You're Ultimate Guide to Texas Reptiles and Amphibians

“Red on yellow kills a fellow. Red on black, friend of Jack.” So, maybe you’ve heard this simple lyric that can help you tell the difference between a poisonous and nonpoisonous snake. But what about other snakes? 
Amphibians and Reptiles of Texas: With Keys, Taxonomic Synopses, Bibliography, and Distribution Maps is your ultimate guide to anything snake-related, plus information on other reptiles and amphibians. James R. Dixon, a professor emeritus at Texas A&M University and curator emeritus of amphibians and reptiles at the Texas Cooperative Wildlife Collection, provides references and facts covering more than 200 different species. From poisonous snakes to tiny pocket sized frogs, Dixon covers everything you might like to know about the creatures.

In this third edition that has been widely recognized as the standard scientific guide for naturalists of all ages, Amphibians and Reptiles of Texas is completely redesigned with color photographs, revised taxonomic keys, and updated species descriptions. Unlike in the previous versions, the book also includes a lengthy list of literature on Texas amphibians and reptiles that goes back to the early 19^th century, as well as the most updated and recent research.

Check out this popular nature guide, and arm yourself with the latest on reptiles and amphibians. You will be surprised how much there is to learn!

 --Madeline Loving

Expand Your Knowledge of Texas History; Visit a Museum!

Looking for a place to visit Wild Texas history up close and personal? How about visiting a museum! Check out True West Magazine’s Four Best Western History and Art Exhibit Museums of the Year in Texas:

1.     Houston Museum of Natural Science

Houston, Texas

Between the displays of dinosaurs and science you’ll also find many troves of history. Among its many unique exhibits are “Texas! The Exhibition” celebrating last year’s 175^th Texas Independence anniversary and J.P. Bryan’s Torch Collection. But that’s not all they have to offer! Last year they opened another additional exhibit titled “Discovering the Civil War” and this year “Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition debuted. Don’t forget to check out the Egyptian mummies as well!

2.     National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame

Fort Worth, Texas

In 2002, when former Supreme Court Justice, Ms. Sandra Day O’Connor, was inducted into the Hall of Fame, this museum dedicated an entire exhibit to her titled “Sandra Day O’Connor: A 30^th Anniversary Celebration.” However, before then the museum portrayed everything from rhinestone chaps and 40-pound dresses in their “No Glitz, No Glory” exhibit to vintage aprons in their “Apron Chronicles: A Patchwork of American Recollections” display. But this museum isn’t just about glamour; it is also an educational museum that during the 2010-2011 school year taught more than 17,000 students representing nine states and two foreign countries.

3.      Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum

Canyon, Texas

Want to know what you would have looked like as a child growing up in the early 20^th- century? Visit here! From its ranch roots to today’s professional action, last year’s exhibits traced rodeo on the Southern Plains titled “Frocks & Togs: Children’s Clothing from 1900 through the 1950s.” However, this year, after a complete remodeling job, their favorite exhibit is “Pioneer Town.” This new display details life from 1890 to 1910 and shows how, although some daily tasks today are the same as they were then, with technology and tools, how we perform those tasks is strikingly different. This museum also includes a research center and art shows as well as many other features.

4.      Red River Valley Museum

Vernon, Texas

Interested in the Chisholm Trail? Well this is the place for you! From mounted animals including a polar bear to Western art, this jewel is looking to add the Great Western Trail Heritage Center, featuring an interactive scaled replica of nearby Doans Crossing. Along with aspiring to show visitors that the Chisholm Trail wasn’t the only way to get cattle to market, this museum has a lot to offer.

--Paige Bukowski

This Week In History

August 8, 2000 – Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley is raised to the surface after 136 years on the ocean floor.

August 9, 1930 – Betty Boop made her cartoon debut in Dizzy Dishes.

August 10, 1519 – Ferdinand Magellan's five ships set sail from Seville to circumnavigate the globe.

August 11, 1929 – Babe Ruth becomes the first baseball player to hit 500 home runs in his career with a home run at League Park in Cleveland, Ohio.

August 12, 30BC – Cleopatra VII Philopator, the last ruler of the Egyptian Ptolemaic dynasty, commits suicide, allegedly by means of an asp bite.

August 13, 1918 – Women enlist in the United States Marine Corps for the first time. Opha Mae Johnson is the first woman to enlist.

August 14, 1880 – Construction of Cologne Cathedral, the most famous landmark in Cologne, Germany, is completed.

Argghh! TAMUG Expert Discusses 21st Century Pirates

Today when you think about pirates the first thing that might come to mind is Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean, Treasure Island, or even the Pittsburg Pirates. Modern pirates still hold many similarities to the personalities we know and recognize, according to Tom Oertling, professor in the Maritime Studies Program in the General Academics Department of Texas A&M University at Galveston.

Only in the 21st century, pirates have become high tech, driving high-powered speed boats and wielding rocket-propelled grenades and machine guns.

Surprisingly, these modern-day swashbucklers exist at a rate that could be surprising to many. “The number of pirate attacks has dramatically increased in recent years,” said Oertling. Figures from the International Chamber of Commerce show there have been more than 1,500 pirate attacks since 2008, with almost 450 occurring in 2010. There have been about 160 so far this year, the study shows.

As for today’s pirates, their methods of grabbing ships, crew and cargo have not changed much in the past 3,000 years. “Several hundred years ago, they used fast ships to overtake a prey and battled their way onboard,” says Oertling.  Although technology has advanced greatly since the beginning of piracy, the goal is still the same: to board the ship quickly.

“Piracy will continue until the cost of carrying out this trade is greater than they are willing to pay – in people, boats and equipment and time, such as time spent in prison.”

For more information about Texas A&M University – Galveston check out Stephen Curley’s new book Aggies by the Sea; or click here for the complete article by Mr. Oertling.

Are You a Solo Gardener?

In 2009 First Lady Michelle Obama experienced the one worry many novice gardeners face, as she set out to plant the White House Kitchen Garden: Will my plants grow?

Luckily, Obama had a bit of help. The National Park Service staff, schoolchildren, White House staffers, chefs and even Army officers began to share in the care of the garden, which is featured in the First Lady's new book American Grown: The Story of the White House Kitchen Garden and Gardens Across America (Crown, $30).

Don't have scores of volunteers at the ready? Not to worry. The expert DIY tips you will find in Texas A&M Press gardening books will set you off in the right direction.

Doug Welsh's Texas Garden Almanac, by Doug Welsh

Overwhelmed by the seemingly long list of to-dos when it comes to your garden? Doug Welsh, a gardening call-in radio show host and associate department head in horticulture for Texas AgriLife Extension Service, breaks down a wealth of information pertinent to Texas gardening into a giant monthly calendar for the entire state. Here you'll find Welsh's expertise on everything from flowers and garden design to soil, mulch, water, pests and plant care.

Recipes From and For the Garden: How to Use and Enjoy Your Bountiful Harvest, by Judy Barrett

This slim book -- handy for using while you're out in the garden or in the kitchen -- is chock full of recipes curated by veteran Central Texas gardener Judy Barrett. If friendly and accessible is your style, Barrett's books are for you. In Recipes From and For the Garden, Barrett addresses "Why a Mixed-Up Garden is the Very Best Kind," and shares recipes for "things to eat" (from Garlicky Green Beans to Fresh Spring Corn Salad), things to "make your garden bountiful" (from Basic Insecticidal Soap to a chard cocktail she calls "happy hour for plants that need a lift”) and more.

Heirloom Gardening in the South: Yesterday's Plants for Today's Gardens, by William C. Welch and Greg Grant

When it comes to finding outstanding gardening advice, you can't get much better than Bill Welch and Greg Grant. Welch, a regular contributor to Southern Living magazine, and Grant, a regular contributor to Neil Sperry's Gardens and Texas Gardener, penned the classic book on Southern heirloom gardening years ago. In this revised edition filled with inspiring photograps, Welch and Grant have added sections on naturalizing daffodils, garden design and growing fruit, as well as an updated and expanded heirloom plant encyclopedia.

Texas Tomato Lover's Handbook, by William D. Adams

Are tomatoes more your speed? In Texas Tomato Lover's Handbook, retired Harris County extension agent Bill Adams shares his best tips and secrets to growing the perfect tomato. His book is a step-by-step guide to success in the tomato patch. By paying close attention to factors such as soil preparation, planting, feeding, caging and watering, says Adams, gardeners can grow great-looking and -tasting tomatoes.

To see more gardening titles, visit our new and improved Gardening flyer!

TAMU Press Features New Borderlands Book in First Book Trailer

The US-Mexico Border Wall is a hot topic that continues to spur debate. In Continental Divide: Wildlife, People, and the Border Wall, writer and photographer Krista Schlyer dares to explore this topic from a different perspective—the wall's impact on wildlife and the borderlands' delicate ecosystem. Through her moving photographs and writings, Schlyer explains the border wall’s effect on the wildlife, animals, and rare ecosystems surrounding the border wall. Schlyer argues that the wall has not only disrupted the ancestral routes of wildlife but has also rerouted human traffic through the most sensitive of wild lands, causing even more destruction to nature.

In recognition of Schlyer’s work, we have put together our first-ever book trailer! Watch Schlyer as she speaks about her book, and catch an early peek of her inspiring photographs taken. To watch our new trailer, click here.

This Week In History

August 1^st

1619 - First African-Americans land at Jamestown, Virginia

August 2^nd

1875 - First roller skating rink opens in London

August 3^rd

1882 - Congress passes first law restricting immigration

August 4^th

2007 - NASA's Phoenix spaceship is launched

August 5^th

1926 - Houdini stays in a coffin under water for one and a half hours before escaping

August 6^th

1996 - NASA announces that life may have existed on Mars

August 7^th

1909 - United States issues first Lincoln penny