Prairie Notes #158 - The Uncanny Beauty of Briers
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 Uncanny Beauty of Briers
Prairie Notes #158
February 1, 2020
01) The Uncanny Beauty of Briers
02) Field Report - January
03) Membership Matters
04) New Species - January
05) Manly Men Wild Women Hike Report
06) Broadcast Hill: Full Circle
07) Trout Lily Walk w/Sam Kieschnick
08) Prairie Proverb - L. Wayne Clark
01) The Uncanny Beauty of Briers
Tandy Hills in January is very different from April. Totally different mindset. One's vision tends to be focused distantly rather than up close. Many trees are leafless opening up new views afar. But when a bit of color does catch your eye, it really grabs it.
Such has been my experience over the years with common briers. Their color and triangular/heart-shaped leaves get noticed more often in the drab landscape of winter. I'm referring specifically to what is commonly named, Saw Greenbrier, Sawbrier, Catbrier and Tramp's Trouble (Smilax bona-nox). Recently, I started paying closer attention and developed a new appreciation for this species.
The things I like best about them are the wide variety of leaf shapes and colors, vaguely reminiscent of oak leaves. The leaves are normally evergreen with a lighter shade of pixilated-like patterns. Due to various factors they turn in many shades of orange, yellow, red, purple, brown and green. Those colors are what grab observant eyes in winter. The palette variations are remarkable.
They are typically found growing in wooded areas, the vines climbing and branching up to 30' into the canopies. If you have ever ventured through some of the dense tree cover at Tandy Hills, maybe searching for Trout Lilies, you no doubt have scars from Greenbrier "prickles" to show for it.
Native Americans found mulitple medicinal and food uses of Greenbrier. The fruits are eaten by a variety of wildlife including birds who disperse the seeds great distances. The prickly bramble also provides cover for small animals.
When next you take a winter's hike at Tandy Hills you may find them as irresistible as I do.
DY
02) Field Report - January
The weather was all over the place in January, including, snow, ice, fog, sunshine, rainbows, lots of rain and jaw-dropping sunsets. Early signs of spring are popping up, most notably in the early sighting of Trout Lily plants on January 25th. Overall, it still looks like winter out there.
03) Membership Matters
Your donations, modest or massive are all monumental and VITAL to our habitat restoration and educational programs. They also help us improve trails and signage and keep Tandy Hills in the public eye. Thank you!
Become a Friend here: https://www.tandyhills.org/donate
04) New Species - January
There were no new species recorded in January.
05) Manly Men Wild Women Hike Report
More than 70 people attended the 11th annual hike, many for the first time. All received a certified, hand-made, personalized certificate printed on parchment paper and hand-signed in fountain pen ink for authentication of achievemnet. They also got a good workout. See you next year!
SPECIAL shout-out to Raul Perez, his daughter Victoria Perez and her friend for marking the trail prior to the hike. Also, a big THANKS to Coffee Folk. Thanks a mil!
06) Broadcast Hill: Full Circle
It is not without irony that the 51 acres adjacent to Tandy Hills are for sale. Again. It was more than 15 years ago that the same 51 acres became the rallying cry of Firends of Tandy Hills. They were our raison d'etre.
When I first got wind that Sagamore Hill Baptist Church was the seller and that the potential buyer was Chesapeake Energy, my alarms went off. I quickly put together a photo album of Tandy Hills wildflowers and visited the pastor of the church. I pleaded with him and his trustees to hold off on the sale and give us a chance to make a counter offer. I rallied the neighbors with a Call to Action under the banner of, Friends of Tandy Hills.
Despite my pleas, they wouldn't budge. They aimed to close the neighborhood church ASAP and rebuild elsewhere. (More irony: The built a new church a few miles away right next to a Chesapeake gas well.) There was nothing we could do to stop the sale short of a public protest, which we tried. We solicited and received more than 50 hertfelt, hand-written letters from scientists, lawyers, educators, enviro groups, business men/women, nature mustics and average folks in support of protecting the land. We gave interviews to the media and they helped, all to no avail.
In 2004 Tandy Hills was not on anyones radar, except, the oil and gas industry. They were in the process of agressively buying or leasing as much open land as possible to drill for natural gas using the controversial new method known as, Fracking. The Tandy Hills Greenbelt including the 51 acres were at risk of multiple negative impacts from drilling on Broadcast Hill.
So we began a dedicated campaign to raise public awareness of the value of Tandy Hills as biological wonderland, nature refuge and recreational resource. The subversive public awareness campaign took shape as Prairie Fest, Kids on the Prairie, Manly Men Wild Women Hike, Trout Lily Walk, Brush Bash, PrairieSky / StarParty, Prairie Notes and the Tandy Hills BioBlitz. I think of all those efforts as a shield, a push-back to discourage development of any kind.
A few years later and, by chance, the market and other factors forced Chesapeake to sell most of their assets including Broadcast Hill. Time rolled on but the land remains untouched. Current owner, Total Energy, has put the acreage on the market for $700K. I'm not naive enough to think our efforts, alone, made this happen but, here we are again, 15 years later, with a new Call to Action. We have a new opportunity to restore Broadcast Hill to Tandy Hills where it belongs, for the children of the future and all of us.
You can help make that happen by writing a letter to the Mayor/Council and by making a Pledge or a Donation to encourage the city to purchase the land. The following have Pledged the cost of 1 acre.:
Friends of Tandy Hills, $13,725
Jim Marshall, $13,725
Dick Schoech, $13,725
Others who have pledged lesser amounts inculde, Paul & Wendy Roach, Gary & Michele Douglas and Valerie Taber. We encourage you to follow thier lead.
Learn more about the Call to Action here: https://www.tandyhills.org/broadcast-hill-call-action
Read the 1-acre Pledge Agreement here: https://www.tandyhills.org/sites/default/files/notes/Broadcast%20Hill%20...
Make a Membership donation here: https://www.tandyhills.org/donate
07) Trout Lily Walk w/Sam Kieschnick
The annual trout fishing expedition will take place on February 22nd at 10 AM, and will take 1-1.5 hours. (Rain date is February 29th.)
RSVP here: information@tandyhills.org
8) Prairie Proverb
“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© 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.
