Bird & Nature Walks

Lewisville Lake Environmental Learning Area (LLELA) will hold Home School Natural Science Classes on four days this fall. Students will participate in hands-on outdoor activities related to the day’s theme. Each day will have separate sessions for K-2nd, 3rd-5th and 6th-8th graders. 

Classes include:

Swamper’s World

K-2nd grade, four classes, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. each session

• Sept. 24: The Web of Life

• Oct. 15: Habitats and Hazards

• Oct. 29: Swamper’s Feathered Neighbors

• Nov. 19: Life Cycles in the Swamp 

Animal Classification

3rd-8th grade, four classes, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. each session

The Dallas Sierra Club hosts this comprehensive two-night class in navigation with map and compass. Part 1 is Sept. 23 and part 2 is Sept. 24, both nights from 6:30 – 9pm. Topics include not only how to use your compass but also buying maps, how to read maps, how not to get lost, what to do if you do get lost and different kinds of compasses. We'll discuss GPS devices a little but our main focus will be how to use a map and compass. Bring your own compass or if you don't have one, use one of ours and will show you what to look for when you purchase your own. Bring a pen or pencil for taking notes and for navigation practice exercises. A half-day hike with a class instructor on a subsequent weekend will be offered to class participants who want to practice their new skills. Handouts are included. $40/nonmembers or $35/ Sierra Club members. Pay ahead by charge/PayPal from DallasSierraclub.org or pay at the door (cash or check). Info: Lizwico@aol.com or 214-368-2306.

We will continue our training in the use of the newly revised Prairie Seekers datasheets.  RJ Taylor will discuss some of the resources available to our Seekers to help identify plant and animal material, both in resource book and online form. He will also discuss the various online databases to help identify and evaluate native prairie remnants; aerial photographs, topographic maps, soil information and land ownership websites. These tools will aid us as we attend NPAT field trips and as we go out individually and in groups to capture information about the remaining native prairie remnants across North Texas.

We will also have a presentation by Jillian Jordan who will tell us about the Great Seed Bomb bike ride;  a 15-mile fun ride that will be benefiting pollinators on Nov.14 in Fort Worth, Texas. This ride will help our pollinators in two ways:  During the ride, seed balls – made of clay, organic compost and native, non-GMO milkweed and wildflower seed – will be thrown and launched from bikes by our riders. A portion of the money raised will then be donated to local environmental nonprofits and organizations to keep the work going.

Free. Info: joacollins@gmail.com

Please join Twelve Hills Nature Center for a fall nature walk with Master Naturalist and enthusiastic amateur botanist Jim Varnum.

In the fall, yellow flowers predominate the landscape: sunflowers, broomweed, goldenrod and others. But there will be white asters, purple ironweed and other surprises, too!

Jim's presentation will be informal and family friendly. 

 This is a nature area. Please consider wearing long pants, closed-toe shoes and bringing insect repellent.

RSVP appreciated at twelvehillsnaturecenter@gmail.com

 Gather your friends, family, scout troop, and neighbors and do the “buffalo stomp” with the herd of seeders!  Enhance the beauty of the trail system by participating in the annual seeding. This is a short event, so please arrive on time to share in the experience. Free.

Join us for a leisurely bike ride on the Lake Mineral Wells Trailway.  We will meet at the Weatherford Trailhead and be ready to ride at 9 AM.  The Weatherford Trailhead is approximately 35 miles from Fort Worth and is about a 45-minute drive.  It is located off of FM 920 (Peaster Hwy.) northwest of downtown Weatherford.  When you get on FM 920, look for the signs for the Trailhead and Cartwright Park and turn left.  There is a $7 fee to use the Trailway, which is also good for Lake Mineral Wells State Park. We plan to ride west on the Trailway towards Garner (10.85 miles) at a leisurely pace and turn around before we get pooped.  You should bring plenty of water as it will probably be hot, and bike helmets are mandatory.  Liability waivers are required.  The Trailway is crushed limestone on the easy grade of an old railroad bed.  Large bike tires are preferred, but road bikes with smaller tires are suitable with caution for sandy and loose gravel areas.  We will return to the Weatherford Trailhead and find a good place for lunch or some liquid refreshments.

Learn how to identify hawks, vultures and more. $15. Info: DCAC@Audubon.org.

Volunteer at this 120-acre urban green space.

Dr. Sula Vanderplank, BRIT's Biodiversity Explorer, is one of the co-authors on this recently released publication, Plant Guide: Maritime Succulent Scrub Region, Northwest Baja California, Mexico. She will be providing a brief look into this magnificent wildflower guide.

The Plant Guide: Maritime Succulent Scrub Region, Northwest Baja California, Mexico is a bilingual wildflower guide designed to reach a broad audience of botanists, conservationists and lay people. But the Guide is more than a mere wildflower identification book; it also is an educational resource for beginners with a brief introduction to plant evolution and a quick guide to plant families. Beautifully illustrated with numerous drawings and color photos, the Guide covers over 210 plants in 44 families and includes the most common plants encountered in the area.

Light refreshments will be provided. Free

Rich Jaynes will present: Into the Prairie: A Celebration of Native Prairie Grasses. This presentation gives an overview of the role of native grasses in contributing to the high biodiversity of native tallgrass prairies. Experiences with native prairie surveys and prairie restoration efforts in the Connemara Meadow Preserve are used to illustrate approaches to helping visitors to better appreciate the central role of the tallgrass prairie in the ecological and cultural history of north central Texas. The “miracle” of the native prairie that is part of the Old Frankford Cemetery will be highlighted. We will discuss basic terms that botanists use to describe and differentiate one grass species from another and will review some distinguishing morphological features and ecological attributes of 10 famous native grasses of the Blackland Prairie.