By Brandt Mannchen
It had been a long time, almost two years, but now I was going to visit the Big Thicket, regardless of the COVID situation, come hell or high water! Friday the 13th or not, I was going to the Big Thicket!
David pulled up to my house about 7:25 am, we loaded up, and off we went. We were going to meet Ellen and Mary at 9:30 am at the Watson Native Rare Plant Preserve so we had to get moving. David was amazed that I had bought a new, Honda Accord Hybrid. He asked me a lot of questions as we drove on.
I took a different route than normal, feeling a sense of excitement and adventure, as we wound our way through Huffman, Dayton, Liberty, Moss Hill, Honey Island, and finally past the Big Thicket National Preserve Visitor Center.
We got to the Watson Preserve a few minutes before 9:30 am. Since Ellen and Mary were not there yet, David and I decided to stroll down the trail that wound through an upland and slope forest to a seepage area between the forest and Lake Hyatt, where a boardwalk led us over the wet, fern-covered, ground.
As we walked, we immediately saw the rare Chapman’s Orchid, with beautiful, soft, light orange, colored flowers. For sure, a natural work of art! Then we saw large, dark, butterflies flying and landing on orchids as well as Tiger Swallowtails. Red Swamp Milkweed, purple Blazing Star, pink Meadow Beauty, white Boneset and Ten-angle Pipewort, and Yellow-eyed Grass, were swimming in a sea of Royal Fern, Cinnamon Fern, Chain Fern, Pitcher Plant, Red Maple, Titi, Sweetbay Magnolia, Black Gum, and other plants.
The backdrop was Lake Hyatt, a successional lake that had been turning into a marsh and wet prairie over the past 40 years, but had enough water to float White Water Lilies, Water Spider Orchids, and was home to Banjo Frogs who boinged as we made our way down the boardwalk.
Ellen and Mary hellowed us as we stopped and clicked photos. We made a quick tour of other trails in the Preserve, as the Summer sun made its presence known, and enjoyed the carnivorous Sundews, yellow, blooming, Bladderworts, and the strange reddish, hanging head, pitcher plant flowers.
It was getting hot, so we decided to visit the Hickory Creek Savannah Unit of Big Thicket National Preserve. We walked and enjoyed seeing a host of Blazing Star that was not yet ready to burst out in long, purple flags of flowered beauty.
Then we visited the north end of the Turkey Creek Unit and walked a short distance down the trail to see where Longleaf Pines had been planted about a decade ago. I was glad to see Longleaf Pines, some of which I had planted with my own hands, had grown 20-30 feet tall. The area needs a prescribed burn and I complained to our group that more fire is needed for this special, upland, fire-tolerant, forest.
Ellen and Mary had to go, but David and I had one more stop to make. I had not seen Marysee Prairie for several months. Marysee is special to me because I have been working to restore it for almost 30 years.
David and I had a brief lunch at Marysee and I marveled at the Slender Gayfeather that was blooming under pine trees and the Snow-on-the Prairie, Lanceleaf Indian Plantain, Bushmint, Wild Honeysuckle, Brown-eyed Susan, Wild Petunia, White-topped Sedge, and other blooming plants that were scattered over almost 10 acres. I call Marysee Prairie the only restored tallgrass prairie in the Big Thicket, and I’m sticking to my story!
It had been a fabulous morning and early afternoon. I felt my special relationship with the Big Thicket returning with a vengeance. I was home again and had missed my wild, green, friends. I was happy to be back, and they looked happy too!