The Fort Worth Nature Preserve is definitely a place we will be going back to. While you have to pay for adults to get in, it is absolutely stunning, and there are soooo many different trails to hike. We chose the Cross Timbers trail this time because it was described as a hike through an ancient oak forest. We wanted as much shade as possible. You started out hiking right next to a waterway that I think is part of Lake Worth, and so there was still quite a bit of sun on us, which ultimately led to the trip being cut short. Although Dresden was feeling much better by this time, it was just WAY too hot, and no amount of water, or walking slowly, or making him wear his hat would allow him to relax and just...walk. He again wanted to be carried almost the entire time, and the times he wasn't being carried, he would just stand there, poking at the dirt with sticks, which just meant more time standing in the sun for all of us. After this, we are completely convicted that on the nights before hikes, we go to bed as soon as Dresden does, and we wake up at 6:30 a.m. and get out the door as quickly as possible. The new rule is that if we don't wake up in time, we don't hike; it just isn't worth it to have to turn around and come home. There, now y'all can hold me/us accountable because I put it out in the blogosphere! So in all, we hiked a total of only a mile, but we definitely got a taste for the trail, and cannot wait to explore and venture deeper into the oak forest. There are definitely snakes and bobcats in the area, so we have to be on the look out, and that made me a bit nervous, but the girl at the information center said that they are not much of a threat, which made me feel a little better. I'd much rather stick to sights like these...
An "Anax Junius" or "King of June" Green Darner dragonfly. LOVE this picture!
Me and the sweet, sweaty little elf
A CRAZY confrontation between a bumblebee and the WEIRDEST bug I've ever seen. I am so proud of Alex for catching this shot. Any entomologists who read my blog (HA!) please feel free to identify this thing. We are seriously so curious.
The piece de resistance for Dresden, getting to see two buffalo up close by the fence on our drive out. They were just standing there, lazing in the shade, so we stopped. Dresden LOVES buffalo. Or, at least, he did. He was disenchanted rather quickly because they didn't actually do anything. I think he expected them to put on a show of some sort.
We think this may be where we come back to this upcoming weekend, to try again, a whole lot earlier. I'm excited to see what else we can see, and how different the experience will be when we do it properly. Or if the Texas sun is just so unforgiving that it won't make a huge difference. We shall see!
Love,
Cassie
Hey. The husbandit is really into bugs after taking a class a few years ago. Here is what he thinks:
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That would be my best guess: Subfamily Saicinae, from family Reduviidae (assassin bugs). You can normally tell those types of bugs from the curved proboscis that hooks under a smaller head. They like to use it for stabbing and injecting painful enzymes."
Hahaha, Kristin, that's awesome! And from my limited entomological field work (read: pointing, screaming, running the other direction), I completely concur! Thank you Mac!
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