Field Trip Announcement: Sat. March 14, 10:00am, Bootys Road Park Trail, Georgetown

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—   by Vicky Husband

Phacelia congesta - Blue Curls
Phacelia congesta – Blue Curls

Introduction to Native Plants: Spring Walk.  Location: 1631 Booty’s Park Road, Georgetown, TX 78628.  Join us for a Spring Walk as we locate the early bloomers and learn about plants native to our area.  Booty Road Park Trail is a 2.4 mile moderately trafficked “out and back” trail that offers scenic views and is good for all skill levels. The trail is a combination of paved and unpaved, some up and down elevations, parts densely shaded, with good bird watching opportunities including a vulture’s roost.

Smilax bona-nox - Greenbriar
Smilax bona-nox – Greenbriar

We expect to see cedar elm, ashe juniper, live oak, osage orange, hackberry, greenbriar, boxelder and mexican buckeye.  We will turn around at Weir dam, a sunny spot with switch grass, bushy bluestem and dewberry.  We will keep a look-out for some favorites including maidenhair fern, blue curls, early wildflowers such as Englemann’s daisy, bluebonnet and mexican hat.

Free entrance, lots of parking, restrooms available.  Look for FT leader Gary… no RSVPs required!

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Field Trip Report: A Post-Thanksgiving Day Walk Along Brushy Creek Regional Trail – West on November 30, 2019

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Trip report by Kathy McCormack; photos courtesy of Nancy Pumphrey, Dave Gage, and Kathy McCormack

After a chilly, drizzly Thanksgiving, and a foggy, misty Black Friday, the Saturday after Thanksgiving was sunny and HOT – 87 degrees – breaking the old record by five degrees !  But eight chapter members drank their water as they walked two miles along the western end of the Brushy Creek Regional Trail from the YMCA in Cedar Park to Brushy Creek Sports Park.  We inspected the 23 newly-installed interpretive plant signs, and we were thrilled when we saw someone stop to read one of them.  Many thanks to Mark Pettigrew (WilCo Parks & Rec) for cementing in the new posts, and to all of the volunteers who helped sand and paint the old posts and caulk and uncover the new signs.

Little Texas Bluebonnet (Lupinus texensis) plants had already germinated, and the smooth, thick, green vines of Alabama Supplejack (Berchemia scandens) were quite noticeable due to the early frost which had caused most of the deciduous plants to lose their leaves.  We removed a few non-native Japanese Honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) that had snuck in to a beautiful fern- and moss-covered seep area, and we scattered Antelope Horns (Asclepias asperula) seed in appropriate habitat – hopefully, there will now be more of this important larval host plant for the Monarchs in the spring.  The highlight of the walk may have been spotting a splitting seed pod of Anglepod (Matelea gonocarpos) near some dried but still distinctly-leaved Yellow Passionflower (Passiflora lutea).

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Field Trip Report: Miller Springs Park and Preserve, 16 Nov 2019

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— article by Kathy McCormack; photos by Gary Bowers, Bob Kamper, Randy Pensabene, and Kathy McCormack; trip route and movie by Gary Bowers

Thirteen NPSOTers explored Miller Springs Park & Preserve in Bell County on a cool but sunny November morning.  Eleven people were from the Williamson County (WilCo) chapter, and two were from the Tonkawa chapter.  Charles Newsom (WilCo) guided us around this bottomland area below the Lake Belton dam whose gates first closed in 1954.

We first took a path that skirted the base of the dam.  After cutting through a short section of woods and crossing over a stepping stone bridge past Camphorweed (Heterotheca subaxillaris) and a beautiful clump of Carolina Snailseed (Cocculus carolinus) berries, we saw some test plots with varying thicknesses of amended soil that were planted with the same grass/forb seed mix.  A mid-1990s plant survey report by Paul Boldt indicated that this area “formerly contained rich alluvial soil deposited over thousands of years by the wanderings of the Leon River.  Many Blackland Prairie and Grand Prairie species must have been present here.  In the early 1950’s, however, the Basin was stripped of up to 20 feet of top and subsoil that was used to build the Belton Dam.  In 1991, water poured across [this area] moving large amounts of soil, gravel, and many large stones.”  The test plots were established in 1996.  Along with other spent wildflowers like Horsemint (Monarda citriodora), Prairie Parsley (Polytaenia texana), and Gayfeather (Liatris mucronata), we saw Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), Big Bluestem (Andropogon gerardi), Yellow Indiangrass (Sorghastrum nutans), and Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) – the “Big Four” of the Tallgrass Prairie – so we knew that we were standing in a patchwork, man-made prairie !  We could see the difference in the plant communities made by the addition of even small amounts of organic material in this developing soil.

Next, we followed an old forest road over three wooden footbridges to a lookout over Green Pond.  It was nice to see Eryngo (Eryngium leavenworthii) growing there.  Finally, we wound our way through the old-growth riparian zone and were delighted to see not only Coralberry (Symphoricarpos orbiculatus), Inland Sea Oats (Chasmanthium latifolium), and a mystery Prickly Pear (Opuntia species), but also huge Box-elder Maple (Acer negundo), Black Willow (Salix nigra), Osage Orange (Maclura pomifera), Cottonwood (Populus deltoides), Pecan (Carya illinoinensis), and Green Ash (Fraxinus pensylvanica).

After our three-hour walk, we enjoyed some BBQ at a nearby restaurant before heading home.

Below, you can watch a short slideshow that contains photos and info from our trip.

[iframe src=”https://spark.adobe.com/video/yc9ADK5vm0Nv7/embed” width=”960″ height=”540″ frameborder=”0″]

DIRECTIONS TO MILLER SPRINGS

Directions from Georgetown Public Library: Take IH-35 North to Exit 292 Belton (approx 28 miles). Turn Left (west) onto Loop 121, which will then bear right (north); note that there is a CEFCO gas station with restrooms on the right just after the US 190 intersection (about ten minutes before reaching the park). Turn Left (west) onto  FR 439 (Lake Road) for approx 2 miles. Turn Right onto Miller Springs Park Road (you will see the brown sign first).  Continue to the parking loop at the end, adjacent to the dam outlet below the dam. Very limited parking available.

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