Wild Houston Reading Group (Unofficial) - Rice Village, Houston

Monthly discussions

Each month we look at one animal or natural science topic related to Houston, and meet to discuss it. We appreciate a laugh as much as we appreciate a citation.

There is no one single document that is required to read. All you need to do is show up with one fact you learned about the topic, a curious mind, and humility. The fact can be as “basic” or “advance” as you want it to be — no expectations.

Please don’t feel like this group is not for if you don’t have a scientific background. This group is for people with GEDs as much as it is for people with Ph.Ds.

We post a collection of articles and scientific papers you can read from for each month’s topic, but also encourage you to find your own (reputable) sources. There is no expectation to read all or any of it. The collection we post is often added to as the month progresses.

This is like a biology class, but without any of the pressure or expectations, and all the fun. This group is inspired by the book Wild Houston by local biologists Suzanne Simpson and John Williams.

Upcoming session and topic:

• June 28th (Sat), 3pm to 5pm

  • Location: Bitty Beau’s in Rice Village

  • Topic: Tiger Beetle Eunota houstoniana

    • Our Wiki (Work in progress)

    • This species was recently discovered by researchers at Rice — link

    • News article on the discovery — link

    • Scientific report — link

    • Wiki — link

    • Claude conversation — link

    • (You are welcome to find more sources related to this beetle species or tiger beetles more generally.)

Possible Future Topics

• Southern flying squirrel — wiki

  • Seen around Houston— link

  • They glow in the dark — link

• Dolphins in Galveston Bay — link

  • wiki — link

• Mockingbirds — link

  • Wiki — link

• Hydrocarbon-Degrading Bacteria in Gulf Coast

  • Paper — link

• (And many others)

Past Topics

• Topic: Mexican Free-Tail Bats (like the ones under Waugh Dr. bridge)

  • There is not a single robust overview of Mexican free-tail bats in Houston so I have gathered a few resources (no obligation to read them all).

    • But I made one for what its worth — link

  • Research by Rice Uni. on Mexican free tail bats in Houston: light overview (link)

  • A local overview of bats in Houston (link) and the Wikipedia article on Mexican free-tail bats (link and please check sources)