know them better by being able to see them, feel their leaves and other identifying features, and sketch samples of them to help us remember them when we’re out in the field.
A sample of kudzu, a nasty invasive species
The top 24 invasive plants in Austin cover herbaceous, woody, vines, and aquatic species and include my nemesis, the Giant Reed (Arundo donax)!
We practiced identifying sample invasive plants in a field outside of the Wildflower Center
Besides polishing up my knowledge about invasive plants, I also got to spend some time with other citizen scientists (excuse me, future invasive hunters!) and staff from the city of Austin who were a lot of fun.
Commander Ben and Austin invasive species volunteers getting ready for action
The workshop I attended was part of a series of volunteer workshops that the city of Austin and the Wildflower Center have been holding during the spring of this year.
Here is a great video all about the day created by the City of Austin:
Their goal is to train 180 citizen scientists who are willing to volunteer time during the summer monitoring season. The next Invasive Species Identification and Monitoring workshop is coming up this weekend, June 8 and 9. Don’t miss out because this is the last workshop for the season!
Commander Ben talks about invasive species to over 350 kids at the Rockdale Intermediate School
Lots of great kids came to the Milam County Nature Festival events and to participate in the Invasive Hunter Academy, including quite a few adults too! After five hours of activities, I was exhausted but it was a lot of fun. Here are some pictures of the day:
Commander Ben getting the Invasive Hunter Academy ready for the Milam County Nature Festival
Commander Ben’s a featured festival presentation at 9:30 a.m. with the Invasive Hunter Academy going on all day
Finding Commander Ben on a map of the Milam County Nature Festival
Commander Ben training budding naturalists to hunt invasive species
Kids having fun at the Milam County Nature Festival
El Camino Real – Texas Master Naturalists Chapter display
More fun activities at the Milam County Nature Festival
Near the end of the festival, I took a quick tour around the Rockdale Fair fair grounds to take in all the sights of the other nature festival activities. There were lots of booths, including a great exhibit about butterflies and the plants they like, another about how the coyote is the only relative of the wolf left in Texas, and still another was teaching all about crayfish. I even bought one of the books about crayfish.
I want to send out a special thank you to Dr. Pruett, Ms. Dalley, and all the Milam County Master Naturalists and volunteers for inviting me to be part of their Nature Festival. Thanks to Mr. Harper and all the young invasive species hunters that I talked with.
I had a great time and know everyone else did too! 🙂
Commander Ben talks to 350 enthusiastic students about invasive species and dyslexia at Rockdale Intermediate School
Last month, I had one of the greatest experiences in my life when I went to talk about invasive species and dyslexia to 350 third through fifth graders at the Rockdale Intermediate School. Dr. John Pruett, of the Milam County Master Naturalists, coordinated the event as part of the Milam County Nature Festival, which took place the next day on Saturday, April 13.
When I arrived at the school, Dr. Pruett met me at the entrance and then I checked in and got to meet Principal Kathy Pelzel and Ms. Susan Boyd, ACE Coordinator for the school. Before the start of my talk, I joined the other Milam County Master Naturalists, including Ms. Joyce Dalley, in a conference room where we chatted about invasive species, nature, and other fun stuff.
At 2:00 PM, Dr. Pruett introduced me to a cafeteria room full of excited students. They gave me an enthusiastic and thunderous round of applause as I took the mic. I was humbled…and nervous! But once I started to speak, I relaxed and had a wonderful time. They were a great audience!
Commander Ben talks about his “Ecesis Far Far Away” Video and the invasive species Elephant Ear.
I talked to the kids all about invasive species, the Invasive Hunter Academy, my blog, my videos (and showed a few of them!), and my experiences with dyslexia. With each video, I talked about the characters that I played and the invasive species that I featured. It was a lot of fun. It was especially rewarding when the kids laughed and laughed while watching my The Amazing Invasive Hunter Man video, part of my Battle with Invasive Species video series.
After my talk, the kids had some great questions for me…including…Was I nervous? (Yes) How old am I? (14) What’s my favorite animal? (Dog – especially my dog Obi-Wan) What’s my favorite color! (blue, but green for plants too) And what are some of the toughest invasive species in Texas? (Giant Reed and Hydrilla)
Ms. Susan Boyd, Dr. John Pruett, Ms. Joyce Dalley, and Commander Ben show off their invasive hunter skills.
Thanks Dr. Pruett, Principal Pelzel, and Ms. Boyd for inviting me to talk to the great students at Rockdale Intermediate School. I hope the kids had as much fun as I did. I know they’re going to be great future invasive hunters!
My name is Commander Ben and I'm the Invasive Hunter. I educate kids of all ages - and all learning styles - about invasive species, science, and dyslexia.
Commander Ben 