Photo by: Marsha Stephens
Contributions by Marsha Stephens, Dayna Inbody, Chris Inbody, Dave Moore, Wendy Moore, & Peggy Tolboom —
In May, 20 members of the Prairie Oaks chapter traveled to the Davis Mountains for a chapter field trip. Thank you to Dayna Inbody for organizing this trip! Below are photos and memories from chapter members.
The trip included visits to:
- Davis Mountains State Park
- McDonald Observatory
- Chihuahuan Desert Nature Center
- Marathon Grasslands Preserve
- Marfa Gardens
Check out the different articles and photography below:
📷 Photography in the Davis Mountains
By: Chris Inbody
✍️ Prairie Oaks Folks (and others) Travel the Trans-Pecos
By: Marsha Stephens
Our chapter field trip to the Davis Mountains (May 5-12) was full of surprises (some revolting, more about that later). There were wonderful opportunities for learning amidst an ecoregion that is rich with species and settings that are vastly different from our home chapter region. And yet, we found so many things that relate directly and indirectly to our interests and efforts here in the Cross Timbers. An example of this was our visit to the home of Jim Martinez and Jim Fissel, the setting for their 2019 book “Marfa Garden: The Wonders of Dry Desert Plants”. This project is so well recognized that it was included as one of the tour destinations during the 2022 state meeting of the Native Plant Society of Texas. The site features a combination of a custom home built to maximize use of recycled materials, and a custom landscape that used the native plants that were originally present on the block-sized lot, supplemented with copious new plantings of other native plant species. The owners were so helpful in sharing what they have learned from this undertaking! My favorite take-away was the concept that landscaping with native species is always an experiment in progress. They showed us many examples of plants that had to be moved from one location to another to accommodate preferences for drainage or shade, and they emphasized how critical it is to rely on careful observation in nature as a guide. And they were sanguine that sometimes a plant species is just not gonna work with you no matter how much you want it to…..and other times there is a species that is gonna take advantage of your good intentions and become a nuisance! And duh, native does not mean it doesn’t require informed management; it’s not a free lunch, just cost-reduced. We really got a deluge of principles that apply to any effort that we as Master Naturalists undertake with native plants as part of our volunteer activities.
All of the arranged tours were so enjoyable, but I especially appreciated returning to two sites I had visited before: the TNC Marathon Grasslands Preserve and the Chihuahuan Desert Research Institute Botanical Garden and Nature Center. For me this was a chance to see those locations at a different season than previously, and at the later site I was able to hike one of the trails which I had not done before. Again, something we experienced that was especially relevant to our TMN activities was the enthusiastic take on interpretation provided at the Botanical Garden by our guide Faith Hill, who is their Head Gardener. Don’t we all wish for her energy when we are undertaking interpretive activities as TMN volunteers! And at the Preserve, our guide Kaylee French provided a thorough and insightful discussion about strategies, status and challenges of finding and protecting the best of our vanishing natural areas and their valuable flora and fauna. Certainly, every TMN member needs to be aware of what is being done, as a basis for what we can do to support the efforts via our volunteer power.
These are just a few examples of how this kind of trip has the potential to really expand our expertise as TMN volunteers, the essence of advanced training. I think it is possible to structure trips (preferably with the leadership of a consummate leader like Dayna Inbody) to any area of Texas that can constitute invaluable learning opportunities relevant to our TMN mission. Of course, I am always especially thankful to have an opportunity to be with fellow chapter members in any outdoor adventure because it fosters mutual support and understanding on a more personal basis, which helps our chapter survive and thrive. It’s also a chance to give family members a chance to experience being with TMNs in action, something like an escaped flock of attention-challenged chickens. Not to mention it’s just plain fun! So Dayna, where are we going next? Shortgrass prairie or tall pines? Acid bogs or limestone caverns? Where do I sign up?
PS: I must note that it is inadvisable to embark on this kind of outing without a change of clothes. Should this revolting situation occur, I highly recommend the clothing selections at Tractor Supply, a shopping option that was fortuitously available in Alpine, exactly 24.3 miles from Ft. Davis, the same distance every time you make the trip, whether for clothes, lost phones, or bread pudding at Reata.
✍️ A Joyful Experience with Fellow Nature Nerds
By: Dayna Inbody
We drove all day on a Sunday, excited to spend a week with our chapter mates in the Davis Mountains.
Bright and early on Monday morning we met at the Davis Mountains State Park Headquarters and got the game plan for the week on track. First group activity for the week was birding at the two wonderful blinds in the park. Some of the photographers in the group got great shots of a Hermit Thrush, Acorn Woodpecker, Black-headed Grosbeak, Black -throated Sparrow, Blue Grosbeak, Scotts Oriole, Scrub Jays, a Leucistic Chipping Sparrow and to our great surprise a Green- tailed Towhee. The Green-tailed Towhee should have already migrated in March/April time period but we were thrilled to see it there still. These were just a few of the great birds we saw while there but all were great joys to the birders in the group. Chris and I added a couple birds to our life list during the week so always a thrill.
Tuesday brought a day of exploring the McDonald Observatory with an up-close look at the large research telescopes. We headed up Mount Locke to learn about the history of the observatory and visit the 107” Harlan J. Smith telescope. We then went to the summit of Mt. Fowlkes and learned about the unique design and research done with the Hobby-Eberly Telescope. They were celebrating Dark Skies week while we were there and we got in on a Dark Skies presentation that was a great reminder of what we should be promoting in our own communities. That evening we enjoyed a night sky constellation tour with one of the guides, which was wonderful and very informative. Afterwards we enjoyed views of celestial objects through many of the telescopes with expert guides that answered questions, had great senses of humor and moved a lot of people through in complete darkness. It was a great way to end the day.
Wednesday we all met at the Chihuahuan Desert Nature Center. We were greeted by Lisa Gordon who shared the history of the 507 acres of grasslands, rock hills, canyons, and wide open vistas. Since 1974 the Chihuahuan Desert Research Institute has been promoting public awareness for one of our largest Deserts she shared with us. She also shared an overview of our planned tour that would include seeing the Botanical Gardens that covers an 18-acre area surrounded by a game fence. The Cactus Museum Collection (greenhouse). The Pollinator Garden with beds built into a volcanic rock outcropping. Their Native Grasses Exhibit inside the Botanical Garden area was recently completed. Our guide was the head gardener, Faith Hille Dishron and she was the best choice for our group. She is an expert at herding cats and I’m sure that was what we all appeared to be to her. Too many things for us to look at and ask about. She handled us like the pro she is. We had lunch delivered on the back porch and it was delicious. Some went off to hike, some sat and visited, some went to the bird blind and saw a javalina drinking at the water source there. It was another great day in the books.
Thursday we had a guided tour of the Marathon Grassland Preserve. Our guide was Kaylee French the West Texas Education and Outreach Coordinator. We learned a lot about the Nature Conservancy, plants in the grassland area, the Prairie dogs colony, and hopes they have for the future with the Prairie dogs colony. Great things are happening in that area and you have to walk away being very grateful for those that have answered the call to serve that area.
Friday we were simply enchanted with our personal tour of the Marfa Garden by the owners Jim Martinez and Jim Fissel. From the unique home they designed that they explained to us how and why they created it, to the gardens that are pure beauty every direction you turn. The eclectic garden contains all desert plants from the Chihuahuan Desert and neighboring regions. Jim Martinez is a garden designer and a soil scientist who lived many years in our area of Texas, Dallas. He was so informative and answered many questions from our group. It was a wonderful experience to see what can be done. I enjoyed the photos that Chris was able to capture and how it reminded me of all the art and beauty found there.
In between there were great sunsets shared by the group, great meals, lots of shared experiences that only make the bonds of a chapter stronger, and some hilarious experiences that were “you had to be there” moments. We witnessed Jason climb up the side of a hill to get up close and personal shots of “mountain goats”, TJ and Marsha battle for most trips to Alpine in one week, the sighting of the Sqowl, the always park on an incline TJ and Peggy adventures, and the dreaded where’s my other suitcase.
We look forward to our next chapter adventure and hope that more members can join us. It’s a great way to learn more about our state and doing it with fellow nature nerds makes it a joyful experience.
📷 Montezuma Quail at Davis Mountains State Park
By: Peggy Tolboom
📷 Birds in the Davis Mountains
By: Dave & Wendy Moore
