Well, we made it! No rain for us. Six of us (CarolynD, ChristineF, JackieD, Jacque, JanneB, and Nicole) gathered to hike 4+ miles in about 2.5 hours at Bright Leaf Preserve.
Bright Leaf Preserve is 216 acres of private wooded land where only docent guided hikes are allowed. And luckily for us, we had two of those docents! The acreage was purchased in 34 parcels by Georgia Lucas. In her will, the land was given to TPWD and later passed to the Austin Community Foundation.
TOWNies always visit and talk a lot and this outing was no exception. Lots of conversations ensued as we hiked, crossed two creeks, and managed not to fall on wet rocks and leaves.
We identified:
plants Lindheimer Silk Tassel, Escarpment Cherry Tree, Evergreen Sumac, Ashe Juniper, Cedar Sage, Texas Redbud, Texas Buckeye, Star Moss, Flottina, Twist Leaf Yucca, Nipple Cactus
scat yes, poop – raccoon and coyote
reptiles turtle
nostoc a tasteless, ancient seaweed, nicknamed gorilla snot, which hydrates when moist
galls produced by oak trees when insects stimulate the bark ! and leaves
cochineal bug these produce white fluff which contain a natural red dye, used during the Revolutionary War for the Redcoats to dye their red jackets and to create carmine red ink
Included in our hike was a stop at Ms. Lucas’s weekend home where we checked the view of Lake Austin and enjoyed an ice cold water break. Ms. Lucas had 40+ cats who lived in the KittyCondo and were protected by her dalmatian. To celebrate her mom’s birthday, Ms. Lucas would serve canned cat food in crystal bowls at a large dining room table and invite the 40+ kitties inside!
The finished our hike in good shape and as I turned into my driveway, the raindrops started following. I enjoy seeing Bright Leaf each season so we’ll do this again.
Thanks to the ladies for joining me! Jacque