Prairie Notes #169 - Pics & Proverbs 2020
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.
Pics & Proverbs 2020
Prairie Notes #169
January 1, 2021
01) Pics & Proverbs 2020
02) Your MEMBERSHIP Matters
03) New Species - December 2020
04) MM&WW HIke the HIlls is TODAY
05) Videos of the Year 2020
06) Prairie Proverb - Rep. Deb Haaland
01) Pics & Proverbs 2020
With Tandy Hills more or less at rest, January is a good time to review and reflect on the past year via 2020's Prairie Proverbs and a few of my favorite pics from each of the past 12 issues of Prairie Notes.
2020 quotations included a quirky mix naturalists, artists, scientists, environmentalists and philosophers. Each quote had a particular fit for the issue in which quoted, from the legendary quote by Fred Foy to the succinct and sassy four word quote by Yvon Chouinard. Many of the older quotes are strikingly pertinent to the times in which we now live.
Herewith, Prairie Proverbs I - XII from 2020, with photos of the quoted authors and select pics from the same issue. Thanks for reading and for your continued support!
Scroll SLOWLY for best results.
DY
Prairie Notes #157, (Pics & Proverbs 2019) January 1, 2020
“There are more than 200 million insects for every human being living on the planet today. As you sit reading this sentence, between 1 quadrillion and 10 quadrillion insects are shuffling and crawling and flapping around on the planet, outnumbering the grains of sand on all the world’s beaches. Like it or not, they have you surrounded, because Earth is the planet of the insects.”
Prairie Notes #158, (The Uncanny Beauty of Briers) February 1, 2020
“These rare remnants of land provide a refuge and haven for many plants and animals that have few other places to survive as a diverse biological community. The combined biological diversity and cultural heritage of Tandy Hills and the adjacent 51 acre tract of land are one of the treasures of North Central Texas.”
Prairie Notes #159, (A Lasting Legacy (Hot Diggity Dog!)) March 1, 2020
“Fort Worth loses 50 acres of natural space a week to development...We are now identifying and protecting quality open space. You are all familiar with the old Channel 5 up on the hill and the beautiful prairie below it? The City has purchased Broadcast Hill.”
Prairie Notes #160, (Earth Day & Tandy Hills: A Natural Fit) April 1, 2020
“One of the things I missed most while living in space was being able to go outside and experience nature. After being confined to a small space for months, I actually started to crave nature — the color green, the smell of fresh dirt, and the feel of warm sun on my face.”
Prairie Notes #161 (Earth Day Redux) May 1, 2020
“If we continue to address the issue of the environment as though we are the only species that lives here, we’ll create a disaster for ourselves. Our goal is not just an environment of clean air and water and scenic beauty. The objective is an environment of decency, quality and mutual respect for all other human beings and all other living creatures.”
Prairie Notes #162, (It's Delightful, It's Delovely, It's Dalea!), June 1, 2020
“The night is young, the skies are clear
So if you want to go walking, dear
It’s delightful, it’s delicious, it’s de-lovely.”
Prairie Notes #163 (The Acrobatic Swallows of Tandy Hills) July 1, 2020
“True hope is swift, and flies with swallow’s wings”
Prairie Notes #164, (The Magical Moths of Tandy Hills) August 1, 2020
“After you have exhausted what there is in business, politics, conviviality, love, and so on—have found that none of these finally satisfy, or permanently wear—what remains? Nature remains.”
Prairie Notes #165 (A Sleepin' Bee Done Told Me) September 1, 2020
“When a bee lies sleepin’ in the palm of your hand
You’re bewitched and deep in love’s long look’d-after land
Where you’ll see a sun up sky with the mornin’ moon
And where the days go laughin’ by, as love comes callin’ on you
Sleep on bee, don’t ‘waken I can’t believe what just passed
He’s mine for the takin’ I am happy at last
Maybe I dream but he seems sweet golden as a crown
A sleepin’ bee done told me that I will walk with my feet off the ground
When my one true love I have found.”
Prairie Notes #166 (Tandy Hills BEFORE Tandy Hills) October 1, 2020
“Dear Mayor Moncrief - What makes Tandy Hills so special is the presence of native wildflowers and grasses. Biologists say that this little slice of land is still very much as it was in pre-settlement times. I find that to be something of a miracle! A report by the Fort Worth Nature Center notes that the the quality of the prairie grasses covering these hills in an undisturbed state, are the best in Tarrant County, even better than the Nature Center. Another miracle!”
Prairie Notes #167, (Duty Calls-Vote the Environment) November 1, 2020
“Vote the A_ _holes Out”
Prairie Notes #168, (Those Thrilling Days of Yesteryear!) December 1, 2020
“A fiery horse with the speed of light, a cloud of dust and a hearty Hi-Yo Silver! The Lone Ranger! ... With his faithful Indian companion Tonto, the daring and resourceful masked rider of the plains led the fight for law and order in the early western United States! Nowhere in the pages of history can one find a greater champion of justice! Return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear! From out of the past come the thundering hoofbeats of the great horse Silver! The Lone Ranger rides again!”
02) Your MEMBERSHIP Matters
2020 was another productive year for Friends of Tandy Hills and 2021 looks promising. We hope these accomplishments will inspire you to make a donation today:
> Friends of Tandy Hills raised $65K to help purchase and preserve 51 new acres
> Prairie Notes awarded, Digital Media Award from Native Plant Society of Texas
> iNaturalst observations at Tandy HIlls increased by 155 new species
> Manly Men Wild Women Hike, Trout Lily Walk, PrairieSky / StarParty & Facebook page introduced hundreds of new people to Tandy Hills
> Prairie Posse volunteers restored key sections of Tandy Hills
> Kids on the Prairie (KOP) field journal posted online for free downloads for homebound kids and families
> North TX Giving Day donations exceeded 2019
> Friends of Tandy Hills partered with Native Plant Society of Texas, Texas Parks & Wildlife, Native Prairies Assoc. of Texas , City of Fort Worth & Cross Timbers Master Naturalsts in 2020
Specific goals for 2021:
- Improve the trails system
- Restore key sections of prairie
- Improve signage
- Better protection of View Street meadows
You can show your support for these and other initiatives with a 2021 Membership donation. Go HERE to become a Friend of Tandy Hills: http://www.tandyhills.org/donate
Friends of Tandy Hills Natural Area, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and protecting Tandy Hills.
03) New Species - December 2020
There were 3 new species ID'd in December 2020 bringing the year end total to 1416 species.
Visit the Tandy Hills iNat pager HERE: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/tandy-hills-natural-area-stratford-...
04) MM&WW Hike the Hills is New Years Day
Baby it might be cold (and wet) outside but don't let that keep you from participating in the 12th annual Manly Men Wild Women Hike the Hills on New Years Day (& weekend). The trail starts at the Trailhead at the end of the sidewalk, just north of the playground and is marked with a sign, PINK ribbons and paint. Including newly acquired Broadcast Hill, the full hike is about 3 miles long. Get your details here:
http://www.tandyhills.org/events/manly-men-and-wild-women-hike-hills
05) Videos of the Year
If you prefer moving pictures, eight short videos showing the amazing diversity and wonderment of Tandy Hills were recorded throughout 2020: Click on each image below or access all of them from the About Us page.
06) Prairie Proverb - Rep. Deb Haaland
“A voice like mine has never been a Cabinet secretary or at the head of the Department of Interior. Growing up in my mother’s Pueblo household made me fierce. I’ll be fierce for all of us, our planet, and all of our protected land. . . As our country faces the impacts of climate change and environmental injustice, the Interior Department has a role to address these challenges. The president-elect’s goals, driven by justice and empowering communities who have shouldered the burdens of environmental negligence, we will ensure that the decisions at Interior will once again be driven by science.”
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.
