Nature Walks, Part 3a — Themes at McKinney Falls

Imagine it’s just before Christmas Eve again, for that is when my boys and I took our dogs to McKinney Falls State Park for a little nature excursion before the holidays. Having recently enjoyed autumn colors at Lost Maples, Westcave Preserve, and Hamilton Pool, we found that McKinney Fall seemed appropriately devoid of leaves and color — we had found winter in Texas at last.

But it didn’t really bother us, and it certainly didn’t upset the dogs one bit. Instead of delighting in vibrant colors and active wildlife, as there wasn’t much around, we enjoyed themes in nature and the unusual that caught our eye, noticing things that might have escaped observation at another time of year.

For one, we discovered that nature provided hints of Christmas all around us. From ornaments…

mfsph12-24-09.jpg
mfspi12-24-09.jpg
mfspj12-24-09.jpgto red and green colors.

mfspk12-24-09.jpg
mfspl12-24-09.jpg
mfspm12-24-09.jpg
mfspn12-24-09.jpg
mfspze12-24-09.jpgSometimes we found unexpected shapes that brought our thoughts to ordinary objects or otherwise sparked our imagination, such as hearts…

 
mfspc12-24-09.jpg
mfspd12-24-09.jpg
mfspe12-24-09.jpg
mfspf12-24-09.jpgBigfoot tracks…

mfspg12-24-09.jpgand even a longhorn. Hook ’em Horns!

mfspb12-24-09.jpg

We enjoyed “Wildlife Words of the Day” including “snag,” “hollow,” and even “scat” (I declined to post of picture of scat, however).

mfspw12-24-09.jpg
mfspx12-24-09.jpg
mfspy12-24-09.jpgAnd we enjoyed a variety of textures, from the soft to the rough to the bristly.

mfspo12-24-09.jpg
mfspp12-24-09.jpg
mfspr12-24-09.jpg
 
mfsps12-24-09.jpg
mfspzf12-24-09.jpg
mfspzg12-24-09.jpgmfspq12-24-09.jpgThe cactus kept our attention, through color, shape, and spines. Sometimes it was pests, like cochineals…

mfspt12-24-09.jpg
mfspzi12-24-09.jpgbut sometimes it was beauty in age and decline. Have you ever wondered about the interior structure of a cactus, its vascular system that supports its water conservation? When dry, it leaves behind a beautifully intricate skeleton.

mfspu12-24-09.jpg
mfspv12-24-09.jpg

We found animal tracks…

mfspzc12-24-09.jpg
mfspzj12-24-09.jpga lone butterfly…

mfspzd12-24-09.jpga flower staring back at us (you can really have a conversation with this flower if you choose to)…

mfspa12-24-09.jpgnifty things plants and fungus do…

mfspzb12-24-09.jpg
mfspza12-24-09.jpg
mfspzh12-24-09.jpgand vicious man-eating fire ants.

mfspz12-24-09.jpgThe winter season can keep some people indoors, but there is still so much to see, even when the leaves are on the ground instead of in the trees. Sometimes it’s noticing the little things that really open up the wonders of nature. And when you do it with your kids, you feel like you’re helping the whole world open up in their eyes.

 
I’ll give an actual tour of McKinney Falls State Park in the next post, to complete our nature walks. I’m almost caught up!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*Comments -- now with more math!* *