A Fun Day of Fauna and Flora at Franklin Mountains State Park, El Paso, Texas!

 

Photo of a park of the Tom May unit of the Franklin Mountains State Park; photo courtesy of Texas Park and Wildlife.

 

On Sunday, May 24, 2015, a good friend, Bertha, and I decided to take a journey to Franklin Mountains State Park, the Tom Mays unit, to check out the birds and other plants and animals we might find.  The state park covers 24,248 acres and is the largest urban park in the United States, lying completely within the city limits of El Paso.  It is a beautiful place, and despite being in a desert, harbors all sorts of animal and plant life.  I decided to share some of what Bertha and I saw on Sunday.

The first animal we saw was a beautiful male collared lizard in full breeding color.  What a handsome lizard he is!

 

Bertha and I are both big birders and our first stop was at the bird blind on the Nature Trail.  Just outside the bird blind is a mini oasis for wildlife.  Many bird feeders with a wide selection of seed and nectar are provided for the birds and other animals, along with a seep of water.  We showed up there a bit after noon, which is not the best time to see birds (early morning and as the sun is going down is the best) but we still saw quite a few species, although no quail which is always a favorite   Here are a few photos of the any I took:

 

Female black chinned hummingbird.  Also saw a male but he wouldn't sit still long enough so I could take a clear photo.

 

A squirrel and a curved-bill thrasher fighting over a suet feeder.  The thrasher was very persistent and kept pecking at the squirrel, winning on several suet showdowns!

 

Two white winged doves were having a dove smack down.  Seed was placed in the hollow area of the branch they are sitting on and both doves with wings raised wanted to feed there.  They would smack each other with the raised wing until one gave up.

 

A favorite bird showed up, a cactus wren (on the left), the largest wren in the U.S.  To the right is a beautiful male house finch and then a ubiquitous white winged dove.

 

Water is so important in the desert.  The bird blind has a solar powered, recycling water seep that constantly sees bird and other animal activity.  In this photo are two curved-bill thrashers and two white winged doves.

After sitting in the bird blind for over an hour, enjoying the antics of the birds and other animals we saw, Bertha and I decided to hike the nature trail.  Here are a few photos of what we saw:

As always . . . a warning.  Have only seen one rattler in all the times I've been here.  But am ALWAYS aware.

 

Gorgeous flowers on a barrel cactus.  It's always interesting to see the myriad of wee life that takes advantage of the cactus flower pollen.

 

Loved the "architectural" structure of this barrel cactus and flower.   Not something you'd want to accidentally brush up against, though!

 

Bright sunny yellow flower on a prickly pear cactus.

 

One of my favorite native desert plants is the apache plume (Fallugia paradoxa).  Beginning in late spring and all through the summer, it blooms with single white flowers that then will set into fluffy pink seed heads.  Here, a hairstreak butterfly takes advantage of the flower.  

 

More apache plume - did I say I LOVE this shrub?

 

A cholla cactus in bloom.

 

Bertha and I sat on a bench on the nature trail for a good while, just admiring the beauty of the desert.  We happened to look over the Franklin Mountains and saw the moon looking very bright and ghostly.

 

At the end of the trail, another lizard greeted us.  This one was a male greater earless lizard, a very common lizard in this area.  What amazing camouflage!

 

We decided to head over to a picnic area that sits up high and has some of the best views around.  On a very clear day, you can see mountain ranges way over into Mexico.

 

Love the rock formation in this photo.  The Franklin Mountains are tilted-block fault mountains.  In some areas the rocks are dated at 1.25 billion years old, from the Precambrian eon, and are the oldest rocks in Texas.  Right on the horizon, you can barely see mountains that are a good 50+ miles into Mexico.

 

Not a great photo, but this is Bertha's and my next hike in Franklin Mountains State Park - up to the Aztec Caves, s fairly short but very steep  climb.  Misnamed by the early pioneers since the Aztecs never lived in this area, the caves have rock paintings (something I'm always totally awed by). And after a desert downpour, a waterfall!  

 

It was getting late in the afternoon so we decided to head back home.  Even though we drank plenty of water . . . a beer is always welcome after a day of birding and hiking.

 

Bertha and a cold one . . . (:

 

I hope you enjoyed these snapshots of a very fun day at Franklin Mountains State Park. If you would like to make Bertha's and my day, please leave a comment.  And any promotion you can do will be greatly appreciated.  Thanks!

 

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