Author: ebajema

After an adventure out to Big Bend both amazing and exhausting, I was finally headed back toward Austin. I was tired and exciting to sleep on a real bed and take a real shower once again. The drive back, all 6 hours of it, seemed an impossibly long time, especially since on the way there we had all the splendor of Big Bend awaiting us and the way back had no such appeal. In order to cure some carsickness and end-of-vacation blues, we took a detour on a small country road called the Willow City Loop just before Fredericksburg.

The Loop seemed more or less like a long driveway connecting one ranch to the next to the next. Cows and goats ambled lazily alongside the road and more than once we had to swerve to narrowly avoid hitting an aptly-named roadrunner. But what had really brought us along this detour was the wildflowers. Undisturbed on this quiet ranch road, vibrant purples, red and yellow beamed at us from all sides. Of all of these, my favorite by far was the Indian Paintbrush with its bright red color and small trumpet-shaped leaves. I was familiar with most of the other wildflowers, but these were a new sight for me. We stopped at the apex of a hill and all got out to stretch our travel-weary legs, only to find a multitude of crimson paintbrushes spread out before us. It was sad to see our trip come to an end, but the paintbrushes were a gentle reminder that wild beauty is never far if you know where to look and how to slow down to appreciate it.

iNaturalist Link: http://www.inaturalist.org/observations/5977530

As my Easter trip to Big Bend started to come to a close, a few of us who weren’t too exhausted from our other endeavors went for one last hike. A much shorter hike of only about 2.5 miles, it went through a fairly flat plain and then climbed up a steep outcropping toward the very end, where the trail finished in a formation called “Balanced Rock” An impossibly large boulder sat perched between two upright boulders, angled in such a way that it seemed certain the boulder would fall at any moment.

As we walked the first, flat part of the hike, we noticed bright pink flowers all over. Upon closer inspection, these magenta blossoms were attached to small, very spiky cacti. Upon research once I got home, I found out that these were Strawberry Hedgehog Cacti, so names for their small, spiky shape that reminds one of a hedgehog. As it turns out, we were lucky to catch these gorgeous blossoms as each plant only flowers for about 5 days a year between the months of  February and April. In our final hike before the long drive home, these vibrant cacti were an excellent find before heading back to the more familiar environment of Austin.

Source: http://homeguides.sfgate.com/hedgehog-cactus-information-43972.html

iNaturalist Link:http://www.inaturalist.org/observations/5977461

One plant that we saw over and over again while in Big Bend National Park was the prickly pear. I’d seen prickly pears as part of landscaping all around Austin, so I was familiar with the sight of them, but this was the first time I’d seen them in the wild. In their desert habitat, they are all the more stunning. If you’ve walked for any significant amount of time in the desert, you’ll know your eyes seem to adjust to the flat beige color of nearly everything in the landscape. The hard-packed dirt under foot, the shrubs, the rocks, the occasional green agave. Because of this, the variety and brightness of color in the prickly-pear is all the more stunning.

Bright yellow flower against the harsh spikes of the cactus make for the perfect metaphor for the surrounding desert. Stark, shocking beauty in tandem with danger. While the sight of a prickly pear cactus is hardly shocking given its wide use as a centerpiece around Austin, seeing in its original context gave me a new appreciation for this vibrant cactus.

iNaturalist Link: http://www.inaturalist.org/observations/5977434

One plant that we saw absolutely everywhere in Big Bend National Park was the Beaked Yucca. Nearly as common as cacti, these little fan-shaped trees were dotted all across the open desert plains as well as the mountain ridges in Big Bend. At first I wondered if they might be some sort of baby palm trees since their leaves were spread in a similar fashion and looked roughly the same color and shape. While some Yucca can grow into trees 12-15 feet in height, much like palm trees, the yucca is much more native to the area. This has given it its alternate name: Big Bend Yucca.

Not to be confused with the yuca root used in Latin american cuisine, the yucca is a sturdy plant that can handle the extremes of the desert habitat of Big Bend and the surrounding Chihuahua and Coahuila regions in Mexico. It does well on the rocky slopes  of the area, withstanding the intense heat and ecological pressures of such an unforgiving environment. Comfortable in its native home, the beaked yucca was a common sight throughout our hikes in Big Bend.

Source: http://www.smgrowers.com/products/plants/plantdisplay.asp?plant_id=1627

iNaturalist Link: http://www.inaturalist.org/observations/5977411

After a long hike, we had arrived at Cattail Falls, what would have been a very tall and impressive waterfall were it not for the fact that there was really only a trickle of water to be seen. We were more or less alone when we reached the falls because the trail to them had been removed from trail guides to lessen traffic and protect the fragile ecosystem of the falls. While looking for some noteworthy nature to photograph for this blog, I figured it would be appropriate that I should note that there were, in fact, plenty of cattails surrounding Cattail Falls. Sturdy plants that grow best in shallow water like that in the pool at the base of the falls, there were enough cattails around for it to be considered characteristic of the falls.

In retrospect, I’m glad I took a photo of the cattails because it led me to learn something new about their role in fragile environments like the Falls. I’m unsure why the Falls were considered so fragile that it needed to be taken off the maps, and at first I wondered if it was because cattails were easily damaged by pollution. What I found, on the contrary, is that cattails are good absorbers of pollutants like arsenic and are sometimes planted in fragile ecosystems for this exact purpose. While this was not the case at the falls, I found it interesting that this fragile ecosystem had a built in way to absorb harmful pollutants in the cattails from which it gets its name.

Source: https://cleantechnica.com/2009/05/16/cattail-army-deployed-to-fight-water-pollution/

iNaturalist Link: http://www.inaturalist.org/observations/5977765

Adventuring our way through Big Bend on an Easter Break jaunt, we started off by hiking a trail up to a hidden waterfall called Cattail Falls. Because the trail is not put on trail maps to protect its delicate ecosystem, we only passed by  perhaps two groups of people coming down from the falls as we were going up. We passed by one gentleman and asked how the falls looked today. The falls were more of a trickle despite the recent rain, he admitted, but there were tons of what he thought might be orchids surrounding the falls that made the trip up worth it.

We hiked on, excited at the prospect of the shade and cool of the waterfall, as well as these supposed orchids. We finally arrived, our feet aching and skin starting to tinge pink from oncoming sunburn. The waterfall was indeed a trickle, but the shade and cool were a relief. Plus, the flowers that had been promised were indeed abundant. Patches of tall yellow flowers surrounded the small pool at the base of the falls at every side, trailing outward into the surrounding shady areas but not venturing into sunnier areas. However, as I learned, these flowers were not in fact orchids but Longspur Columbine, native to the Chisos Mountains. It made sense that the Longspur Columbine was nowhere to be seen on our walk through the glaring sun, but only appeared near the shade of the falls. Columbine plants love shade and need a lot of moisture, which the nearby falls are able to provide. Seeing these beautiful plants surrounding the pool was worth the hike, even if they weren’t orchids.

Source: http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=AQLO

iNaturalist Link: http://www.inaturalist.org/observations/5977491

Having finished our adventures in Marfa, we started to see more and more wildlife as we got closer to Big Bend National Park. Weaving through endless curving roads ever-upward in slope, we made it at last to our campsite in nearby Terlingua. We pitched our tents and fell asleep early, exhausted from what felt like days in the car and preparing for an early morning and a long day to come. We started with an attempted sunrise hike through the Santa Elena Canyon, which was thwarted by the previous night’s rain flooding all roads into the canyon. Instead, we watched the sun rise between two mountain peaks as we ate a small breakfast and planned our first hike of the day- 7 miles in the open sun to a hidden waterfall.

This trail, called the Cattail Falls Trail, is particularly interesting because it is known to be a sensitive environment. So much so, in fact, that park rangers told us the trail had to be taken off the guide maps in order to lessen traffic to the delicate waterfall. However, hiking was still permitted to the trail given that hikers did not touch the water and remained aware of the sensitivity of the ecosystem of the waterfall. After hiking several miles in direct sun, I could already feel a sunburn growing on my right shoulder and was starting to grow tired. At the first shady tree, we stopped to hydrate and rest before heading back out into the sun. In that shady grove is where I spotted the desert agave, growing by itself in this uncharacteristic shade. It looked a lot like an aloe plant with the long pointed leaves and small spikes. However, on closer inspection one in our group was able to identify it as an agave plant- source of both tequila and the currently popular sugar alternative. As we climbed higher and higher towards the water fall we began to see agave plants all over the place, soaking in the sun rays they enjoy so much. Why this particular desert agave was able to survive in such a shaded spot is still something of a mystery, but it was this unique placement that allowed me to snap a picture of it before we continued our hike toward the falls.

iNaturalist Link: http://www.inaturalist.org/observations/5977573

After spotting a very speedy Texas Horned Lizard amongst the artwork in Marfa, I continued my day wandering the tiny art town. The day we chose to visit was not a busy one in Marfa, but it was still proximal enough to Spring Break that a few shops were open, though most of them at odd hours. The town was quiet, and while not the wild in any real sense, it served as an introduction into desert flora and fauna as the desert landscape stretched out around Marfa in all directions. Lizards, flowers and cacti that seemed totally foreign to me were commonplace near sidewalks or in the courtyards of the small shops.

While the cactus I spotted was most likely planted there and maintained by whatever shop was nearest, it was a plant that I saw again and again as we ventured deeper into the wilderness of Big Bend. This cactus towered several feet over my head with long, thin branches that seemed brittle and almost dead. I was unsure whether this was due to season change or poor maintenance, but when trying to identify the plant I learned that this is normal. As far as I can tell, the plant I saw was a night-blooming cereus, a tall native cactus that appears nearly dead for most of the year. But one night each summer, large white flowers bloom on the cactus, only to close back up the same morning. It was a little early for the flowers when I saw the plant in Marfa and it was unlikely anyways that I would’ve been lucky enough to witness that short-lived phenomenon. Nonetheless, it interested me to know that the plant I saw in Marfa and throughout Big Bend has such a unique quality.

Source: http://www.desertusa.com/cactus/night-blooming-cereus.html

iNaturalist Link: http://www.inaturalist.org/observations/5977670

While my blogs began on the St. Edward’s Campus, I had the chance to extend my search for natural beauty much further while on my Easter Break. On this break, I was took a camping trip to Big Bend National Park for some hiking, swimming and even perusing art galleries. Since the drive there is quite long, we were able to make a few stops along the way. One of them was the famous little desert town of Marfa, Texas. We spent the afternoon wandering the town, perusing art set against the stark desert background, drinking iced coffees and getting dark red sun burns on necks and noses.

Our first stop was the Donald Judd exhibits at the Chinati Foundation on the outskirts of town, where his untitled works in concrete are. A series of 15, the works are huge concrete blocks arranged in symmetrical configurations each with a makeshift desert path between them. It was on this path that I spotted a Texas Horned Lizard, a tiny thing of only 2 or so inches long. With rough beige skin, the lizard blended in perfectly with its surroundings, and I was only able to catch a glimpse of it because of how fast it moved, racing between rocks and shrubs. Since I’m from Michigan and haven’t done much travel in Texas outside Austin, this felt like the first real desert animal I’d ever seen. It had spikes down its spine and was so neatly camouflaged to its environment. Though I was just barely able to snap a picture of it before it darted away, this sighting made me excited to spend the rest of my break exploring a new desert environment and all the natural wonders it had to offer.

 

iNaturalist Link: http://www.inaturalist.org/observations/5977300

Such a common and lovely sight around campus, it seemed that I would be missing something if I didn’t  include the bluebonnets in my exploration of the natural world around me. St. Edward’s has, in my opinion, some of the best collections of bluebonnets around the Austin area (except for perhaps McKinney Falls). As we took a walk around campus with Dr. Bellaire I snapped a photo of this particular bluebonnet.

This bluebonnet was part of a cascade of others that run down the hill in front of Main Building, leading down to the soccer fields. This sight is one that assures me that spring, my favorite season in Texas, has truly arrived. I could hardly go a few feet without seeing a bluebonnet at the time since it was peak season, around the first weeks of April when the winter chill had finally left for good. The Texas State flower and still one of my favorites, this common flower goes to show that one doesn’t have to look far to see some truly lovely native wildflowers.

iNaturalist Link: http://www.inaturalist.org/observations/5434106