Today was the fourth scheduled walk for all of us to share our plant and animal knowledge with others who are enthusiasts and anxious learners. I missed out on the first half hour of the stroll, but I caught up with a splintered off portion of the initial group, or I guess in reality they caught up with me. I had spent the morning attending an historic session of a Committe of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. They were considering a proposal by the Dallas-based Creation Research Institute to begin offering a Master of Science Education degree based on creation science. The proposal was denied, but the Board members heard public testimony on the merits of the proposal and then had a lengthy discussion before they came to the decision to deny the proposal. I am sure you will find articles on this in tomorrow’s newspaper. I was there, on my own time, in support of my fellow Board members of the Texas Academy of Science. We provided comments urging the denial of the proposal through our spokesperson, Dr. Jim Westgate.
Back to the Trail. Walkers today saw a good show of the end of the early bloomers and strong appearances from some of the same plants seen lately. We keyed out the Black Cherry from its leaves and branches, pointed out Nose Burn and saw the end of the Two-leaved Senna blooms. The Snakewood was still blooming as was the Wafer Ash. I am not sure what the group saw when I was still searching for them, but I spent time trying to photograph a Red Admiral that did not cooperate very well. The Rain Lilies were spectacular, as were the Prairie Larkspurs near the wet meadow downstream of the Falls. A number of fleeting Sulphurs were in the bend of the trail where we have seen them lately. No photos, they were much too active for quick shots from the hip. So I leave you with a “documentation” shot of the Red Admiral, the red berries of Possum Haw and a shot of Texas Thistle. Check back for a report on a dainty blue to lavender flower we are yet to ID.
Look close and you will see a Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta)
Red berries of the Possum Haw (Ilex decidua)
Texas Thistle (Cirsium texanum)
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