Do you ever look at GUIDE’S COUNTDOWN TO THE WEEKEND?  It is the the Arts and Entertainment section of the Dallas Morning News during the week (Not the Friday Guide Section.)  There are good tips of where to go and things to do in the D-FW area.  (The theater pipe organ concert in McKinney was one of the suggestions.)

Well, this week I noticed – “Explore Nature at the Trinity River Audubon Center”.  The short article mentioned that free guided hikes through the Great Trinity Forest were offered on Thursdays. I did not know the Trinity River Audubon Center existed.  I did know (because I taught about wetlands in second grade) that there was a major forest and wetland area along the Trinity River.  I must tell you, it is on days such as this that I miss teaching.

Just eight minutes from downtown Dallas you can explore nature along the Great Trinity Forest – the largest, urban bottomland, hardwood forest in the United States.  How about that?  The Educational Center is sustainably built and LEED-Gold certified.  (That means it is earth friendly.)

The Trinity River Audubon Center is all about connecting people with nature.

Inside the building are a few exhibits explaining the flood plains of Dallas.

In this exhibit you can make your own river.  It was interesting to see how the water flowed.

There were also exhibits of wildlife that might be seen on your hikes.  They are much easier to see in a tank than in the ponds.

Or maybe you would find “clues” of other animals in the forest.

The logs gnawed by beavers were fascinating.

Our journey began.

We came to explore the restored prairie, wetland, and forest habitats, and this early view took my breath away..

There are five miles of hiking trails available at the center. (We only hiked about a mile.  They have trails for everybody.)

The white boxes are bee boxes.  They sell honey from these bees in the gift shop.

” It had to be snakes.”  So glad we were on the bridge over the water when we saw this.

Look closely and you can see one of the bazillion grasshoppers we saw in the forest.  I so wanted a picture of the beautiful dragonflies but, they wouldn’t stay still.

This is the Trinity River.  Be still my heart.  It really has water in it.  We were amazed.

This is another view of the river and the forest.  It was muddy but still beautiful.

Nestled in the forest are picnic tables.  They encourage people to come, bring a picnic, and enjoy being outdoors with nature.

In the wetlands, the canopy made the trails shady.  We took advantage of an unseasonably cooler summer day, and then under the shade of the trees, it was pleasant.  Much of the trail was muddy wetlands, and I am glad I wore sensible shoes.   Just imagine how wonderful the hiking trails will be during fall and spring when it is cooler.

Sweet Mother of Pearl.  The lichen on the tree was so unusual.

Trumpet vine grew along the paths.  I wonder if it will take over the forest like it did our flowerbeds?

We could hear the birds singing, but did not see many birds on this day.  They say that there are over 220 recorded species of birds that have been seen in this area.

There are several ponds all along the trails.

See the dead branch in the pond?  It had a turtle on it.  Promise – but….

I thought this plant (tree?) most interesting.  There are little bunches of red leaves(flowers?) on this plant.  Maybe some of you know.

Honey For Sale!  Produced and harvested at the Trinity River Audubon Center.

The small gift shop had plenty of books. (My kind of place.)  There were books about animal identification, and plenty of good children’s books.  There was also artwork, t-shirts, and other nature related items.

In September you can join the Audubon River Adventure.

There are also classes and camps for children – plus so many other activities.

The Trinity River Audubon Center is a hidden jewel in Dallas.  If you enjoy hiking and being with nature, this is a place for you.

Blessings to you and yours,

When I am out like this, I think of God’s greatness and goodness towards us – and how there is no excuse.

Romans 1: 19 – 20

19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.