JANUARY 7, 2026 www.wintertexantimes.com 6 WINTER TEXAN TIMES SPI MARKET DAYS January 23-25 February 20-22 Fri.-Sat. 9am-5pm Sun. 10am-4pm 30TH ANNUAL Vendors, Food, & Door prizes! SPI CONVENTION CENTER $2 ADMISSION Toss your Christmas tree and go green As the holiday season winds down, the City of Edinburg invites residents to join in the environmentally friendly tradition of recycling Christmas trees. The Tree Recycling Program encourages residents to transform their festive evergreens into valuable mulch at designated drop-off locations. January 5 through 30, 2026, residents can drop off their bare Christmas trees at the following locations Resource Recovery Center, 3102 S. Business 281; Edinburg Regional Landfill, 8601 N. Jasman Rd.; and Edinburg Nature Trail Park, 1300 N. Doolittle Rd. To ensure the success of the recycling process, residents are asked to remove all ornaments, lights, tinsel, stands, and flocking from the trees. If the tree exceeds six feet in height, homeowners should cut it in half before dropping it off. Tree bagging is not permitted. The drop-off locations are open Monday through Friday, with varying weekend hours at each site. No live wreaths, garlands, or plants will be accepted as part of this program. By participating in this initiative, Edinburg residents contribute to the city’s sustainability efforts, reducing waste and promoting a greener community. The recycled trees will be chipped into mulch, which will then be repurposed for landscaping and conservation projects. Explore South Texas Flora with Mike Heep Quinta Mazatlán invites the community to discover the rich botanical history of the Rio Grande Valley during a special Thursday Night Live presentation, “Robert Runyon Plants,” with longtime native plant grower Mike Heep, on Thursday, January 8, 2026, from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Robert Runyon (1881– 1968) was an American photographer, botanist, and Brownsville mayor whose plant discoveries and extensive private herbarium helped shape our modern understanding of South Texas flora. In this talk, Heep will highlight several species connected to Runyon’s work, weaving together ecological insight, historical context, and personal anecdotes gathered from decades of studying and growing native plants. The presentation will offer a unique window into Runyon’s contributions to botany and the enduring importance of the species he documented across the region. See FLORA pg. 12 Mike Heep will present “Robert Runyon Plants,” exploring the species connected to Robert Runyon’s botanical discoveries and the history of South Texas flora. (Courtesy photo)
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