Tag: Central Texas

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Wildflower Wanders at Balcones Canyonlands

Wildflower Wanders are hikes in Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge planned by the Friends of BCNWR. Wildflower Wanders help people learn about identifying plants and the importance of native plants.  The hikes below are coming up soon, planned as a balance of walks that are easy, combined with some that are harder. Register at the links. (Though these hikes are not NPSOT events, the particular hikes below are led by NPSOT-Wilco members Gary Bowers and Cindy Chrisler.)

See the Friends of BCNWR’s events calendar here.

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2024 Ashe Juniper Symposium

News from Biodiversity Works:

Early registration is open now for Biodiversity Works’ 2024 Ashe Juniper Symposium on May 8-9, 2024, in Austin, Texas.  The goal of the symposium is “to advance the collective understanding of the science of Ashe juniper and facilitate applications of this understanding into management and conservation of sustainable, resilient and ecologically-appropriate ecosystems.” 

Biodiversity Works, a non-profit organization based in Austin, Texas, provides technical and financial assistance to private landowners for the purposes of designing, implementing and monitoring habitat restoration and enhancement projects for rare, threatened and endangered species in Texas.

Click on this link for more information about the symposium or to register.

Ashe Juniper sign
Ashe Juniper with NPSOT-Williamson County Interpretive Plant Sign. Brushy Creek Regional Trail.
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Trip Report: Twin Creeks Historic Park

— by Pat Donica

Eighteen people enjoyed a simply beautiful Sunday on Feb 4’s field trip to Twin Creeks Historic Park in Cedar Park.  This little gem sits tucked in the hills between a couple of subdivisions and a golf course just inside northwestern Travis County.  

A paved path runs nearly the length of the park; a dirt path continues farther.  Sunday’s hike was almost a mile from parking lot to pavement’s end and then back the same way. There are benches along the trail if you care to pause and ponder.  About halfway in, the path meets up with and follows the banks of a creek, taking a turn past an 1859 log cabin (not open to visitors) preserved in the hollow.   

Led by Sue Wiseman and Kathy Galloway, we found Texas red oak, twistleaf yucca, sycamore, little bluestem, Lindheimer silktassel, American elm, seep muhly, possumhaw, yaupon holly, box elder, river fern, and more.  Recent rains ensured the creek was bubbling and flowing.  And seeing the old cabin was a real bonus.  You just have to think, oh, the stories it could tell!

image of log over trail
How many hikers can this log hold?
image of waterfall
One of the waterfalls.
image of log cabin
1859 King family log cabin.

Photos by Greg and Pat Donica.


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

Field Trip Photo Album