Nature Appreciation Workshop at CDRI

Join us for a great day of Nature Appreciation at CDRI.org on October 23.  $10.00 fee per participant. *PLEASE RSVP by October 20th to Jesse Lea Schneider at (432)295-0342 or Logan Boswell at (432) 249-0265.

Hummingbird Happiness at CDRI

Master Naturalist Jack Dunaway in Waxahachie snapped this pic of hummingbirds at CDRI and had this to say:

"Let me tell you what a great time I had visiting CDRI last week. I had not been to the Davis Mountains for over 40 years, but will not let that happen again! I did not remember how intriguing the Trans Pecos is. I will be back to explore some more."

So glad you feel this way, Jack! Great pics! 

Keystone Heritage Park butterfly

El Paso's Keystone Heritage Park and Botanical Gardens is a surprising place. In the middle of the city, the park sits in the shadow of the Franklin Mountains. Its wetlands provide the visitor with excellent birding opportunities, and the garden is simply lovely for a stroll.

You can read more about it here and here.

For a list of other nature centers in the region, click here.

Keystone is a great place for birdwatching. For information on birdwatching within the Texas Mountain Trail region, visit: www.texasmountaintrail.com/bird

Leggett Week: Sky and Ocotillo

Obviously, we're a fan of a lot of things West Texas has to offer. Two of our favorites are our skies and ocotillo, a spiky desert plant that sports bright orange blossoms and tiny green leaves when it rains. And we're a fan of David Lee Leggett's photographer's "eye" for West Texas...

We're featuring Leggett's work all week. To see more, we invite you to visit his website, www.phlography.com

Of course, there are some things you just have to see for yourself. To help you plan your trip to West Texas, check out the Texas Mountain Trail website, www.texasmountaintrail.com

For additional assistance with dining and lodging choices, pick up a copy of the Big Bend Texas Mountains Travel Guide. Thanks to publisher Mercer Black, for introducing us to David Lee Leggett and his work.

To learn more about the flora and fauna of our high mountain desert, plan to visit one of our regional nature centers. For a list, click here!

Leggett Week: Horned Lizard

Texas' official state reptile, the Horned Lizard (or horny toad) was captured by this week's featured photographer, David Lee Leggett. This amiable reptile is a favorite of Texans, but it has disappeared from many areas of its previous range. Texas Parks and Wildlife has more information here.

You can see more of Leggett's work at his website, www.phlography.com Leggett currently lives in Dallas, but is a frequent visitor to West Texas.

To learn more about Horned Lizards, plan to visit one of our regional nature centers when you're in West Texas. Check them out here, on the Texas Mountain Trail website.

Blooming Cacti

With the spring rain, the cacti will soon be blooming. While touring the region, plan to visit one of our many wonderful nature centers. Most have gardens for you to enjoy. For a list of our Mountain Desert Nature Centers, click here.

Buds

The cactus in the region will start blooming soon! You can see a variety of them in our many excellent Far West Texas nature centers. For a list, click here!

Prickly Pear Blossoms

Want to learn about the botany, geology, archaeology, and zoology of the high mountain desert of the Texas Mountain Trail? Visit one or more nature centers on your trip! Click here for a list!

Succulent

Just one of the plants found on the Hummingbird Trail at the Chihuahuan Desert Nature Center and Botanical Gardens in Fort Davis.

Click here for a list of our regional nature centers.

Hummers

Taken in Dog Canyon at Guadalupe Mountains National Park, there are lots of places in the region to see hummingbirds.

Also check out the Hummingbird trail at the Chihuahuan Desert Nature Center and Botanical Gardens in Fort Davis, too.

In El Paso, visit the Centennial Museum's bird exhibits on the campus of UTEP.

For a link to all the region's nature centers, click here.

For information on birding in the region, visit: www.texasmountaintrail.com/bird

Cactus Flower

A lovely blossom from the greenhouse at the Chihuahuan Desert Nature Center and Botanical Gardens in Fort Davis.

For information on CDRI and other nature centers in the region, click here!

Fall Beauty

The brilliant blossoms of a Red Fairy Duster grace the El Paso Desert Botanical Garden at Keystone Heritage Park.

For a list of all the Mountain Desert Nature Centers in the region, including Keystone, click here!

Rio Grande Leopard Frog

We spotted (no pun intended) this fellow in the spring-fed pool along the Modesta Canyon Trail at the Chihuahuan Desert Nature Center and Botanical Gardens near Fort Davis.

Rio Grande Leopard Frogs stay at the pool year-round, which looks like a perfectly lovely place to live!

Underneath the Texas Madrone in the fall

The Texas Madrone is one of the most beautiful trees in the Chihuahuan Desert.

Found in protected canyons (these photos came from the Modesta Canyon Trail at the Chihuahuan Desert Nature Center and Botanical Gardens and the Guadalupe Mountains National Park Devil's Hall Trail) and on mountain slopes at higher elevation, this time of year the trees develop and drop their red berries.

The bark peels off in sheets, revealing lovely tones of white, pink and red underneath, giving the tree the common name of "Ladies Legs."

For information on hiking in the region, visit: www.texasmountaintrail.com/hike

Butterflies in the City

When funding is available, the kind folks at the El Paso Desert Botanical Garden, part of the Keystone Heritage Park in El Paso, raise butterflies in their greenhouse.

Last weekend, they released their fall butterflies, pictured here.

Click here for a list of our regional nature centers.

Birding at the Keystone Wetlands

Surrounded by the City of El Paso, one of the most surprising natural places is the Keystone Wetlands, which along with the Keystone Dam Archaeological Site and the El Paso Desert Botanical Garden, is part of the Keystone Heritage Park.

A list of birding species of the Keystone Heritage Park can be found on our Texas Mountain Trail birding page: www.texasmountaintrail.com/bird.

Other nature centers in the region are listed here.

Lizard friend

All over the region, small lizards entertain hikers.

Plan to visit one of our nature centers in the region or learn about hiking opportunities at www.texasmountaintrail.com/hike

Texas Madrone

Plan to visit one of our great nature centers in the region, click here.

Cholla Fruit

Visible all over the region, the cholla cactus.

When visiting the region, plan to stop at one of our Mountain Desert Nature Centers. Click here for a list!

Flowering Cholla

Found all over the region, the lovely flowering cholla.

Plan to visit one of our great Mountain Desert Nature Centers!