I was staring morosely at the empty parking lot.  I had planned an outing to Trinity River National Wildlife Refuge, had to change the outing due to Trinity River flooding to the farther away Kirby Nature Trail, and then a cool front and monster thunder storm had come through the night before.  I was not a happy camper.  More than 20 people were supposed to show up, but I doubted even one would appear.  I had driven through an hour and one-half of light drizzle and heavy clouds, with the sun mostly hidden behind more clouds.  Things did not look promising.  It was 8:50 am and all was not clear.

Then the first car pulled into the parking lot.  I said hello to Melissa.  Melissa had never been on a Sierra Club outing, never been to the Big Thicket, and was a recent convert to birding.  We talked for awhile and I prepared to lead a one-person outing.  Then another car pulled in and Duc stepped out with his ever-present camera and smile.  Finally, as we got ourselves ready, a third car appeared, and my compadre David poked his head out and said, “I just made it!”.  I was glad to see everyone!

We made our way to the Inner Loop of the Kirby Nature Trail (part of the Turkey Creek Trail in the Turkey Creek Unit of Big Thicket National Preserve) and began our descent down toward to the floodplain of Village Creek.  It was sad to see the non-native Chinese Privet blooming along this part of the trail.  I must contact the National Park Service and see if there was a way to remove these invasive plant species that disrupt Big Thicket ecology.

Soon my attention wandered to the wet, dark, rich forest we were moving through.  We stopped, and David pointed out a hopping toad.  Duc took a few photos, and soon it was hopping along the forest floor.  At several bridges we watched the water flow along swales and small sloughs as it moved toward Village Creek.  The Water Tupelo, Bald Cypress, blooming Virginia Sweetspire, and almost blooming Ti-Ti (Swamp Cyrilla) made me happy. I was seeing old friends.

Soon we came to the Bald Cypress swamp and “oohed and aahed” at the huge cypress trees that dominated this backwater finger, a part of the Village Creek Floodplain.  Periodically we stopped, and Melissa searched with her binoculars for the birds that made enticing calls.  It was hard work and the birds did not cooperate, staying hidden in the thick foliage in the canopy.

As we approached the Village Creek bridge we heard the Bronze Frog, the famous “Banjo Frog” of Big Thicket legend and sloughs.  We spent a brief time at the bridge, watching the water flow downstream where it eventually meets the Neches River, Sabine Lake, and the Gulf of Mexico.  You can see forever when you look downstream.

We crossed the bridge and continued walking in the floodplain.  Eventually we reached the Turkey Creek Bridge, which was closed due to damage from Hurricane Harvey.  There were plenty of signs that water had flowed through this area including bent Switchgrass and debris lodged six or more feet in the understory vegetation.  It drove home to us the power of a river and the dynamic action that it creates during a flood.  The huge Water Oaks and Swamp Chestnut Oaks were impressive, and I finally had to hug one of the latter, because, after all, “I am a Tree Hugger!”.

We stopped for lunch, which tasted great because I was cold, wet, and tired.  I was concerned about dark clouds which portended more rain.  We walked the Outer Loop and enjoyed the sloughs, deep forests, and reveled in the blooming Jack-in-the-Pulpits and Slender Wake-Robins growing in the thick, leafy, floor of the forest.

We finished our three and one-half mile trek, visited the Big Thicket Visitors Center, finally said our goodbyes, and headed back home.  This was truly a case when “four, was just enough” to experience and enjoy the wonders of the Big Thicket.

Brandt Mannchen

April 15, 2018