Category: Field Trips

Chapter Field Trips

Posted on

Field Trip: Museo Benini and Middleton Ranch Hike, Saturday, April 27, 2024

[4/14 directions updated. Left on FM 2147; 4/12, option to park inside Middleton Ranch gate added]

image of museum entrance

— by Cindy Chrisler

  • What:   Museo Benini and Middleton Ranch Field Trip
  • When:  Saturday, April 27, 2024
    • 10:30 AM-11:30AM – Museo Benini
    • (optional) 11:30 AM – Middleton Ranch hike
  • Where: 
    • Museo Benini, 3440 FM2147, Marble Falls, TX 78654.
      • Directions: From FM 1431, take 281 south for about 2.5 miles to FM 2147.  Turn left on FM 2147 and proceed 3.2 miles to Museo Benini.
    • Middleton Ranch directions will be provided at the field trip
  • Our field trip is free and open to the public. Reservations are not required.

Meet at Museo Benini at 10:30 AM to tour the site and view their wildflowers.  Optionally you may enter the museum and visit the artwork (free admission).

At 11:30, those who wish to continue to the Middleton Ranch will be given directions and a waiver to sign.  It takes about 20 minutes to get from the museum to the Middleton Ranch.  The ranch roads are one-way gravel, and there are some ruts and steep hills, but you do not need high clearance. (My husband’s MG can handle the road!)  You are invited to bring a picnic lunch and eat in the shade of live oak trees.  Bring lawn chairs and your picnic lunch.  The chapter will provide a dessert and water.  Bathrooms are available.  After lunch, Cindy Chrisler will lead a guided hike around the property, and you may wander after that until 5:00 p.m., although you may leave earlier if you like.

If you are uncomfortable driving your vehicle on the ranch roads, you may park inside the gate and we will transport you to the property and back to the gate.

Wear clothing appropriate for the weather, including closed toed shoes and long pants if you plan to go on the guided hike at the Middleton Ranch.  Participants may also want to use insect repellent. 

The Middleton Ranch is a working cattle ranch and cattle roam freely.  Some terrain is uneven, steep, and rocky in places. The guided hike will mostly be on flat areas, but there are some spots that are steep and rocky and we will cross a shallow creek twice.

image of milkweed
image of blooming wildflower
image of blooming wildflower

Above: flowers at the Middleton Ranch

————–
See photos from other field trips ==>

Field Trip Photo Album
Posted on

Field Trip: Hidden Springs Preserve Plant Survey #10, Friday, April 12, 2024

image of a sign

— by Kathy Galloway

  • What:   Hidden Springs Preserve Field Trip, Plant Survey 10 of 12
  • When:  9:00 AM – 12:00 PM, Friday, April 12, 2024
    • Please plan on arriving by 9:15 AM. There is a padlock on the front gate and it will be locked shortly after 9:15 AM.
  • Where:  978 CR 224, Florence, TX.
  • Our field trip is free and open to the public…
    • But the preserve is not open to the general public.  See important details later in this post.

We’re continuing our plant survey work with plant survey #10.

Be prepared for extensive walking on uneven, open terrain. Wear sturdy walking shoes, a hat, and sunscreen, and bring water, field guides, and something to take notes on and with. Members at all plant knowledge levels can help on survey field trips. Beginners are welcome.

Please plan on arriving by 9:15 AM – there is a padlock on the front gate, and it will be locked shortly after 9:15 AM

Reservations are not required. Please feel free to contact the Field Trip Committee (contact form here) beforehand if you have any questions.

Directions:

  • Take IH-35 north to Exit 266 (Florence/Killeen/195).
  • Turn left and follow SH 195 toward Florence.
  • Go through Florence, take the TX 138 exit (you will be near the City of Florence’s water tower with the bison on it), and then turn left onto TX 138.
  • After a little over two miles, turn right onto CR 224.
  • After about half a mile, at the fork in the road, bear to the left and stay on CR 224. Note that a car GPS system may indicate that you should bear to the right – this is incorrect.
  • After another half a mile, look for a green metal gate on your right (north side of street). There is a large wooden sign “Hidden Springs” sign between two flagpoles behind the fence. The address is 978 County Road 224, Florence, TX, but there is no number on the gate. (The gate is across the street from 981 CR 224.)
  • When you arrive, directions will be given as to where to park.

————–
See photos from our earlier survey trips to Hidden Springs Preserve.

Hidden Springs Plant Survey Album
Posted on

Trip Report: Spring Tree Walk, March 17

— by Cindy Chrisler

Gary Bowers led five hearty NPSOT members on today’s field trip at Old Settler’s Park in Round Rock.  This was the second field trip in a series of four to observe the same trees in all seasons of the year. 

This trip showed many trees and shrubs in bloom, including Mexican Buckeye, Possumhaw, Rusty Blackhaw, and Green Hawthorn.  Other flowers were also spotted, such as Large Buttercup, Texas Baby Blue-eyes, and the ubiquitous Texas Bluebonnet. Many other trees, shrubs, and forbs are poised to bloom in the next few weeks for a spectacular show. 

The next field trip in this series is scheduled for June 29. 

Mexican Buckeye, Ungnadia speciosa
Flowers and fruits. Mexican Buckeye, Ungnadia speciosa. Photo by Cindy Chrisler.


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

Field Trip Photo Album