Since moving to Humble, Texas, my drives to the outings that I lead are much longer. I left my house at 7 am on Saturday morning (February 16th) to drive to the Indian Grass Prairie Preserve that the Katy Prairie Conservancy owns in Waller County. I needed to get there by 9 am to meet my Sierra Club volunteer crew.
It was foggy, cloudy, cool, windy, and drizzling. The closer I got to my destination, the iffier the weather looked. I got off at Pederson Road, from I-10, and drove deeper into the Katy Prairie. As I turned onto Pattison Road, I realized that I would be at least one-half hour early. It was then I decided to do some on-road birding. I slowed down and began to look for birds on power-lines, fence-lines, trees, shrubs, and in the air. Several Loggerhead Shrikes were perched on power-lines waiting for my arrival.
I noted flocks of dark colored birds in small trees. These birds turned out to be female red-winged blackbirds and male and female grackles. I looked at the ditches on both sides of the road. I was surprised to see many Spider Lilies blooming. The beautiful white trumpet-shaped flowers with long streamers on the ends of each flower looked not only stunning but strange and wonderful. It appeared to me that climate change again had revealed its world-wide and overwhelming effects by the early blooming of Spider Lilies.
Raptors, birds-of-prey, were present near the road including American Kestrel, Red-tailed Hawk, and a Crested Caracara. It was then I looked in my rear-view mirror and saw a small, blue car approaching. The blue car passed me and pulled ahead of me and stopped. I drove up and saw my friend Kristin. We said hello and I told her I was doing some birding. It was getting closer to 9 am so off we went.
We turned left on Herbert Road and approached the entrance and gate for Indian Grass Prairie. I saw a white car in the entrance driveway in front of the locked gate. I pulled my car to the side of the road and walked over to the white car. My friend Regina stepped out and said hello and introduced me to Cheryl who helped start the new Post Oak Chapter of the Native Plant Society of Texas. Way to go Cheryl!
Then David showed and then Allen, our Katy Prairie Conservancy supervisor pulled up. Allen unlocked the gate and we all drove to the field office. We parked and went inside. Soon Elaine and Iris arrived, and we had our “Magnificent 7” Sierra Club volunteers.
We gathered together and Allen and his assistant showed us what we were going to do and where we were going to do it. Our task was to remove as much Brazilian Vervain, a non-native invasive plant species (NNIPS), from the long driveway that leads from Herbert Road to the field office. For about two and one-half hours we used our shovels to dig up this plant, knock dirt from its roots, throw it on the side of the road, plant seven pots of native grasses, seed the areas we had dug-up with three bags of native wildflower and grass seeds
It was very cold, and the wind made it colder. But our work warmed us up and we persevered and cleared about one-half of that long driveway. We removed Brazilian Vervain from the ditches and muddy soils that lined that driveway. It was dirty work, but someone had to do it and my fellow Sierrans were up to the task.
By the time noon came around we were bushed. We stopped, walked back to the field office, and had a delicious potluck lunch with bagels, turkey salad, ham salad, chocolate pie, cheesecake, pasta, pizza bits, and lots of yummy foods. There is nothing like sharing a meal with those who have become fast friends by working together toward a common goal. I can’t get enough of that feeling.
Then Iris, who is a regular volunteer and docent for the Katy Prairie Conservancy, took us on a tour of the show-place prairie that is being restored next to the field office. The first blooms of spring were evident as Bluets, native verbena, Camphor weed, Texas Yellow Star, Texas Ragwort, Corn Salad, Sow Thistle, Indian Blanket, and Bull Thistle were either blooming or preparing to bloom. On this restoring prairie we also saw an Eastern Phoebe, Great Egret, Northern Harrier, and Eastern Meadow Lark.
By this time, it was after 2 pm and several people had to leave. We said our fond good-byes. David, Iris, and I drove to the Warren Lake where the viewing platform is and spent a short time looking for birds.
The parking lot at the viewing platform was in a state of disarray. The power company, whose right-of-way went right through the parking lot, was using the longest cherry-pickers I have ever seen to conduct work on hundred-foot tall steel towers. I had never seen anything like it.
At the viewing platform we saw Pintail Ducks, Killdeer, and a Great Egret. There were other waterfowl on the lake, but they were out of our viewing range.
It was about 3:30 pm and Iris, David, and I parted with hugs of appreciation and a good feeling about the work we had done today. Thank you, Iris, David, Regina, Cheryl, Elaine, and Kristin for your work. It’s because of you that the Katy Prairie exists and only gets better. I look forward to when I will see my friends and comrades again and will enjoy the happiness of Nature with them.
Brandt Mannchen, February 18, 2019
Photograph by Regina Levoy