Another prairie grows in Plano
The City of Plano established the Arbor Hills Nature Preserve to protect a bit of the original landscape from encroaching development. This sign provides information on the three ecoregion you will find in the park--Blackland Prairie, Riparian Forest, and Upland Forest. A detailed description of each is at the bottom of the website.
The day we visited was a typical north Texas summer day: hot, sunny, and windy. Our goal was to get some exercise so these photos were taken on the fly with my smaller camera.
It was definitely windy
At first glance this field of bluestem grass in the Blackland Prairie looks uninteresting
A closer look reveals wildflowers like button flowers, thistle, gaillardia, and milkweed pods
Prairie grass similar to millet
Beyond the prairie we entered the cool, shady Riparian Forest zone. Creeks with water always draw me in because our creeks only have water immediately after a rain.
Waterfalls provided a nice natural sound
I was particularly interested in the limestone cutaway along the trail. Even though we are nearly 300 miles from home, this is very similar to my own yard with a thin layer of soil over rock. It's amazing how roots of established plants make their way down through the rock bringing soil with them.
Then we headed to the Upland Forest area which was an even bigger surprise than the preserved prairie. I had not pictured a forested area in the vast suburbs of north Dallas.
It's an excellent place to walk with paved and unpaved trails for walking and separate designated mountain bike trails.
In addition to trees, the Upland Forest had clearings with meadows like this one
I'm not sure this blue salvia is native here, but it looked good with the queen anne's lace.
Butterflies at work were sheltered from the winds here in the meadows
At the top of one trail is this nice picnic pavilion, there's also a nearby parking lot for those who choose not to walk up.
A few more observations along the trail included this very knobby tree. I tried looking it up, but couldn't find any information.
The summit has an observation tower overlooking the park and some of the nearby houses.
Completing our walk we headed back down to the car and looked back at the stone tower from the trail below
Along the way my sister-in-law pointed out this savanna-style prairie her children loved to visit because it looked like the Africa they knew from their favorite Lion King video. The youngest is a sophomore in college now, but they still enjoy walking here when they are home.
It was a fun place for a good walk and to explore.
the architecture is beautiful. And the prairie to boot..
ReplyDeleteIt took a while but I'm learning that the prairie is quite interesting.
DeleteThis whole thing is quite cool. If I lived near it, I'd be volunteering my time. Thanks for sharing this area. I'm glad people are actively setting lands aside for prairie preservation. Beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThis is a special space and certainly worth preserving.
DeleteWhat a cool place. I was just goofing off and looking at a few places I want to visit next time in Phoenix, and coming here after gave me whiplash in everything. Wow...a re-read and a "for future reference when in DFW".
ReplyDeleteWorth a visit for everyone and you'd especially enjoy seeing how the different ecoregions fit into one park.
DeleteLooks like a great spot to recharge a bit. Places like this never gets boring, always something interesting around. Thanks for taking us along. LT
ReplyDeleteThe plants there would change quite a bit throughout the year as north Texas has more distinct seasons than farther south.
DeleteWhat a fascinating combination of habitats. Must be great for insects.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great refuge for insects escaping the chemical lawn treatments so popular around there. It was a typically breezy day so we weren't bugged by any pesky insects.
DeleteWhat a wonderful find. Nice to see that area is being protected for nature and for humans to enjoy. The meadow is beautiful.
ReplyDeleteIt was lovely and I'm so glad we found time to visit.
DeleteI love Arbor Hills! Thanks for sharing your pictures, Shirley. Going out there makes it easy to forget I am in the middle of Plano. It is also nice to get an idea of what the local countryside used to look like before it was graded and paved over or planted with lawns.
ReplyDeleteI went to Arbor Hills during a "blizzard" a couple of years ago and took a few pictures. They are in my 02-11-10 post if you are interested.
By the way, the bush with the blue-black fruit is elbow bush. I added a couple of them to my backyard earlier this year. The fruit on my plants disappeared as soon as it was ripe. I assume the birds had a nice snack.
Arbor Hills is a great asset for the city and a good place for children to experience what the outdoors is really like.
DeleteYour photos of it in snow are beautiful. The large flock of cedar waxwings is so special.
Thanks for the ID, there were so many plants I didn't know.
We live in such a beautiful country with so many mouth-dropping views, that these subtle, everyday encounters with the natural areas go unnoticed and under appreciated.. Thank you for sharing this area with us.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful place to walk and hike! I feel like I've seen some trees with knobs on them before here in NC, though the knobs were not quite as pronounced as those. I also wondered what they were - is it a type of tree or a weird disease?
ReplyDeleteThanks for taking the time for a closer look, and then sharing the rewards.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great place. So close to my home and yet I've never heard of it. sometime I'll have to swing up to Plano (no exactly right around the corner, but not all that far) and visit.
ReplyDelete