Early Spring At Tandy Hills

A couple of weekends ago I was in Fort Worth visiting my folks and I really wanted to go for a short hike, get out and stretch my legs. I managed to convince my dad and mom to come along to Tandy Hills for an hour long jaunt to see what was blooming, if anything.

I noticed paintbrush coming up but not yet ready to bloom.

We found a different pocket of trout lilies than we normally visit, but I couldn’t even find an old flowering spike. They would have bloomed in early to mid February. I wonder if the drier winter prohibited their blooming this year.

Lots of yucca seedpods all over the place.

This is mostly definitely some kind of planted bulb that likely came from either an old homesite or from a home across the street from the park. Being as it is in an urban/suburban environment this doesn’t seem unlikely.

Prickly things on the prairie!

Mom wasn’t used to the walking and had to take a few breaks, but I think Dad could have pulled a 20. 😉

The park is covered with all sorts of dry drainages that run fast when the rain is falling. There are probably a few low areas that I wouldn’t want to be near in a heavy downpour, a recipe for flash floods.

This cleverly framed shot doesn’t allude to the fact that to the left is a street with houses, to the right is a highway (I-30), and beyond that hill is a view of downtown Fort Worth.

I still can’t believe the first time I ever went there was only three years ago, especially after I spent years driving practically right by it going to my grandparent’s houses!