Prairie Notes #232 - What’s Going On Here?
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.
What’s Going On Here?
Prairie Notes #233
May 1, 2026
1) What’s Going On Here?
2) Field Report - April
3) New Species Report - April
4) BB Hill Heaven
5) Newsworthy & Noteworthy
6) PrairieSky / StarParty Report
7) Prairie Proverb -W.B. Yeats
1) What’s Going On Here?
Purple Paintbrush (Castilleja purpurea) is one of the signature, Iconic species at Tandy Hills. In past years there has always been a healthy population of of them covering the meadows. They are often paired, somewhat equally, with Engelmann’s Sage (Salvia engelmannii) and/or, Stiff Greenthread (Thelesperma filifolium). But, in recent years, we have noticed a gradual decline in the numbers of Paintbrush.
Even though it is normal for the meadows to be different every year, Purple Paintbrush has been a reliable presence and in large numbers, most years. But in 2023 we were surprised to see the Indian Blankets/Firewheel (Gaillardia pulchella) dominate areas where the Paintbrush was once lush. Ditto 2024. There were even fewer Paintbrush in 2025, although the meadows were still extraordinarily beautiful with a super-bloom of Stiff Greenthread, and all the other species.
Purple Paintbrush seems to be the only species in decline at Tandy Hills and also on Broadcast Hill where there were literally, tens of thousands in bloom, in 2020. I even heard that, highway easements planted with wildflowers had noticeably fewer Castillaja species in 2026. I contacted, Theo Witsell, Co-founder & Chief Conservation Officer of Southeastern Grasslands Institute (SGI) about this. His team did a major survey of Tandy Hills last year. He mentioned that another species, Painted-cup Paintbrush, Castilleja (coccinea), is also in decline. I also contacted, Mark Egger, of Seattle, Washington, who is the world’s #1 observer and documenter of Castilleja species. He is unsure about the cause, but he has an incredible website showing every species in N. America.
The possible causes have not yet been determined. According to Master Naturalist, Suzanne Tuttle, we probably won’t know the cause without a scientific study. Master Naturalist, Kate Morgan who owns a ranch northwest of Fort Worth, said she had fewer Paintbrush this year and suggests climate change may be the culprit. Or, could the late 2024 burn be a cause? Pollution from I-30? Or, possibly, vandalism by photographers? (see below examples).
Finally, I heard from, Austin-based, Jason Singhurst, one of the most respected botanists and ecologists in Texas. He wrote this back:
“I was in El Paso County, Texas last week standing among Castilleja lanata and C. rigida in the Franklin Mountains. While traveling back through San Angelo, Texas I noticed that Castilleja citrina was just starting to flower in areas where I also normally see lots of C. purpurea but only observed a single plant here and there. I also traveled back and forth to the Texas coast a couple of times in late March and early April and C. indivisa had low numbers. My suspect is the very dry winter, and early spring is playing a role in the decreases in Castilleja in central and coastal Texas and probably north Texas as well.”
We aren’t yet sure if this is one-off season or something more concerning. Purple Paintbrush are hemiparasitic. That means, they require specific host plants (prairie grasses, in this case) to survive. Like a vampire, their roots connect with the grasses to obtain water and nutrients. But we have plenty of grasses here and plenty of pollinators, too. To be continued. . .
As always, thanks for reading these Prairie Notes and supporting Friends of Tandy Hills Natural Area. Your donations are welcome HERE.
DY
2004 was an exceptional year for Castilleja purpurea.
The incredible super-bloom of Purple Paintbrush on Broadcast Hill in April 2020.
In 2024, Firewheel crowded out most of the Purple Paintbrush and Engelmann’s Sage.
In 2025, Purple Paintbrush were few and far between the thousands of Stiff Greenthread blooms.
2022 was one of the last great years for Purple Paintbrush and Engelmann’s Sage
In 2021, the Purple Paintbrush were still thriving.
It is well-documented that, Paintbrush does not handle habitat alteration very well, such as unmonitored recreational use. Whatever the reason for the decline, there are some things that have certainly not helped us preserve our signature species. It’s also a good reminder to the city that wildflower trampling and pilfering do have serious consequences, for the wildflowers. We need some form of security to protect further damage.
2) Field Report - April
As you can see above, the usual spring blooms at Tandy and Broadcast Hills were somewhat less than expected this year. This is especially true of large swaths of some species. That said, the meadows have finally grown more lush with an influx of rain. All the species are there but some in less quantity. Come on in before it gets too hot. It’s still the most amazing natural area in north Tejas.
Broadcast Hill has a few examples of white variant, Purple Paintbrush (Castilleja purpurea).
A handsome and large, Bobcat (Lynx rufus) was spotted on April 7th by a young man visiting for the first time. It was probably looking for Easter eggs.
Engelmann’s Sage (Salvia engelmannii) and Fourvalve Mimosa (Mimosa quadrivalvis) team up for a photo-op.
This was about the peak of the early spring meadows. Nice but not as lush as the recent past.
3) New Species - April
April started out kind of slow but picked up dramatically, on the 24th when the 11th annual, City Nature Challenge started up. Overnight, the species count jumped up by 50! Then, 100! The 135! It’s still growing as of press time. These numbers will fluctuate as ID’s are confirmed. But, for now,, we increased from 2598 to 2736 in April. One of the most notable was a species of, Fruit Flies (Pyracantha culta). The eyes are unlike any you have ever seen. See them all at the Tandy Hills iNat Project Page HERE.
“I fell in love with you the first time I looked into, dem dere eyes” Fruit Fly (Pyracantha culta). Photo by, Brent Franklin.
4) BB Hill Heaven
One of the greatest pleasures you can find at Tandy Hills is the annual explosion of wildflowers that occurs on BB Hill. Barbara's-Buttons (Marshallia caespitosa) pretty much own that hill. Individual flowers are rather plain but when tens of thousands bloom all at once something akin to magic happens. No sign of decline here. In fact the colony is spreading more each year. If you can find it in the next couple of weeks, prepare to be awestruck!
The ever-expanding colony of Barbara’s Buttons is one of the top attractions at Tandy Hills.
5) Newsworthy & Noteworthy
>>>>>>> Something beautiful happened at Tandy Hills on April 24th. The North Central Chapter of the Native Plant Society of Texas (NPSOT) donated $4,400 to Friends of Tandy HIlls to help fund our habitat restoration program. Marcie Delgado and Karen Harden of NPSOT and representatives of Constellation Energy were present to hand off the big check. Tandy Hills board members, representatives of Councilperson, Jeanette Martinez and several Parks Department folks were also witnesses. We are VERY grateful for all the support!
>>>>>>> Easter Sunday at Tandy Hills is typically a crisis of too many people trampling the prairie. But not this year. For the very first time, we were able to convince the City and Parks officials that we are overwhelmed. They came through for us, Big Time. The FWPD sent Officer Andre Edwards, who is nicest guy in the world but don't step off-trail or you will be stopped. We also got four officers from Citizens On Patrol (COPS). AND... we had Keandre and Olivia of our team plus Kit, a new volunteer. Man, what a difference a year makes. We are eternally grateful to FW Park & Rec for finally getting this done. Before they arrived we did have some vandalism. And, and, and... we had Alexis Jackson and her friend chalking the sidewalk to help people understand where they are and why they should follow the rules. Big thanks to all.
>>>>>>> Look who was sketching at Tandy Hills on Easter Sunday. As I mentioned last month, James Prosek and Youri Cansell, who painted the wildflower and butterfly murals at Sundance Square, are currently painting a bird mural there. They were taking photos and sketching in the most important natural area in north Texas. Here they are posing with our stellar team of prairie keepers, Keandre and Olivia. "They say that it's all happening at Tandy Hills. I do believe it. I do believe it's true!" You can watch a cool video of the work in progress HERE.
>>>>>>> Don & Debora Young led a tour of biology students from the Winston School in Dallas on April 17th. The students collected photos of wildflowers at Tandy Hills for a school project. They needed 16 different wildflowers and found many more than that. This was the 10th year that we have led walks for the Winston School.
>>>>>>> We finally got around to installing trail markers on two of our more remote trails. Cody McCoy and his pal, Peter, did the job which requires digging a deep hole in rocky soil. They finished just in time for a couple of hikers who passed by. Well done, gentlemen!
>>>>>>> Don & Debora Young gave a 1.5 hour presentation to the FW New Comers Garden Club at Botanic Gardens on April 10th. They were a very enthusiastic audience and were in awe of the photos of Tandy Hills, its history and a few good stories I told. Thanks to Lacey Camp, who invited Debora and I to present.
>>>>>>> The 11th annual City Nature Challenge took place April 24 - 27. Sam Kieschnick of Texas Parks & Wildlife spent the last few hours of the Challenge, “moth-ing” at Tandy Hills. He brought along what he called his, “hardcore iNatters”, about 30 of them. Conditions were very good and species count exploded to more than 100 new species!
>>>>>>> Local native plant nursery, Nativo Gardens, held a 1-day Earth Day sale on April 29th, with a portion of their sales donated to Friends of Tandy Hills. Mercedes Mendez, with Nativo was very kind to off this support for our restoration and education programs. Pay them a visit when you get a chance and say, THANKS a mil!
>>>>>>> Every now and then I stumble across a website or video someone has created about Tandy Hills that I have no knowledge of. That happened again last month when this short video came across my feed: Texas Tallgrass Prairie
>>>>>>> In an amazing new development on April 28th, the FW City Council voted, unanimously, to better maintain and care for native habitats, wildlife and natural resources and enhance public benefits. This has been a constant drumbeat from Friends of Tandy Hills since 2020 when Broadcast Hill was acquired. Acquiring green space is a good thing but managing it is essential. This is very gratifying move by the city. Read the good news HERE.
6) Prairie Sky / Star Party report
We were rained out last month. The next star party of the season is on May 23rd, 2026. See the complete 2026 schedule, HERE.
Fort Worth Astronomical Society representative, John McCrea, has the forecast for the next star party on May 23rd:
“For our May 23rd, 2026, FWAS/Tandy Hills star party, we will have our familiar spring constellations. The most popular can be seen in the night sky from about late March to late June. Although there are about fifteen springtime constellations visible in the Northern Hemisphere, seven prominent constellations stand out and are generally associated with springtime. These include Ursa Major, Boötes, Cancer, Leo, Coma Berenices, Virgo, and Hydra.
The sun will set at 8:26 PM on May 23rd. The moon will be an 8-day old waxing gibbous in the Constellation Leo (the lion). Jupiter will still be visible tonight.
With any luck we may be able to see the Ω-Centauri globular cluster. It will be 5 degrees higher than Canopus was in March. It will be at 166O compass heading (southeast) or RA 13hr 26’, Dec -47O 40’.
On this day in astronomical history:
* The Castlerigg stone circles in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, dating back to 3000 BC, have an astronomical alignment for May 1st sunrise to mark the occasion of Beltain. This was the start of summer in Great Britain. and is still Celebrated as May Day.
* “Echoes of the ancient skies” by Dr. E. C. Krupp
7) Prairie Proverb - W.B. Yeats
“The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper.”
William Butler Yeats in 1932.
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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.
