Prairie Notes #215 - The Ghosts of Tandy Hills
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.
The Ghosts of Tandy Hills
Prairie Notes #215
November 1, 2024
1) The Ghosts of Tandy Hills
2) Teaching & Preaching
3) Field Report - October
4) New Species Report - October
5) Newsworthy & Noteworthy
6) PrairieSky / StarParty Report
7) BREAKING NEWS !
7) Prairie Proverb - Mother Earth
1) The Ghosts of Tandy Hills
You've heard of the Lake Worth Monster, the Loch Ness Monster and old Bigfoot, but have you heard of the Legend of the Tandy Hills Witchey Tree? How ‘bout the Engulfed Death Car of Tandy Creek??? Well, you soon will.
But that’s not all. Over the years, there have been many strange, ghostly, freaki-ish and/or unexplained phenomena at Tandy Hills. To wit:
— Many of the hills are burnished with the Ghost Grass of Autumn, (aka: Seep Muhly (Muhlenbergia reverchonii). Like a pink-ish, prairie mist that’s there but not there, it appears - out of nowhere - every autumn and then disappears. (Some say its color comes from the blood of Native Americans, murdered by settlers, come back to haunt us.)
— In 2012, we were visited by a Ghost Dog, the strangest dog with the strangest howl I’ve ever heard. It, too, was here one minute and gone in a flash. Seriously!
— And then . . . One fine autumn day in 2014, a strange man I refer to as, The Fool on the Hill, showed up. He stood motionless on the edge of the prairie several evenings at sunset, gazing into the west canyon and making strange hand movements. Then he promptly disappeared before my eyes. (Some say he’s the ghost of the Death Car driver.)
But the following two tales may be the scariest of all. I’m dead serious! Both have been revised and updated with new photos
The Legend of the Tandy Hills Witchey Tree (2009). It’s still as macabre as ever. Read Witchey Tree, HERE
The Engulfed Death Car of Tandy Hills (2011). It’s just as true now as it was then. Read, Death Car, HERE
Be careful out there.
DY
> > > Click on photos to view them un-cropped. < < <
2) Teaching & Preaching
Sunday, October 6th was a busy day at Tandy Hills. At 9:30 that morning, Suzanne Tuttle led a new class of 35 Cross Timber’s Master Naturalists on a field trip Tandy Hills as part of their training. It was perfect weather and a friendly crowd got to hear my warm-up sermon. It was like preaching to the choir.
Later that same afternoon, Debora Young and I hiked for 2 hours, at mid-day, with six young Cub Scouts with Pack 398, and their adults. They were inquisitive about plants, bugs, birds, and, especially, the abandoned car in the creek. They learned map-reading skills, plant ID's and how to "Leave No Trace." It was warm outside but the blue sky and puffy clouds were/are gorgeous.
On the morning of October 15th, we met up with a group of excited kids about to take a field trip at Tandy Hills. The Cross Timbers Nature School is led by Lisa Winnett-Pequeno, who is an entomologist. The Friends of Tandy Hills donated some of our award-winning field guides for the young nature mystics in training.
3) Field Report - October
Public Service Announcement: Fall is in full bloom at Tandy Hills. A little rain would make a huge difference but, still, it is definitely worth a visit. The east end near the outdoor classroom is especially beautiful now. Asters, Maximillian Sunflowers, False Gaura, Fall Prairie Grasses and acres of Prairie Broomweed are bathed in the magical light of October. There are also lots of critters getting ready for winter. PLUS, an October Surprise was finding two different species of Ladies Tresses Orchids. Tandy Hills is amazing!
Come on in. Get lost. Find yourself.
CLICK each photo for best viewing and description.
Glorious sunset view from the “sky trail” near the border of Tandy Hills and Broadcast Hill. Soon, the trees will show their fall colors.
One of my favorite hills in the heart of Tandy Hills.
The angle of the Sun in October creates lovely shadows across the prairie hills.
A pumpkin-orange sunset view on a hot evening hike in late October. False Gaura, Little Bluestem Grass and Prairie Broomweed fill the foreground.
4) New Species Report - October
There were 45 different, iNaturalist observers, wandering the hills during the Indian Summer-like October, including a class from Texas Wesleyan University. We ended the month with 19 new species, mostly bugs and moths. The species count is now at 2,233.
There was even a new plant species discovered: Lindheimer's Doveweed (Croton lindheimeri). See other notable species below. > > >Remember to keep those outdoor lights off or down during the bird migration through November.< < <
You can check out all the new species on the Tandy Hills iNat Project Page HERE.
5) Newsworthy & Noteworthy
>>>>>>> The Native Prairie Association of Texas (Fort Worth Chapter) is hosting a Prairie Seekers training on November 9th at Tandy Hills. It is open to all comers. Here is a blurb from the NPAT-FW website:
Continuing our exploration of urban prairies, the Prairie Seekers are visiting the lovely Tandy Hills Natural Area this November. The City of Fort Worth acquired this inner-city green space in 1960, and it's managed by the city's Park and Recreation Department with assistance from the Friends of Tandy Hills Natural Area. Located adjacent to two additional green spaces, Stratford Park and Broadcast Hill, the total area provides over 200 acres of wildlands only a couple of miles from downtown Fort Worth.
Due to the park's very shallow soils and challenging terrain, the prairie here was never plowed. Various management treatments began in the late 1990s and continue to the present time. The city's natural resource staff is even planning to burn selected areas in the near future. We will explore the park, discuss the techniques used to restore and maintain the native prairie and see the results to date.
Join us as we seek to expand our understanding of the places prairies occupy in our landscapes.
Click HERE to register.
>>>>>>> The Fort Worth Audubon Society is hosting a special program at their November 9th meeting titled, Birdie Big Year: Elevating Women Birders, presented by professional bird guide, Tiffany Kirsten. From the flyer:
“Tiffany didn’t set out to do a Big Year, but after a series of unanticipated and serendipitous events, she suddenly found herself amidst one. As a sexual assault survivor, she spent 2021 traveling to all corners of the country, tallying birds and gifting personal safety alarms to women she met along the way. Her goal was to see 700 species, and to raise awareness of women’s safety in the outdoors. She ended up surpassing her goal and setting a new record, with 726 species. In her presentation, Tiffany will lead us through the fear, empowerment, struggles, and healing that all played vital roles in the personal growth she experienced on this wild adventure.”
Check out the FWAS website for all the details, HERE.
>>>>>>> There is something amazing going on in the midwestern cornfields. Farmers are planting prairie strips within their crop fields and the results are breathtaking. Excerpted from the NY Times article:
"The restored swaths of land are called prairie strips, and they are part of a growing movement to reduce the environmental harms of farming and help draw down greenhouse gas emissions, while giving fauna a much-needed boost and helping to restore the land."
Read the full NY Times article from, October 3, 2024, HERE.
>>>>>>> Moth-ing (Black-lighting) mavens will go gaga over the beautiful new film, NOCTURNES, coming soon to select theaters and streaming. Blurb from tier website:
“In the dense forests of the Eastern Himalayas, moths are whispering something to us. In the dark of night, two curious observers shine a light on this secret universe. Together, they are on an expedition to decode these nocturnal creatures in a remote ecological “hot spot” on the border of India and Bhutan. The result is a deeply immersive film that transports audiences to a rarely-seen place and urges us all to look more closely at the hidden interconnections of the natural world.”
Watch the enchanting trailer HERE:
6) Prairie Sky / Star Party report
Nice weather and clear skies brought out 8 astronomers and about 40 visitors on October 12th. The next and FINAL star party of 2024 will be, Saturday, November 9th. Read the sky-watching forecast from FWAS rep, John McCrea, below. The astronomers will be back in March 2025.
“For our November 9th FWAS/Tandy Hills star party, we will have most of our familiar winter constellations. Some of the more familiar summer constellations remaining are Lyra (the Lyre) and Cygnus (the Swan). Among the fall/winter constellations visible will be, Cassiopeia (Queen of Ethiopia), Pegasus (the Winged Horse), Andromeda (daughter of Cassiopeia and Cepheus), Cepheus (Husband of Cassiopeia and noted for a pulsating type of star known as a Cepheid variable, which is a standard candle for measuring distances, discovered in 1912 by Henrietta Leavitt). Perseus (Rescuer of Andromeda), Pisces (the Fish), Taurus (the Bull) and our friend the Pleiades (the seven sisters). The summer triangle (Vega (25 LY), Deneb (1,411 LY), and Altair (17 LY)) will still be visible, but low in the west. Our circumpolar friend Ursa Major (the Great Bear) will be low over the northern horizon.
The sun will set at 5:31 PM on November 9th. The moon will be an 8.5-day old waxing gibbous at 58.6% illumination in the constellation Aquarius (the water carrier). The “Lord of the Rings” of our solar system, Saturn (♄), about 854 million miles away, will be in Aquarius (the water carrier), and will be up all evening. Venus (♀), about 104 million miles away, is in the constellation Sagittarius). Neptune (Ψ), at 2.8 billion miles away will be in Pisces. Uranus (♅), at 1.76 billion miles away, will be in Taurus. ”
7) Breaking News !
It’s now official! After many years of pleading with the city, Tandy Hills is going to have prescribed burns. On October 27th, 2024, residents in the immediate area received the following letter in their mailboxes. All I can say is, Hallelujah ! ! !
8) Prairie Proverb - Mother Nature
> Note: In 2024, all Prairie Proverbs will be from inspiring women.
“Some call me Nature. Others call me Mother Nature. I’ve been here for more than 4.5 billion years. I don’t really need people. But people need me. Yes, your future depends on me. Your actions will determine your fate”
Earthrise, December 24, 1968. Photo by, Apollo 8 astronaut, William Anders
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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.
