The Wildlife Society student chapter, under the direction of faculty advisors Drs. Simpson and Manning, has undertaken the responsibility of establishing and maintaining an interpretive cactus exhibit on campus. We have successfully collected our first representatives and have planted them outside the Supple Science Building.

As ornamental plants escape cultivation and invade our natural landscapes, the importance of planting native flora is increasingly significant. In addition, the direct ecological impact of planting xerophytic plants is water conservation. Our goal is to improve ecological awareness of our native flora and their increasing importance as potential ornamental plants.

A special thanks is in order to the people that have contributed their knowledge and assistance.
• Dr. David Lemke
• Randy Stephens
• Jeff Breeden
• Preston Galusky
• Amber Smith
• Margaret Elise Queen
• Richard Reynolds
• Angela Gardine

The following species were collected in Starr county on September 5, 1999 with Jack Eitnear and Jeff Breeden. Numbers nine and ten are from Blanco and Mason counties.
• 1. Opuntia leptocaulis (Tasajillo)
• 2. Echinocactus setispinus (Fishhook cactus)
• 3. E. texensis (Horse crippler)
• 4. E. sinuatus (Lower Rio Grande Valley Barrel cactus)
• 5. Echinocereus enneacanthus (Pitaya)
• 6. E. reichenbachii (Lace cactus)
• 7. E. fitchii (Echinocereus)
• 8. Mammillaria heyderi (Nipple cactus)
• 9. Acanthocereus pentagonus (Night blooming cereus)
• 10. Mammillaria sulcata (Nipple cactus)