By Brandt Mannchen

The parking lot was filled with cars.  Over 20 by my last count.  There is no doubt that the beautiful weather, sunny and in the 60’s to 70’s, and the lure of a great wildflower display had done the trick.  There were 22 people anxiously awaiting the signal to hike.  After a little “trail talk” about Attwater Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge, what to look out for (poison ivy and fire ants), and how we want to have fun and be safe, we set out.

Our crew of Sierra Club members and visitors was as diverse as the prairie wildflowers we saw.  A couple was visiting from Great Britain on a birding vacation.  Mexico and Asian were represented.  A panoply of Houston’s human diversity.  It was a great group of people.  Lots of conversations ensued throughout the day and hopefully after the outing.

We strolled on the Sycamore Trail, which started at the headquarters, then wound across the prairie, followed the San Bernard River, and then looped back an undulating grassland to the parking lot, a 1.5-mile course of pleasure and beauty.  The undeveloped vistas and quiet of the place brought the natural sounds of birds and the wind to life

Wildflowers did not disappoint.  The purples, yellows, reds, blues, pinks, and whites all stood out and then blended perfectly into the prairie landscape.  Spiderworts, Herbertias, Meadow Pinks, Senecios, Coreopsis, Verbenas, Wild Onions, False Indigos, Phlox, Blue-eyed Grasses, Toadflaxes, Larkspurs, Obedient Plants, Scarlet Pimpernels, Wine Cups, Blue Bonnets, Indian Paintbrushes, Wooly Whites, Venus Looking Glasses, Corn Salads, False Dandelions, Bull Nettles, Bull Thistles, Wood Sorrels, Crow Poisons, the names rolled off my tongue and people oohed and aahed at each hidden treasure.  A rabbit revealed its location and then disappeared into the green grassland.

The entire group came to a halt when I pointed out a hummingbird nest with eggs.  Everyone had to get photos!  Spatterdocks were blooming on the river, which looked more like a small creek, near this headwater’s location.  The forest of Pecan, Hackberry, Green Ash, Black Willow, and other hardwoods and woody plants kept us cool and shaded under a friendly and protective canopy.

We lunched leisurely at picnic tables, but with an expectant air of adventure, under the American Sycamore trees next to the headquarters.  Then we launched ourselves on the auto tour.  First, we stopped at the Horseshoe Trail bridge, crossed over the San Bernard River, and enjoyed an idyllic look at a pond covered with aquatic vegetation.  The Red-eared sliders were lazily laying on blooming Spatterdock pads.  We eagerly viewed, with our binoculars, a Great Egret, American Coots, Purple Gallinule, and Black-bellied Whistling Duck.

Fields of Woolly White created a stir and we stopped to admire their beauty.  Small sparrows flitted through grasses and perched on fences.  A Crested Caracara gave us a show by popping its head up and down, hidden from us in patches of vegetation and prairie grasses, until we were able to identify this mysterious visitor who then flew gracefully away.

Red-tailed Hawk and Northern Harrier circled, swooped, and searched the landscape for prey.  Upland Sand Pipers ran across the grassland and then flew into the sky.  Turkey and Black Vultures soared overhead.  Mourning Doves sat on fences and then we flushed a Killdeer from the side of the road.  Queen’s Delight was scattered across the prairie in green patches.  In areas, Spider Lilies, rushes, and sedges bloomed in wet soils or in water that was still-standing from recent rains.

Four White-tailed Deer were spotted, perfectly camouflaged, as they moved their light brown bodies in the brown grasses through a small swale.  Certainly, we could learn lessons about blending in and connecting harmoniously with our environment from these beautiful ungulates.

Too soon it was over.  We hugged, smiled, and said goodbye.  There is no better place to be on a glorious spring day than the tallgrass prairie at Attwater Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge.

Photographs by Lisa Samoilenko

For additional photos, visit the outing Meetup pages:

https://www.meetup.com/Houston-Sierra-Club-Outings/photos/29906637/