Native Plants at Turkey Creek

Turkey Creek Park, on the road to Emma Long Park, is one of our favorite off-leash areas in town. The 2.5 mile trail crisscrosses the creek numerous times before rising up to a crest, giving you a decent view of the area. The pup loves it because she can run and run and run.














We like it because it's shady and has water for the pup (well, until about early June). I also like to check out native plants in situ. And at some point, I'll figure out what they all are!

Twisted-leaf yucca is very common along the trail.













A close-up of the twisted leaves.



















I think these berries are from a yaupon holly, but I'd love to get confirmation. (According to Pam, this isn't a yaupon so we're still waiting on confirmation.)



















Here are some brighter, younger versions of the same berries, I think. (Nope, according to Rachel and Pam, they are berries of the EVIL nandina. Too bad it looks so pretty here.)



















This white flower is quite small, maybe one or two inches across.


















I'm guessing these are some sort of daisy. There were a couple of fields of them in bloom. They seemed to prefer semi-shady areas. (According to Pam, these may be golden groundsel. I would not have guessed that because they look different than the groundsel I saw at the Ogdens, but then again I am relying solely on my memory from that visit. I have no pictures to compare. And I know Pam knows her plants.)



















This looked to me like some sort of clover? (Pam and Annie think Southern maidenhair fern. Sounds about right.)













Okay, finally, this one I know: salvia coccinea. I've got white ones growing in the front yard. (Well, actually, Annie thinks this is salvia roemeriana, and I think she's right. Oh well, at least, I got the twisted leaf yucca right!)



















I don't know what kind of grass this is. (It's nolina texana, according to Pam.)













Here's a close-up of the flowers.













I thought this was an ingenius idea on the part of the parks department.



















We dutifully picked out our rocks and carried them about a mile before we hit the end of the rock outline. I wonder how far we will have to carry them next weekend.













Looks good.



















**Thanks, gardeners, for all the identifications.

Last night at Half-price Books I picked up The Texas Flower Garden by Kathy Huber. It's spiral bound and has illustration of the plants divided according to height, season, and color. I'd gotten it out of the library a year or so ago and liked it. Should help me identify more of the plants! There's a display of the books near the front door of the N. Lamar location. It's on sale for $6.98.