|
2003 Archives
July 23, 2003 - James Rusk will lead a tour of Long Branch Prairie on Saturday, August 2 at 08:00AM (see mapfor parking area). Members of the Texas Master Naturalists will also participate. Part of the prairie along Northwest Drive across from Mesquite Golf Course will be developed in the near future.
July 8, 2003 - added 4 photos from James Rusk to Long Branch Prairie page July 5, 2003 - new page on Long Branch Prairie July 2, 2003 new species on plant list new breeding bird more news on Mesquite Prairie
Derek discovered a Canadian Milkvetch (Astragalus canadensis) growing along the Preserve path today...he also saw a fledgling Northern Parula Warbler, the first documented breeding warbler for the Preserve. One more thing he saw..a big Gulf Coast Toad in its burrow near the vernal pool (the amphibian pond). Also there is a new update onthe remnant native prairie in Mesquite (see below).
Canadian Milkvetch with seed pod in lower left of photo
July 1, 2003
Memories of Lost Forest - a talk before the Pleasant Oaks Gem and Mineral Club of Dallas, on June 5. . . light summer reading.
James. Rusk reports:
New Update on the Mesquite prairie:
I talked with Tony Fisk (214-720-0430) who is developing the property.
The sign
is in the right place, it's just that it's at the far north end of the
property.
across from the
Mesquite golf course. A developer is going to erect a 200 unit housing
project
June 21, 2003 Remnant Prairie soon to be destroyed in Mesquite, Texas. Another Little Bluestem prairie remnant will soon disappear....this one was discovered off Northwest Highway near I-30 East, about 2.6 miles se of Rosehill Park Prairie. . There is a sign to sell 2-30 acre parcels for development. It is located between the powerline right-of-way (broad gray band) and Northwest Highway across from the Mesquite Golf Course. This is a further example of fragmentation and impending destruction of remnant prairies in Dallas County.
June 17, 2003 On a green milkweed seed pod, milkweed bug (Onchopeltus fasciatus) nymphs show off their red-orange colors to warn predators that they are distasteful. They are one of the few insects that acquire their defense from chemicals in milkweed sap. Left photo - nymphs (instars) of the Milkweed bug. Right photo - adult.
June 14, 2003 Old Gravel Mine and Rocky Prairie. At Fay Danahy's request we have added a map of where the Texas Plume (Standing Cypress) prairie and Lady Bird Centaury prairie is located adjacent to Naaman Forest High School.
June 11, 2003 added Parkhill Prairie on Blackland Prairie page
June 5, 2003
Spring Creek article in today's Dallas Morning News - local section
Spring Creek Forest has helped humans beat the heat for centuries 06/05/2003 By RICHARD ABSHIRE / The Dallas Morning News
The good news: Tom Frey saw a wildcat.
The bad news: Clean-up crews found beer cans and other litter.
The Spring Creek Forest Preserve, a 69-acre tract less than a mile south of the Bush Turnpike, is one of the last remnants of hardwood bottomland forests that covered the area when settlers arrived in the 1840s.
Mr. Frey said he sees a wildcat in the preserve once a year or so. That is an encouraging sign that the forest still provides a habitat for wildlife and indigenous plants. A landscape architect for the Garland Parks and Recreation Department, Mr. Frey oversees the preserve. He leads tours and teaches amateur naturalists about its flora and fauna and the ecosystem that thrives beneath the canopy of towering trees that are more than a century old, including Shumard and bur oaks, sugar hackberry and American elm. Before it was killed by lightning, a bitternut hickory was a rare example of one of only two varieties of indigenous hickory trees in Texas. The other variety – the pecan tree – is much more common.
"It's a good example of a north-central Texas hardwood bottomland forest with very little social or economic impact," he said. "It's very much like it was before folks started moving in." But thoughtless folks have moved in recently at the Holford Road access to the preserve, leaving behind beer cans and other trash to litter the parking area that opens on a half-mile concrete path leading to some of the preserve's richest treasures. It's part of a one-mile loop designed to let visitors see what the area was like in centuries past. The springs that gave the creek its name attracted visitors for hundreds of years before white settlers came. American Indians camped along the creek because it supplied fresh water even in the droughts of August, according to Mr. Frey. "This is one of the healthiest creeks in Dallas County," Mr. Frey said. He said the springs keep the water moving. The water has low levels of waste and bacteria. Earlier generations of Garland residents fished and swam in the creek, but that has not been allowed for years. "There are three pre-Columbian sites in the preserve, Indian campsites," he said.
Human remains were found at one of the sites, carbon-dated to confirm their antiquity, and reburied with blessings from a medicine man from the Wichita tribe, who came from Oklahoma for the occasion. Early visitors also came to escape summertime heat. Moving from the parking area into the shade of the forest canopy is like stepping into an air-conditioned room – it is 15 to 20 degrees cooler, with a gentle breeze.
The secret to enjoying the visit is to slow down, be still and open your eyes to small wonders. It helps to have Mr. Frey along to explain what you're seeing and how everything from bugs to grass, fungi and wildlife interact in the delicately balanced ecosystem. "One of our goals is to protect the forest," said Barbara Baynham, president of the Society for the Preservation of Spring Creek Forest. "You can see how narrow it is and it's being encroached on from all sides. It's a difficult problem." Ms. Baynham said she became a forest advocate because of urban sprawl. "I saw all the trees being cut down and the fields being paved over," she said. Spring Creek Forest is a treasure that can't be replaced, she said, and its value is impossible to assess. "One of the things we know we have to do is be compromisers in these days," Ms. Baynham said. "Our goal is to work with the encroachers to mitigate the runoff and pollution and try to educate folks to what this offers them that they don't see when they drive by."
In addition to at least one wildcat, the preserve is a refuge for coyotes, armadillos, raccoons, opossums, squirrels, rabbits, lizards, salamanders and snakes. And it's a birder's paradise. "[The preserve] is always turning up some unusual bird," said Jack Hill, a member of the society's board of directors who visits the area frequently with his son, Derek, to tally sightings of bird species. "There are several good types of bird habitat for both nesting and migratory species." Mr. Hill cites a long list of interesting sightings, from blue-winged warblers to indigo buntings, barred owls and hairy woodpeckers.
"Spring Creek is also great for butterflies during the warm months as they feed on nectar from many species of prairie and forest wildflowers," he added. Those include milkweed plants, which are the only food hosts in which Monarch butterflies lay their eggs, according to Ms. Baynham. The preserve also includes a prairie remnant that is home to indigenous plants such as the firewheel that gave Garland's golf park its name, the rare Liatris glandulosa, the Barbara's button that American Indians used in purification ceremonies, purple prairie clover, the purple basket flower and native yucca.
"As our landscapes in north-central Texas continue to be developed at a rapid pace, habitat such as Spring Creek Forest are becoming more and more scarce in the Texas blackland prairie, which stretches from Sherman to Austin," Mr. Hill said.
The late Bobby C. Scott was credited with identifying Spring Creek Forest in 1978 when he found plants there that indicated the site was a virgin forest. Dallas County and the state paid $2.3 million for the land in 1988 and turned it over to the city to operate, with oversight from the Preservation Society. Ms. Baynham said she isn't sure it will survive development on its fringes and careless abuse by litterers. "I don't know," she said. "I'm not confident. We're going to bring in folks from other organizations to help us learn how to meet the challenge." For more information or to schedule tours, call the Garland Parks and Recreation Department at 972-205-2750.
E-mail rabshire@dallasnews.com or call 972-272-6591, ext. 244
Spring Creek Preserve Friday, May 30, 2003
Pollinators on Basketflower: photo 1 Bee Fly,a bumblebee mimic, hovers over the flower with its long proboscis to feed on nectar. The larvae parasitize other insects, including the Carpenter Bee. Photo 2 Queen butterfly - a nice chesnut brown color with white spots on the forewing help distinguish this from Monarchs or Viceroys. Photo 3 Ventral view of Queen showing double row of white spots and veins. The high today will top 100 F o so get out early if you want to visit the Preserve or Forest.
Spring Creek Forest Wednesday, May 28, 2003
Bobcat spotted!
All, Great news from Tom Frey. He spotted a bobcat in Spring Creek Forest. Excellent evidence that the Forest is still hanging on to some wild-life biodiversity. Bad news from Tim Henry, Spring Creek Forest Preservation Society member. On Monday afternoon, May 26, he spotted a group of young men carrying a cooler of beer into the Forest at 1770 Holford, the Lee F. Jackson Spring Creek Forest Preserve. Tim called the police and Tom Frey to report it. We are worried that there will be additional littering and destruction in that biologically sensitive area since the gate is now unlocked. Everyone please keep your eyes open and please report any problems to Tom so the Garland Parks and Recreation Department and the Dallas County Park & Open Space folks can evaluate the impact of leaving the gate open. Hope you all have an excellent summer.
Barbara Baynham,
President, Preservation Society for Spring Creek Forest The bobcat was seen on the old haul road between Charleston Commons and the electric substation (2:15 PM)
Spring Creek Preserve Wednesday, May 28, 2003
Purple Coneflowers and Basketflowers are more abundant this year probably due to the December mowing. There are a couple of Pasture or Wavy-Leaf Thistles in the photo.
Arapaho Park and Prairie Creek Park May 21, 2003 Texbirders, Arapaho Park and Prairie Creek Park May 15, 2003 Texbirders, Friday, May 9, 2003
Texbirders, Photo courtesy of Jim and Dede Crusinberry, Plano Texas
PURPLE GALLINULE - 1 see photo Spring Creek Preserve Saturday, May 7, 2003.
This is the peak blooming period (or near it) at the Preserve. The more conspicuous species on the prairie are Antelope Horns, Green Milkweed, Englemann Daisy, Ratany, Prairie Larkspur, Foxglove, Texas Paintbrush, Dakota Vervain, Prairie Phlox, Firewheel, Thelesperma, Yucca, Drummond's Sundrops, Old Plainsman, Barbara's Buttons, Winecup, Drummond's Skullcap, Mealy Sage, Roemer's Sensitive-Briar, and Many Stem Evax, . In the forest, Low Wild Petunia is in bloom.
Smoke from Mexico & Central America May 5, 2003
Hazy - refer to Texas Commission on Environmental Quality site about air pollution from "agricultural" fires in Mexico and Central America. Looks like a repeat of the May, 1998 problem and may be with us for weeks.
During 1998, Mexico and the Central American region had a drought brought on by El Nino...the drought aggravated the effects of slash and burn agricultural practices in forest and grassland areas, leaving thousands of fires burning out of control. Add this to the existing air quality and it doesn't look good...refer to American Lung Association report.
Eastern Screech Owls (juveniles) - This photo was taken by Jim Morris, a member of the Society:
Spring Creek Preserve Saturday, May 3, 2003.
Saturday, May 3, 2003
in Richardson. From 8:00am-12:00pm we ended up with 10 warbler species. Due to a prevailing south wind@ 6 mph and sunny skies, we didn't expect too many neotrops on this trip. We had 30 participants and a good time. Suggestions included a T-shirt for next year and an earlier meeting time (07:00am). I will firm up list with Derek over the next day or two. Thanks to all who participated. Any corrections please email us.
American Egret Red-Bellied Woodpecker - 3 Downy Woodpecker - 2 Tufted Titmouse - several Carolina Chickadee - several Bluejay - several American Crow - several Eastern Starling -several Northern Cardinal - 4 Eastern Catbird - 2
Least Flycatcher -
several Western Kingbird - 2
Eastern Kingbird
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Ovenbird - 2
Blackburnian
May 2, 2003 Cloudy, mild and light wind. In addition to the ones we have been spotting this week, there were several Magnolia Warblers and a pair of Orchard Orioles. Brian Gibbons and Ross Rasmussen had their list up to 8-9 warblers by mid-morning.
May 1, 2003 9:00-12:30
Clear, warm and windy. It took about 3.5 hours to find the following warblers: Nashville, Tennessee, Black and White, Common Yellowthroat, Yellow, Orange-crowned, Blackburnian, Northern Waterthrush, Ovenbird, and American Redstart. We also saw a Blue-headed vireo, Warbling vireo, Great crested flycatcher, Baltimore Oriole, Gray-cheeked and Swainson's Thrushes, Gray Catbird, Clay-colored, White-crowned and Grasshopper Sparrows and our common residents. Brian Gibbons saw a Worm-Eating Warbler on April 30 at Prairie Creek.
We discovered a small colony of Green Dragon (Arisaema dracontium) along the west bank of the creek....up close you can its strange flower. Photo 2. Green Dragon can easily be recognized with its extremely long spadix protruding from the spathe. It is found in wooded areas where there is a good layer of humus and leaf litter.
April 29, 2003
Texbirders,
Yellow Warbler - 2 April 28, 2003
Texbirders, April 27, 2003 5:00-6:00pm
Texbirders,
Arapaho Park April, 2003
It has been reported that the city has cleared much of the understory vegetation out of Arapaho Park, thus degrading wildlife habitat. For its small size, this Park is (or was) notable in that many seasonal or rare migrants would show up in spring and fall. Last year a Black-Throated Blue Warbler was seen over a few days. For description & map to park click here.
Spring Creek Preserve April 26, 2003 A birder reports that he saw several Nashville Warblers and heard a Wilson's Warbler today. Spring Creek Preserve April 25, 2003
Photo below: Wild Foxglove (Penstemon cobaea ) is blooming on the prairie. Other species included Missouri Primrose Texas Vervain, Antelope Horns, Slender-Stemmed Bitterweed, Texas Paintbrush, Meadow Flax, Sensitive Briar, Scarlet Honeysuckle, and others. Right Photo: Gray Hairstreak on Antelope Horns flower
Spring Creek Preserve April 19, 2003
Monarch caterpillar feeding on Antelope Horns milkweed. Asclepias asperula plant on left, Danaus plexippus larva on right.
Left to right: well camouflaged Rough Green Snake, Ground Plum Vetch (Astragalus crassicarpus) with fruit, white Wild Hyacinth, Wild Onion.
  
Other plant photos taken today are on the photo page near the top...1 of 4 have been identified. They look like they came from a wildflower seed mix. One of plants identified, Centaurea cyanus (Cornflower or Bachelor’s button) is originally from Europe and the Near East and is now found almost worldwide. It has escaped from cultivation throughout the U.S. and is particular invasive in native grasslands and prairies. It is a common addition to commercial wildflower mixes so carefully read your product labels. Once established, it is difficult to control. Glyphosate herbicide is effective but will also kill the surrounding native grasses and wildflowers.
Update: It appears that the new flowers are all part of a seed mix that was planted recently by the City of Garland. Unfortunately most of the species are non-natives or are naturalized. Invasive species are already a problem in our Blackland Prairies so this just exacerbates the problem.So far we have identified:
Goatsbeard (Tragopogon dubius)(Asteraceae)
An introduced species from Europe what has become a common "weed" in
many areas
Drummond's Phlox (Phlox drummondii)
Rose Hill Preserve Garland, Texas April 12, 2003
Thousands of Texas Bluebonnets in bloom along the road. Seven-Spotted Ladybug on Texas Bluebonnet. This 75 acre prairie is located north of Country Club Road across from Lyle Middle School in Garland. Thanks to Tim H. for corrected the map to get there...we had a map showing Rosehill Park at Eastern Hill Country Club by mistake.
Adult seven spotted lady beetles are large (about 3/8 inch), have red wing covers with seven black spots. Females lay clusters of 15 to 70 yellow eggs on plants that are infested with their aphid prey. Larvae grow and molt through four stages as they feed on aphid prey. The large fourth instar consumes more aphids than the previous three larval stages combined. Adult seven spotted lady beetles overwnter in small groups in hedges, or in leaf litter on the ground near the base of plants. The seven spotted lady beetle produces one or two generations in the Midwest each year. The seven spotted lady beetle was introduced into North America from Europe. source: Midwest Institute for Biological Control @ //http://www.inhs.uiuc.edu/cee/biocontrol/predators/predgroups/coleoptera2.html
Spring Creek Forest April 5, 2003
On clean up day we saw many spring bloomers while cutting out our target plant invader... japanese privet. Fay will report on them in the newsletter next month. left to right: Blue-eyed grass, wild hyacinth, Star-of-Bethlehem
Prairie Creek April 5, 2003
Derek reports: I wasn't sure if we already made this discovery or not, but there are dozens of trout lilies at prairie creek park. The other day (April 5) the forest floor was covered with trout lily leaves, and all of them had gone to seed. Yet another stronghold for this species in DFW.
Spring Creek Preserve April 4, 2003 Warm, recent rain
Texas Garter Snake (click here to see photo or go to Reptiles & Amphibian Page). Derek reports: we have some really good luck finding this species, as most local herpers I've talked to say they are very local and hard to find,and one or two of the better herpers around
here have never even seen one. Texas Paintbrush is in greater abundance this season since the prairie was mowed in December..
Mallard drakes swimming down rain-swollen Spring Creek (below)
Spring Creek Preserve March 28, 2003 Windy and cool
Fringed Puccoon, Texas Paintbrush, Prairie Verbena, Crow Poison, Funnel Flower, Buffalo Plum, Stork's Bill, Golden Groundsel, Fragrant Sumac, and Redbud are all in bloom.
Spring Creek Preserve Hummingbirds & Coral Honeysuckle March 26, 2003
Fay Danahy reports: Lynn and I walked 1787 Holford Road this afternoon. In the south most of the two copses that are just west of the first copse were several black-chinned hummingbirds feeding on coral honeysuckle. We watched them for 15 minutes.
Also, details on Fay's discovery of two more additions to the Flora List are in this month's Newsletter. That makes four new additions to the floral list this spring.
Reptiles and Orchids Spring Creek Preserve Week of March 9th
Derek reports that he caught and released a Texas Garter Snake on Wednesday, March 12 and a Rough Green Snake on Friday, March 14. He says "warm weather is bringing out the herps." He also and discovered a new orchid along the trail....his message reads "found a new plant for the list while I was showing Monica around the park on such a nice day. It was a coral root orchid, blooming right next to the trail where the trout lilies are most dense. It was between the bench in the opening and the little side trail overlooking the creek where the green dragon grows. It was blooming right next to the trail near one of the large fallen logs. Was about 8" tall I'd guess. I'd like to go back and take a picture or at least have Shinners and Mahler in hand to identify it. It was reddish brown colored, and the lower lip of the flower was white with purple spots and ruffled edges, quite an exciting find."
habitat similar to the Trout Lily. Most were not yet in full bloom.
Rough Green Snake (Opheodrys aestivus) second one found this week. (Below)
Another new species for the Forest...Violet Wood-Sorrel (Oxalis violacea) far right photo
Corallorrhiza may appear infrequently depending on winter rainfall...refer to these notes: http://www.sierraclub.org/lewisandclark/messages/index.asp?day=13&month=3
Saturday, March 8, 2003 Spring Creek Preserve - early spring flowers & pollinators
Ten-Petal Anemone abundant on prairie that was mowed last December 7. Elbow bush blooming (blooms are small, fuzzy yellowish green flowers in clusters along the branches of this shrub)..there are a myriad of pollinating flies, wasps, bees, bee flies, and a few Question Mark butterflies. Trout Lilies in full bloom in the forest, and are generally pollinated by honey bees and beetles. Pollination Partnerships in Texas hyperlink to Botanical Research Institute of Texas (BRIT)
Friday, March 7, 2003 Winter's Park (s. of Spring Creek Forest) 12:45 74o F
A flock of 50 Sandhill Cranes trumpeted while they circled high overhead and then proceeded north...according to Roger Tory Peterson, the "early spring gathering of Sandhill Cranes on the Platte River in Nebraska is among the greatest wildlife spectacles in America." A link to Sandhill Cranes: http://www.ngpc.state.ne.us/wildlife/cranes/sandhill.htm
February 25, 2003 Ice Storm A sleet storm covered Spring Creek with 2-3 inches of ice ....here are some photos..
Saturday, February 22, 2003 1770 Holford Road Garland, Texas
Tom Frey led the Trout Lily Walk at Spring Creek Forest today. Details forthcoming in the Newsletter by Fay Danahy. There were hundreds of trout lilies, most not in full bloom, generally growing in clusters on mesic alluvial soils just outside the active floodplain of Spring Creek.
Below: Bridgette's foot versus plant size.
Bridgett's foot gives a scale of the size of the Trout Lilies
Saturday, February 15, 2003 Jack & Derek Hill
We walked in a beautiful remnant prairie and associated cattail marsh (downslope) located on the east side of Rowlett Creek this afternoon for a Backyard Bird Count. Swamp, Field, White-Crowned, White-Throated, Fox, and Lincoln's Sparrows, Dark-Eyed Juncos, Rusty Blackbirds, Red-Winged Blackbirds, Common Grackle, American Crow, Cowbird, Starling, Ring-Billed Gull, Red-Bellied Woodpecker, Yellow-Rumped Warbler, Red-Tailed Hawk, Kestrel, American Goldfinch, House Finch, and Mallards.
Also found a dead, and quite hard-to-find, Texas Garter Snake which must have been active during the mild 72 degrees yesterday and been run over by a mountain bike or something similar (see photo on Frogs & Snakes Page). More on the upland prairie-cattail marsh complex later.
Friday, February 14, 2003 Spring Creek Preserve
Forestiera pubescens (Elbow Bush, Desert Olive) is budding and a single shrub was blooming. A few butterflies were seen. . A few birds including Harris's, Field, White-throated Sparrows, a Red-tailed Hawk, Sharp-shinned Hawk, a flock of 12 White-winged Doves, Mourning Doves, Northern Cardinals, Northern Mockingbirds, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Carolina Wren, Carolina Chickadee and American Goldfinch. A few butterflies. Remember that next Saturday is the Trout Lily Walk begins at 1770 Holford Road in the large parking and not at Spring Creek Preserve.
Sunday, January 12, 2003 Spring Creek Preserve Winter Scenes...
Saturday, January 11, 2003 Spring Creek Preserve
The Nature Hike today was enjoyed by all as we hiked through the Preserve and looked at birds, plants, and a geocache. Fay Danahy will have details on today's field trip in the next Newsletter. Below is a group photo that may not have all 21 participants since some came a little late. Photo courtesy of Ben Cox.
Raid on the geocache site... no damage or mischief, just fun. For info on the sport of geocaching, refer to the following website: http://www.geocaching.com/seek/nearest_cache.asp?zip=75044&submit1=Submit
|
