Category: Field Trips

Chapter Field Trips

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Field Trip: River Ranch County Park, Sunday, December 1, 2024

— by Sue Wiseman

  • What:   After Thanksgiving @ River Ranch County Park
  • When:  1:30 PM – 4:00 PM on Sunday, December 1, 2024
    • Meet at the Trailhead West Parking lot. (Follow the signs. It is past the Interpretive Center.)
  • Where:  194 Reveille Way, Liberty Hill, TX 78642
  • Our field trip is open to the public. Park day use fee $2-$4. (Ages 12 & under free.)

Please join us Sunday Dec 1 at River Ranch County Park from 1:30pm to 4:00pm. We will meet at the Trailhead West Parking lot. (Follow the signs. It is past the Interpretive Center.)

We will take a leisurely walk along the Overlook Trail where we will see a lot of fall grasses. The walk will be a little over a mile and is rated easy with few elevation changes. Feel free to bring your children and friends. Please wear appropriate clothing including long pants and closed toes shoes. Hats and sunscreen recommended. You might throw in a grass id book or notebook to help you with all the grasses.

If you have questions, please contact the Field Trip Committee (contact form here).

Escarpment Live Oak, Quercus fusiformis
Escarpment Live Oak, Quercus fusiformis. River Ranch County Park, August 2020.

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See photos from some of our previous field trips in our Field Trip Album.

Field Trip Album

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Trip Report: Palmetto State Park, Oct 19, 2024

— by Cindy Chrisler

image of group of hikers
Palmetto State Park, October 19, 2024. Photo by Cindy Chrisler.

Palmetto State Park was the destination for this month’s field trip.  Most attendees drove down that morning, but some stayed over the weekend in the shady campground. 

We assembled at 10:00 am at the Refectory Building, an historic CCC building that now serves as a picnic destination and overlook.  The park superintendent and a TPWD interpreter led us on two easy trails and discussed the local plants and animals in and around the park. 

Most notable was the anacua, a tree found in northern Mexico and southern Texas.  In the spring it is covered with small white flowers that provide abundant nectar for pollinators. In summer the flowers develop into berries that are relished by birds and other wildlife and can be used to make jam. Other interesting plants included supplejack, cottonwoods, pecans, and bur oaks, and of course, the dwarf palmetto, which lends its name to the park.  It was a pleasure to tour the riparian habitat with a flowing river during this dry period.


See photos from this field trip and others in our album=>

Field Trip Photo Album

See field trip plans on our Home page.