PRAIRIE NOTES #191 - POETRY WRITTEN ON THE 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.
Poetry Written on the Hills
Prairie Notes #191
November 1, 2022
1) Poetry Written On the Hills
2) Field Report - October
3) New Species - October
4) PrairieSky / StarParty Report
5) Prairie Posse Report
6) Prairie Proverb - Edward Abbey
1) Poetry Written on the Hills
A young man I know, who is just starting to explore Tandy Hills, recently asked me this thought-provoking question:
“Do you think there is something very interesting and special about Tandy Hills that we don’t necessarily understand?”
My quick answer was, “It is simply a rare remnant of ancient prairie and bottomland forest that luckily survived urban development due to being hard to access from the highway and hard to develop due to the hilly and rocky terrain.” But Tandy Hills is, of course, much more than that. Most people who spend a little time here begin to feel the spirt of the place.
I told this young man that I began feeling that spiritual quality of the place when I first discovered it as a teenager. Rather than try and understand it, my younger self simply surrendered to Tandy Hills. I still reap the rewards today. Yes, the place is biologically awe-inspiring. The current, 1761 species is remarkable in itself. The views are eye-popping. Even with the flaws of invasive species (including certain humans), drought and lack of restoration funding, Tandy Hills is indeed interesting and special.
Nearly every time I set foot in Tandy Hills something almost magical happens. It occupies that rare intersection of scientific phenomena and spiritual renewal. Plus you get a good workout walking the hills! But first you have to get out of you house or car, put your feet on the limestone path and open your senses. Then you can, if you're lucky, begin to experience the poetry written on these hills.
So get out and come on in. We need you to help us keep the place interesting and special for another millennium or two.
DY
2) Field Report - October
The sparsely flowered prairie of spring continued through October. The number of blooming wildflowers and other plants was noticeably diminished. This, despite the unusual appearance of several spring bloomers in September and a fair amount of rain in October. In fact, at least 4” of rain has fallen in the last week of October. Still, as always, there were a few magic moments on the hills as you can see below.
3) New Species - October
Somewhat surprisingly, there were 10 new species ID’d in September. Among them are a grass, a bug, a mosquito, a fungi, two moths and a butterfly. Not bad. The new species count is 1761. You can check out all the details on the iNaturalist, Tandy Hills project page, HERE.
4) Prairie-Sky / Star-Party Report
The October 1 star party was the best attended of the year. There were 11 scopes set up by the FW Astronomical Society and 60 attendees. A clear and perfect fall evening was had by all.
The LAST star party of the season is, Saturday, November 5. Get out and come on in! Here’s what FWAS spokesman, John McCrea, says you can expect to see if the sky is clear:
For our November 5th 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 about 6:34 PM on November 5th. The moon will be a 12-day old waxing gibbous at 94% illumination in the constellation Pisces. The “Lord of the Rings” of our solar system, Saturn (♄), about 854 million miles away, will be in Capricorn (the Sea Goat), and will be up all evening, as will Jupiter (♃), about 368 million miles away, in the constellation Pisces. Neptune (Ψ), at 2.8 billion miles away will be between Pisces and Aquarius. Uranus (♅), 1.76 billion miles away, will rise about 9:30 PM between Cetus and Aires. Mars ()will rise about 9 PM in the constellation Taurus.
5) Prairie Posse Report
On October 15, the Prairie Posse cleared most of the View Street meadows of invasive grass and trees. We also closed off and put signage by an old. now closed trail. BIG Thanks to the 10 folks who showed up to help out:
Jim Duncan; Robbie Crawford; Rebecca Motley; Mireya Tinoco; Randall & Corina Rocha & kids; Debora & Don Young.
6) Prairie Proverb
“There are some good things to be said about walking. Not many, but some. Walking takes longer, for example, than any other known form of locomotion except crawling. Thus it stretches time and prolongs life. Life is already too short to waste on speed. I have a friend who’s always in a hurry; he never gets anywhere. Walking makes the world much bigger and thus more interesting. You have time to observe the details.”
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.
