The high season for Tandy Hills wildflowers has long passed. The plein air artists have yielded to the burning sun of July and retreated into their air-conditioned studios. Who could blame them?

Of all the amazing wildflower species at Tandy Hills Natural Area, themost unexpected may well be, Texas Bluebells, Eustoma grandiflorum, (or Eustoma exaltatum ssp. russellianum, according to BRIT and Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.)

Unexpected, not only for their large, colorful blooms, but because they grow in very shallow soils and dry conditions. It is not unusual to find these cheerful flowers blooming madly in full sun in middle of a drought.

1) Beethoven's Ninth

2) Fest T-shirts

3) New book of THNA Wildflowers

4) Behold...Barbara's Buttons!

5) Dr. Kuban's Ecology class video, Part 2

6) Edible Estate: The Case Against Lawns

7) Prairie Fest pics

Greetings from Tandy Hills Natural Area-

One by one, the flowering plants of Tandy Hills Natural Area, are taking their turn in the Spring spotlight. Trout Lily flowers have yielded to Creek Plum, a large colony of which can be found along the main trail. Monarchs and other butterflies were swirling around the plants in ecstasy when I took these photos. Puccoon, Purple Paintbrush and a host of other rare species are shyly waiting in the wings, waiting for the earth to warm a bit more. As you can see from the bottom two photos, when it does warm up, the results are striking.

A Prairie in Pieces, is the cover story of the February 2008 issue of Texas Parks & Wildlife magazine. Henry Chappell writes about the beauty and diversity of the Black;land Prairie. Describing it accurately as, the most endangered habitat in Texas, Chappell tells and how it got to be that way and the importance of protecting what remains. (Side-note: The author fails to mention how natural gas development is the single greatest threat to our remaining prairie.) Pick up a hard copy or read it online, here: http://www.tpwmagazine.com/

The dead of winter is upon us. Braving the cold wind on a recent hike at Tandy Hills Natural Area, I observed that last seasons tall grasses have begun their slow motion freefall to Mother Earth. The colorless, skeletal remains of Eryngo lanterns belie the deep purple of their recent youth. Lanky limbs of False Gaura bend easily in the chilly breeze. Bleached, leathery fans of Compassplant and dried husks of Prairie Primrose litter the cold ground. It’s winter, all right. Not a mosquito in sight.

Dear Friends-

A public meeting to review the environmental Master Plan for Tandy Hills Nature Area will be held:

Wednesday, December 12, 2007 @ 6 pm

Sycamore Community Center

2525 E. Rosedale St. (at Beach)

Fort Worth, Texas

Yesterday evening, during my hike at Tandy Hills, I was transported to another place and time. I've warned you before that regular hikes at THNA can reverse the aging process. I wasn't kidding.

Surrounded on all sides by head high Bluestem grass in all its bronzed, autumn glory, it occurred to me that, either I was getting shorter or the grass had grown taller. Last year in mid November, there was nary a blade to be chewed. The drought of '06 stopped the grass in the spring, before it emerged. Autumn grass was nearly non existent. This year was a horse of a different color. The landscape has been transformed.

Happy Autumn Equinox!

*IMPORTANT: Public Meeting September 26

September Grass: Tandy Hills Nature Area Report

Seismic Testing Halted

New York Avenue Blackland Prairie Report

Connemara Conservancy Fall Newsletter

Native Prairies Association of Texas

The average number of native plant species in a typical Fort Worth yard is, maybe, half a dozen, including trees. By last count, according to the Botanical Research Institute of Texas, Tandy Hills Nature Area has 541. (see Excel.doc. below)

Of her many contributions to humankind, I believe that Ladybird Johnson's commitment to preserving a healthy environment is her most important. Her vision was not just about wildflowers, but also of preserving the land they grow in; our rapidly disappearing native landscapes.

Yesterday, Al Gore said, "Times like these demand action." Here's a practical way you can act.

The closet thing that Fort Worth has to a Walden Woods is Tandy Hills Nature Area. This remarkable 160 acres of original Fort Worth prairie is the most botanically diverse tract of land, anywhere in the region. It is also home to a myriad of wildlife species. It's now seriously threatened.

Approximately 55 acres of privately owned native prairie known as Scenery Hill (aka: Broadcast Hill), adjacent to Tandy Hills Nature Area, has been sold to Chesapeake Energy of Oklahoma City.

Enduring spring rain has had a mostly positive effect on Tandy Hills Nature Area. (The negatives being, increased erosion due to a lack of trail maintenance and more mosquitoes.) On the plus side, the flora is more robust than last year when we had a very dry spring.

It never fails. Every February, I impatiently walk the somber slopes of Tandy Hills NA, thinking to myself that, these dry, dead grasses will never yield to the technicolor wildflower show I remember from last March. But every year without fail, so far, as the days and nights march toward Equinox, Tandy Hills Nature Area explodes back to life.

Ladies and gents, it’s showtime! What started with a tiny, yellow Pucoon flower in early March has quickly been transformed into a landscape that would have tested the limits of Monet’s palette.

Fort Worth Prairie Fest is 30 days away. April 28, to be exact. Keep checking the website for updated info.

The wildflowers should be in full force by then BUT some things can't wait. I suggest you visit Tandy Hills nature Area ASAP to see a stunning show of Wild Hyacinth (Camassia scilloides). (see photo)

Trout Lilies are one of the most unusual plants that grow in Tandy Hills Nature Area, and they grow abundantly, here. They are a reminder that Spring is just around the corner. They are also a joy to behold. A trip to THNA can be an effective stress reducer.

The following is a recent newsletter I publish for an group dedicated to protecting Tandy Hills Nature Area. I have been an advocate of the park for many years. Basically, our yard is an extension of the park.

Dear Mayor Moncrief,

The recent story in the Star-Telegram about proposed drilling for gas in Tandy Hills Natural Area and other east side parks has me worried. I live on View Street just across from Tandy Hills. I have been hiking and studying this incredible place since I was 17 years old. I find it an ideal place to go for sanctuary and solitude. My love and appreciation for this little patch of land was the sole reason my wife and I left Arlington Heights after 20 years to buy and remodel our home here, spending nearly $200,000. so far.

Dear Editor,

Back in 1999 the manager of Fort Worth Nature Center said of Tandy Hills Natural Area, "Tandy Hills is essentially a historical museum." A member of the West Meadowbrook Neighborhood Association remarked, "We have a living textbook on this hill." Biology professors from Texas Wesleyan University and Nolan High School bring their students to Tandy Hills to study one of the most biodiverse sites in the state. The Star-Telegram wrote this about the park in 1992, "Time has almost forgotten Tandy Hills." Unfortunately, in 2004 gas drilling companies have found it. This richly diverse and yet highly sensitive prairie preserve must now be protected from those looking to squeeze another dollar out of the Barnett Shale.