Prairie Notes #64: Prairie Fest x3 Takes Flight

Written By Don Young

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 Fest x3 Takes Flight

Prairie Notes #64

April 1, 2012

1) Prairie Festx3 Takes Flight

2) "Stuff" with a Purpose

3) Vote for Tandy Hills!

4) Field Report

5) Wildflower of the Moment: Wild Onion/Garlic

6) Prairie Plant Puzzler

7) Sponsor Love

8) Prairie Proverb

1) Prairie Festx3 Takes Flight

In case you missed the first event, please join us on April 28 for another thrilling edition of Prairie Festx3! Check out the photos below to see some of what you missed on 3/31 AND mark your calendar for the final PFx3 on May 26 which will include after the fest, Movie Night on the Prairie, sponsored by the Citizen Theater. STAGE SCHEDULE for (4/28): 4 PM Darrin Kobetich 5 PM The Ackermans 6 PM Fort Worth Scottish Pipes & Drums 6:30 PM Brave Combo w/ Brazen Bellies See more Prairie fest pics in the Star-Telegram website, here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2012/03/31/3850391/prairie-fest.html The following 10 pics from Prairie Festx3 are by, Scott Ausburn.

2) Stuff with a Purpose

Visit the Prairie Fest HQ booth and check out our NEW organic cotton T's. We also have organic cotton bandana's, caps and eco-totes emblazoned with the FOTHNA logo. Sales of "Stuff" support conservation and education programs at Tandy Hills.

Our nifty new shirts are made from 100% organically grown Texas cotton from SOS From Texas.

Help make this view of Tandy Hills famous by voting in the S-T photo contest.

4) Field Report

-Spring Equinox occurred on March 20 but Spring wildflowers arrived weeks earlier. As of 3/30, the hills are starting to color-up nicely. Tandy Hills is like a giant paint-by-number canvas with Mother Nature using shades of Purple Paintbrush, Winecup, Cut-leaf Daisy, Meadow Flax, Wild Hyacinth, Prairie Celestial, Blue-eyed Grass, Texas Star, Blue Star, Foxglove and Wild Hyacinth for her 2012 masterpiece. New species arriving weekly. It's drop-dead beautiful out there. -Monarchs and many other species of butterflies arrived in fairly large numbers in mid-March and are still passing through. A spiraling flock of Cedar Waxwings were still hanging around in late March munching on Hackberries. -Wolf sightings and howls in the early morning have been reported by neighbors near Tandy Hills. Or could they be Coyotes in Wolf clothing? -A cool front on 3/22 brought some mysterious, hard-line cloud formations over Tandy Hills. (see pic below)

5) Wildflower of the Moment: Wild Onion/Garlic

One of life's little pleasures is eating an early Spring bulb of Wild Onion (Allium drummondi) aka: Wild Garlic. They are mild in flavor and pretty in pink, white and red-purple. They are all over the Tandy Hills at the moment. They go nicely with a bottle of burgundy an April sunset and someone you love.

6) Prairie Plant Puzzler

I'm one of the famous Tandy Hills "blues". Despite my unusual blue color, it's easy to overlook me as I sunbathe at your feet. My stem is short and my flower is the size of a dime. I'm kind of plain looking from your normal altitude but, come down to my level and you will see that I'm as complex as the Milky Way. I'm also having a very prolific early Spring at Tandy Hills. What's my name?

Guess my name and win a prize. ➤ Stumped by the February puzzler? Answer: Trout Lily leaf. Congrats to, Dawn Hancock, who guessed correctly.

7) Sponsor Love

We can't say enough about our clean-green sponsors for 2012. Over the past seven years, Friends of Tandy Hills Natural Area has proven that a non-profit can demand high ethical standards from its supporters AND be successful. We accept donations only from individuals, organizations and companies that share our high ideals of environmental stewardship. Their support helps makes our conservation and education programs possible. Please let them know your appreciation. See the current list here: http://tandyhills.org/fest/thanks-our-sponsors

8) Prairie Proverb

"We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect."

-Aldo Leopold, from, A Sand County Almanac, 1949

Tandy Hills is slowly filling in as Mother Nature's paint-by-number masterpiece for 2012.

Don Young
Previous

Prairie Notes #65: Everything On It
Next

Prairie Notes #63: Leaping into Spring