18 March 2026 – Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge 12:10-2:16pm

Along the Canyon Ridge Trail, Lone Point and the surrounding area is a favorite. The rocky remains of the old CCC structure are atop the ridge with limestone, yucca, and live oak. Today I started my walk from below the ridge, near the lakeshore, where a pair of tufted titmice were hopping around in understory and low tree branches.

On the way up to the ridge, there were lots of bird calls in the woodland. Merlin identified the calls of red-shouldered hawk, tufted titmouse, white-eyed vireo, Carolina wren, red-bellied woodpecker, and northern cardinal. Once I reached the ridge, there was also blue jay, red-winged blackbird, and ruby-crowned kinglet.

Right away I saw a young Texas spiny lizard who ducked under the old concrete picnic table. I would see the same lizard on my way out, and a couple of others elsewhere on the ridge. Just one more way in which spring seems already to be going strong.

The top of the ridge is a limestone-based savanna with live oak, pale leaf yucca, and prickly pear. Butterflies were active, including sulphurs, goatweed leafwings, and a little crescent visiting what appeared to be crow poison beginning to flower.

There are not a lot of flowers yet, but a small blue flower caught my eye along the trail. It was meadow flax, according to iNaturalist, an annual with either white or blue flowers. It’s new to me, but with my limited knowledge that’s not saying much.

Back at the Lone Point structure, I sat for a while and noticed that Texas spiny lizard I had seen earlier. She or he was back at the top of the toppled stone picnic table, basking and reminding me just a little bit of the collared lizards I’ve seen playing king-of-the-hill on boulders at Palo Duro Canyon. Very impressive, little lizard – and thanks for sharing a bit of your afternoon with me.