By Brandt Mannchen
In this day of Covid-19, sometimes it’s hard to find the joy in life. That is one of the reasons that I visited Marysee Prairie, the only restored tallgrass prairie in the Big Thicket, on October 15th. I wanted to work a little, cutting woody plants like Common Persimmon and Chinese Tallow, but mostly I wanted to see what there was to see.
Usually, once a month, I visit Marysee and prepare a blooming plant list. While I am not a botanist, I thought it would be useful for the Texas Land Conservancy (TLC), which owns and manages Marysee, to have a list that documents some of the most common wildflowers and grasses when they bloom. The TLC has agreed with this premise and told me that it is appreciative that I make this list. So, I continue to do so.
This was perhaps the most beautiful day I have ever spent on Marysee Prairie. I was delighted to see a panorama of color – yellows, blues, pinks, purples, and whites spread over the landscape. It was glorious and made work seem superfluous and incidental. Spider webs were outlined by the morning dew and created a misty, haunting, and fairy-like appearance.
The sun was shining, and the air was cool. It was truly a halcyon day and raised my spirits and made me feel that we will get through the obstacles to a better day. That is what Nature does for me, and Marysee.
Canadian Goldenrod, Swamp Sunflower, False Goldenrod, and Beggar Tick (Bidens aristosa) gave Marysee a yellow tinge while Blue Mistflower, Missouri Ironweed, Obedient Plant, Purple Gerardia, White Gaura, Pink Fuzzybean, and Downy Lobelia accented the yellow carpet. Big, Little, and Bushy Bluestems, Longspike Tridens, Purple Lovegrass, Elliott’s Lovegrass, and Gulf Muhly were all present and accounted for and provided a grassy background.
The grass under the Loblolly Pine trees in the northeast corner of Marysee, that I had recently discovered and thought might be a non-native invasive plant species, was instead a beautiful, tall (over 6 feet), blooming, native grass called Sugar Cane Plume Grass (Saccharum giganteum). It waved gently, with a gorgeous, tawny, plume head. We now have a growing population of these impressive, large, and showy grasses growing under our pine trees. What a treat!!!
There was insect activity, including bees (buzzing), Gulf Fritillary Butterflies, sulfur butterflies, and other butterflies. A Great Silk Spider made a high, large, web under the pine trees. I was glad for this little bit of Nature that I call home.
If you would like to visit Marysee Prairie, contact Ellen Buchanan, who leads the TLC service outings at ellenbuchanan@sbcglobal.net. There is always something new to see that is different throughout the year and at almost 10 acres (plus three acres of Big Thicket Flatwoods Forest) it is easy enough to get around. Come join us and do yourself a favor. Enjoy your outdoor world!
Photo courtesy of Ellen Buchanan