Prairie Notes #236 - Prairie Pyrotechnics
Prairie Notes are monthly photo/journal observations from Tandy Hills Natural Area by Founder/Director, Don Young. They include field reports, flora and fauna sightings, and more, mixed with a scoop of dry humor and a bit of philosophy.
They are available free to all who get on the FOTHNA email list.
Prairie Pyrotechnics
Prairie Notes #236
August 1, 2026
1) Prairie Pyrotechnics
2) Field Report - July
3) New Species Report - July
4) Newsworthy & Noteworthy
5) PrairieSky / StarParty Report
6) Prairie Proverb - Theodore Frederic Gaillardet
1) Prairie Pyrotechnics
“Summertime. . . and the living is easy. . . grasshoppers jumping. . . and the prairie is dry.”
In the Field Report below you will read that only a handful of species are still blooming. The plants, like us, are slowing down as the temps speed up. (103 degrees at press time.) What better time than now to remind you of the wonders that exist here.
I created this black-background graphic with July 4th in mind. I call it, Tandy Hills Fireworks, because that’s what they remind me of. Bright colors on a dark background are so eye-popping. These 24 wildflowers are just a few of the 2,788 species (and counting) that call this remarkable place home. There are, in fact, at least 500 flowering species present here. We all agree that they are the pretty to look at. But they are much more than that. The same wildflowers you like are the same ones that pollinators like. And pollinators are what the birds, lizards and other critters like. It’s called the circle of life.
I selected these photos from more than 40,000 I have taken over the past 20+ years. It was a fun project until the temps drop and I can put my hiking boots back on.
As always, thanks for reading these Prairie Notes and supporting Friends of Tandy Hills Natural Area. Your donations are welcome HERE.
DY
Row 1, l-r: Firewheel (variant); Prairie Celestial; Prairie Onion; Yellow Puff; Drummond’s Onion; Firewheel.
Row 2, l-r: Hybrid Texas-Purple Paintbrush; Compact Prairie Clover; Firewheel (variant); Stiff-leaved Goldenrod; Ten-petal Anemone; Grooved Nipple Cactus
Row 3. l-r: Texas Bluebonnet; Coneflower; Texas Bluebell; Round-headed Prairie Clover; Aromatic Aster; Fourvalve Mimosa.
Row 4, l-r: American Basketflower; Fringed Bluestar; Narrowleaf Gumweed; American Basketflower; Green Comet Milkweed; Yellow Flax.
2) Field Report - July
Despite the blistering heat, the prairie was calling out to me in late July. I pulled up my hiking socks and took a good, long hike. It was about 98 degrees and almost no breeze at about 6 PM. But I loved every minute, except for the long hike up the hill back home. You see stuff when you get boots on the ground that these photos simply can’t convey. AND…the place looks much better and greener up close than it does from the street. That may soon change if we don’t get some rain
As usual in July, colorful sunsets are more common than colorful wildflowers. The first four pics below attest to that. But thanks to above normal precipitation through mid-Jluy, there were a few exceptions. For example, I was amazed to see Texas Bluebells still blooming in late July and, Blazing-Stars are just starting to bloom. Narrowleaf Gumweed is made for summer blooming. But the super-duper-star in this heat is Round-headed Prairie Clover. It’s widespread and fresh-looking, despite the heat. So. . . be like the prairie clover and come on in!
The July 6th sunset was so awe-inspiring I have attached 4 photos of its progression.
July 6th delivered, yet another, gob-smackingly beautiful sunset.
Purple Threeawn grass (Aristida purpurea) looking spectacular, waving gently in the hot, summer wind.
A view of the east meadow on July 15 just before the big rain. The dark brown areas are where dominant, Diamond-Flowers (Stenaria nigricans) bloomed in the spring.
3) New Species - July
July was a slow month for finding new species. The overall species count is now 2,788. See them below or see them all at the Tandy Hills iNat Project Page HERE.
4) Newsworthy & Noteworthy
>>>>>>> There is a new documentary film on the Pulitzer Prize-winning nature poet, Mary Oliver, titled, Saved by the Beauty of the World. It’s part of the PBS series, American Masters and is now streaming in various places. I have quoted her in Prairie Notes many times over the years for her thoughtful and moving words of wisdom. Highly recommended. Watch the trailer, HERE. Streaming at the usual places, and will premiere nationwide on television on August 25, 2026, through PBS American Masters.
>>>>>>> Michael Smith, has completed his three-part series on outdoor education programs for kids in the DFW area. It’s now published in GreenSourceTexas. Our Kids on the Prairie program is mentioned affectionately. Check it out HERE. Also, Michael was interviewed about this topic on the new radio talk show on KERA, North Texas Now (NTX Now). No link yet but look for it HERE.
>>>>>>> Fort Worth City Council District 3 rep, Michael D. Crain, spent the month of June walking all over Fort Worth in support of the Airpower Foundation’s WALK 22, a month‑long effort to walk 22 miles to fight veteran suicide and raise awareness about, Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome. Each mile represents a commitment to stand with our veterans and support life‑saving resources so they are never left to fight alone.
Michael is a long time supporter of Tandy Hills so, he naturally chose Tandy Hills for the final day of his walks. Well done, MIchael !
>>>>>>> The Tandy Hills Land Management Team continued their never-ending job of controlling weedy and woody species in July. Olivia, Paige, Josh, Jack and Keandre are here 4 days a week managing the land. In July the team removed a large, fallen tree that was blocking a trail. They also cut many dozens of Ash tree re-sprouts. We have recently adjusted our herbicide formula to help reduce those re-sprouts. Your generous donations keep them working year round. You can support this vital work, HERE: https://www.tandyhills.org/donate
>>>>>>> July was Park & Recreation Month. Just for fun and to celebrate, Fort Worth Parks, had a little contest to promote the park system with bingo squares. We are honored that, Tandy Hills was featured in one of the squares. Now, about those Prairie Rangers we’ve been needing . . .
>>>>>>> We had a major downpour on July 15-16 bringing at least 2” of much-needed rain. Other nearby gauges reported 3.5”. Earlier in July we had lots of sprinkles and short-lived downpours. The plants and animals needed it. So did we.
>>>>>>> Fort Worth PD heard about the many issues plaguing Tandy Hills and installed this watchtower in late July. We would rather have uniformed Prairie Rangers, but we will take any help we can get with off-trail violators.
>>>>>>> National Moth Week occurred in July, but you can keep watching for them anytime. (We have some huge Underwing moths living in the shaded areas outside of our house, across from the park.) New species are discovered almost daily across the globe. Did you know that, there are about 160,000 described moth species and about 17,500 butterflies and those are only the ones with formal scientific names. Every moth observation you add helps fill in the rest. The iNaturalist website is urging people to post their photos of moths on the site. According to their website:
“Every moth photo is a little mystery waiting to be investigated. Small acts of noticing your local moths can lead to much bigger discoveries for science and conservation — and it's a lovely way to slow down and connect with the world around you.’
Left: Walnut Sphinx (Amorpha juglandis) Right: Tersa Sphinx (Xylophanes tersa)
>>>>>>> Best-selling author, Douglas Tallamy, known as “the godfather of the native-plant movement”, has a new book coming out on March 2, 2027, titled, Wonder of Moths: Deception and Survival of Nature’s Most Important Insects. Here’s a blurb from the publisher:
“The Wonder of Moths is our closest look at these fascinating adaptations displayed by moths and their caterpillars. In nearly 500 stunning photographs, we see some of nature's cleverest tricks in action, with one of the world's leading entomologists as our guide. As a New York Times bestselling author, and a major voice in the native plant movement, Douglas W. Tallamy reminds us in the most colorful and exciting fashion that the real reason to plant native is to support moths―the incredible and crucial cornerstone of the entire food web.”
Check out the details HERE.
5) Prairie Sky / Star Party report
It was a great night for a star party on July 19th. There were 13 scopes set up including. In the mix were ZWO Seestars and DWARF mini scopes. The crowd consisted of 40+ enthusiastic members of the public. Even though it was hot during the day, a nice breeze kept us cool all evening. See the complete 2026 schedule, HERE.
Fort Worth Astronomical Society representative, John McCrea, has the forecast for the next star party on August 15th:
“For our August 15th FWAS/Tandy Hills star party, we will continue summer under the stars with our favorite summer constellations. The center of our galaxy can be found in the constellation, Sagittarius (the archer). Also, visible will be some of the well-known constellations such as: Scorpius (the scorpion), Lyra (the lyre), and Cygnus (the swan). The remaining are Ursa Major, Cancer, Virgo, and Hercules. The summer triangle(Vega (25 LY), Deneb (1,411 LY), and Altair (17 LY))will be visible. Vega will be at its highest point of the year, almost on the Zenith.”
The sun will set at 8:14 PM DST on August 15th. The moon will be a 3.6-day old waxing crescent and will be in the constellation Virgo (the virgin). The planet Venus will be in Virgo, but it will set around 9:45 PM, along with the moon.
The Perseid meteor shower will be August 17 to 24, with the peak on August 12-13.
6) Prairie Proverb - THEODORE FREDERIC GAILLARDET
“Texas is on the whole a flat country. More prairie lands than wooded areas are to be found there. The prairies are magnificent, the most delightful sight an eye can hope to behold. For nine months of the year Texas is a green carpet decorated with wild flowers. It is a garden, where the hand of man has nothing to do but gather. Nature alone is sufficient to reproduce the treasures of this vast, fertile park in which every adornment and every fruit of the earth grow without cultivation.”
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Prairie Notes© is the official newsletter of Friends of Tandy Hills Natural Area, a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization. All content by Don Young except where otherwise noted.
