Pollinator Garden at CDRI

Plan to visit Fort Davis' Chihuahuan Desert Nature Center and their Pollinator Garden this season...lots of blooms there this week! 

Celebrate National Trails Day with us!

If you post photos and stories on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Flickr with the two hashtags, #txmountaintrail and #nationaltrailsday, we'll be able to find them online...and we'll select our favorites to include on stories and features about the Texas Mountains all summer long!  Join in the fun and hashtag to your heart's content!

Keeping the pollinators busy!

Fort Davis' Chihuahuan Desert Nature Center's botanical garden plants are sporting blossoms and the pollinators are busy!  Plan a visit there on your next trip out here!

Bluebonnets in Big Bend, Photos by D.J. Sanders

The bluebonnets in Big Bend are blossoming in full glory this year.  These wonderful shots (including a bonus at the end) were taken by D.J. Sanders of Alpine this weekend...enjoy!  Thanks, D.J!

Spring is here: 36 species of blooming cacti, 5 species of butterflies spotted.....

Spring is creeping up on us at Fort Davis' Chihuahuan Desert Nature Center.  Staffers tell us that yesterday, there were 36 species of cactus blooming in the Cactus Greenhouse!  This week, the verbena was blooming out in the garden, and five species of butterflies were spotted.

Mammilloydia candida

Echinocereus vividiflorus v. canus

Mammillaria gigantea

A couple of weeks ago, participants in the Backyard Bird Count at CDRI saw 15 species, including a cedar waxwing, which is fairly unusual for the area.  This week five species of butterflies were spotted:  Painted Lady, Sleepy Orange, Checkered White, Pipevine and the Two-tailed Swallowtail.  The resident fox and rabbits are busy in the garden, too.

Come on out and see spring arrive at the Chihuahuan Desert Nature Center, just four miles outside Fort Davis!

Flowers for our Moms

Prickly Pear, blooming in the region in time for Mother's Day!

Flowers for May Day!

Rainbow cactus blossom from the Cactus Greenhouse
at Fort Davis' Chihuahuan Desert Nature Center
and Botanical Gardens

Prickly Pear blossom from near Van Horn

Taken recently just north of Terlingua and Big Bend
National Park!

Huisache flowering at Chihuahuan Desert Nature Center and Botanical Garden

A closeup of this lovely shrub tree blooming at Chihuahuan Desert Nature Center and Botanical Garden last week! Learn more about the Huisache here.

We also took a few minutes to scope out their cactus greenhouse!  Here's few pics, and page down for a surprise!

Hey!  What's that?  A Clif MOJO bar!  Leave us a comment to this post about keeping energized on your own adventures in the Texas Mountains and we might just send you one!  (And thanks to our friends at Clif MOJO for sending us a little stash of bars to share over the next few months with our friends and fellow adventurers!) 

More Terlingua Blooms from Saturday!

Yucca and ocotillo....all over the desert!
(Click on any of these photos for a closer view!)

 

Ocotillo, photo: Monte Riggs

 

Beautiful grasses and bluebonnets!  photo:  Monte Riggs

 

Ocotillos in glorious bloom

Just yesterday, we found acres and acres of ocotillo in bloom just north of Terlingua along Hwy 118.  Here and there we found bluebonnets, blooming prickly pear cacti and other flowers too.  But the ocotillo's brilliant orange-red blossoms looked particularly outstanding against our clear blue sky. 

Poppies in Bloom!

All around the El Paso Museum of Archaeology, on Transmountain Road, the poppies are in bloom! (they're the little flowers to the left of the photo!)

Poppies Fest!

Make plans to attend the Poppies Fest, Sat. March 23, 10 am to 4 pm at the El Paso Museum of Archaeology, Free Parking and Free Shuttle at EPCC NE Campus off Gateway North - NO parking at the museum. Enjoy live music & dance, art & food vendors, children's activity center, live wolf and hawk, nature tours & talks

Spring Wildflowers

Our winter precipitation
is good news as we're
anticipating spring flowers!

Like these! Van Horn in April

Some of our spring flowers start in February (or even earlier during a warm period) and then extend through early summer.  Some bloom in summer, and some will peek out during other times if there's rain and the temperatures are right!

Mountain poppies in El Paso in March

Roadside flowers along Hwy 54 just south of
Guadalupe Mountains National Park in September

Flowers found along the trail in
Big Bend National Park the first of October!

Color on Big Bend's Lost Mine Trail

Last weekend, we spent some time in the Chisos Basin of Big Bend National Park, and with all the rain we've been having, there were flowers -- many flowers -- along the trail.  The startingly blue sky set off the colors perfectly! 

Here are the trail details from the park's website:

"Lost Mine Trail
Difficulty: Moderate; Distance: 4.8 miles round trip
Begin at mile 5.1 on the Basin Road, limited parking
This trail serves as an outstanding introduction the flora and fauna of the Chisos Mountains. With limited time, hike to marker 10 (about 1 mile), where a saddle offers stunning views of Casa Grande and Juniper Canyon. The remainder of the trail climbs steeply in and out of juniper, oak, and pine forest. The trail abruptly levels out at the ridge with superb views of Pine Canyon and the Sierra del Carmen in Mexico. A brochure is available at the trailhead."

Seen on the Pinnacles Trail in Big Bend National Park on Sunday!

View of Big Bend National Park's "Window"
with blooming wildflowers!

Right before sunset

Taken on Hwy 17 between Fort Davis and Marfa

This land was burned BLACK seventeen months ago in the Rock House fire, but look at it today!  Waist high grass, wildflowers, and the promise of more rain.  LOVELY!!

More Views of the Lost Mine Trail in Big Bend National Park

It was so pretty and green out on the Lost Mine Trail in Big Bend National Park on Friday afternoon, we had to show you more pictures!  (Page down to see yesterday's entry too.) 

Plan to visit the park soon!

Here's a link to the park's hiking page of mountain hikes, including the Lost Mine Trail!

Look what we found on the Lost Mine Trail in Big Bend!

 

 

 

 

Friday afternoon, we hiked the Lost Mine Trail in Big Bend National Park...the entire Big Bend region is GREEN because we've had some nice rain.  Come on out soon and see it for yourself!   

Here's a link to the park's mountain hikes page!