Talks & Walks Calendar

Sept. 26 Tue at 6:30 pm 

REI Dallas 

5929 E NW Hwy, Dallas, TX 75231 – just east of US 75

Wild DFW: Never See North Texas Nature the Same Way Again
A photo-filled tour of the top nature spaces in North Texas from Amy Martin’s Wild DFW: Explore the Amazing Nature Around Dallas-Fort Worth (Timber Press)

From three preserves a few thousand acres large, to rambling preserves over 300 acres, to 50-acre retreats that are perfect ecosystem specimens. Get a little knowledge about natural history and ecology that will challenge your assumptions and transform your perception of North Texas nature. This is the mission of Wild DFW.

Astounding color photos bring alive hardwood bottomland forests and Eastern Cross Timbers, soaring limestone escarpments, lush wetlands, and rare remnants of Blackland and Fort Worth Prairies. Get to know a diverse community of volunteers working for nature.

Wild DFW: A Deep Dive into North Texas Ecotone & its Natural Wonders

45-min Powerpoint plus 5 to 10-min Q&A, followed by book signing (1-hour slot). Suitable for advanced-training credit. 

Author Amy Martin shares the fun yet nerdy naturalist material from Wild DFW: Explore the Amazing Nature Around Dallas-Fort Worth. Why is North Texas an epic ecotone? What is the Great Trinity Forest the easternmost example of? How do tilted layers of bedrock shape our three ecoregions, foster a plethora of soil types, and lead to our plant and wildlife diversity and why did it tilt? From the ancient inland ocean and melting ice caps that forged North Texas to the goliath creeks and many forks of the Trinity, learn how water shapes our landscape. Learn of places to experience these tenets firsthand from the book’s 25 hiking adventures. Enjoy astounding photography by skilled naturalists of hardwood bottomland forests, soaring limestone escarpments, vast wetlands and winding waterways, rare remnants of Blackland and Fort Worth Prairies, and well-preserved swaths of Eastern Cross Timbers “cast iron forest.” Get to know a diverse community of volunteers working for nature.

Texas Woman’s University, Ann Stuart Science Complex (ASSC) Room 259. Park along Old Main Circle (employee parking) on the west side of the building or in any other nearby lot.

More about the host: Trinity Forks chapter Native Plant Society of Texas  

Friday September 29 at 7 pm, book signing and socializing at 6:30 pm

Wild DFW: The Moon & Nature at Night

Twelve Hills Nature Center

817 Mary Cliff Rd, Dallas, TX 75208

Wild DFW: The Moon & Nature at Night 

20-min interactive talk followed by 1-hour night walk 

Take a walk in the Full Moon light with Amy Martin, the Moonlady and author of Wild DFW: Explore the Amazing Nature Around Dallas-Fort Worth. We’ll recreate the hike from Wild Dfw’s After Dark chapter with Marcie Haley and Kristi Kerr Leonard. But first, let’s talk poetic about Moon, how the lunar phases affect our mood and shape wildlife’s activities, and why the New and Moon phases are the big beats of our lives. Plus why life on Earth owes its existence to the Moon and synchrony. Then off on a night hike with breaks for discussing the qualities of moonlight and why the Moon moves us so deeply. Plus plenty of Moon-shadow dancing and Moon song singing. 

More about the host.

Sat. Sept. 30 at 9:30 am 

park at 5940 Elam Rd, Dallas, TX 75217

A relatively rugged, women-only walk on the Holland Trail, re-creating a Go Wild segment from the Great Trinity Forest section of the book’s hiking adventures. Must be female. Must join Hikerbabes Community: Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas Chapter and reserve through their event notice.

We’ll walk in the Trinity River riparian corridor, eventually connecting to the equestrian Holland Trail, and journey on to the confluence of White Rock Creek. Then we’ll troop through dense woods to a large slough and utility corridor crossing, and perhaps onward to Texas Horse Park or up toward Pemberton Big Spring. Expect to get wet, dirty, and tired. Bring a towel for the car and a change of footwear and maybe pants. Wear lots of insect repellent. Pack lots of water.

Expect to get wet, dirty, and tired. Strong hiking boots are a must. Wear lots of insect repellent. Pack lots of water. Bring a towel for the car and a change of footwear and maybe pants. Leave nothing of value in your car since the parking lot is remote, but easy access. Walk attendance is limited to preserve trail integrity and so everyone can hear the leader talk.

Here’s a GreenSourceDFW article our Amy wrote about the Holland Trail.

Wild DFW: A Deep Dive into North Texas Ecotone & its Natural Wonders

Tue. Oct. 3 at 12 to 1 pm 

Botanical Research Institute of Texas, Research Lunchtime Lecture Series 

https://fwbg.org/events/october-lunchtime-lecture-wild-dfw/ 

1700 University Dr, Fort Worth, TX 76107

Zoom link TBA

Author Amy Martin shares the fun yet nerdy naturalist material from Wild DFW: Explore the Amazing Nature Around Dallas-Fort Worth. Why is North Texas an epic ecotone? What is the Great Trinity Forest the easternmost example of? How do tilted layers of bedrock shape our three ecoregions, foster a plethora of soil types, and lead to our plant and wildlife diversity? From the ancient inland ocean and melting ice caps that forged North Texas, to the goliath creeks and many forks of the Trinity, get clear on how water shapes our local landscape. Discover places to experience these tenets firsthand. Enjoy astounding photography by skilled naturalists of hardwood bottomland forests and Eastern Cross Timbers, soaring limestone escarpments, lush wetlands, and rare remnants of Blackland and Fort Worth Prairies. Get to know a diverse community of volunteers working for nature.

Wild DFW: A Deep Dive into North Texas Ecotone & its Natural Wonders

Native Plant Society of Texas, Collin County chapter

Tue. Oct. 3 at 6:30 to 8:30 pm

Heard Natural Science Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary

1 Nature Pl, McKinney, TX 75069 

Science Resource Center 

Zoom

Wild DFW: A Deep Dive into North Texas Ecotone & its Natural Wonders

Author Amy Martin shares the fun yet nerdy naturalist material from Wild DFW: Explore the Amazing Nature Around Dallas-Fort Worth. Why is North Texas an epic ecotone? What is the Great Trinity Forest the easternmost example of? How do tilted layers of bedrock shape our three ecoregions, foster a plethora of soil types, and lead to our plant and wildlife diversity and why did it tilt? From the ancient inland ocean and melting ice caps that forged North Texas to the goliath creeks and many forks of the Trinity, learn how water shapes our landscape. Learn of places to experience these tenets firsthand from the book’s 25 hiking adventures. Enjoy astounding photography by skilled naturalists of hardwood bottomland forests, soaring limestone escarpments, vast wetlands and winding waterways, rare remnants of Blackland and Fort Worth Prairies, and well-preserved swaths of Eastern Cross Timbers “cast iron forest.” Get to know a diverse community of volunteers working for nature.

More info.

More about the host.

Wild DFW: A Deep Dive into North Texas Ecotone & its Natural Wonders

Texas Master Naturalists, North Texas chapter

Wed. Oct. 4 

6:30 socializing
7 to 8:30 pm meeting and lecture

Dallas College Brookhaven Campus, Building H, Room 125

3939 Valley View Ln, Farmers Branch, TX 75244

Zoom

45-min Powerpoint plus 5 to 10-min Q&A, followed by book signing (1-hour). Suitable for advanced-training credit. 

Author Amy Martin shares the fun yet nerdy naturalist material from Wild DFW: Explore the Amazing Nature Around Dallas-Fort Worth. Why is North Texas an epic ecotone? What is the Great Trinity Forest the easternmost example of? How do tilted layers of bedrock shape our three ecoregions, foster a plethora of soil types, and lead to our plant and wildlife diversity and why did it tilt? From the ancient inland ocean and melting ice caps that forged North Texas to the goliath creeks and many forks of the Trinity, learn how water shapes our landscape. Learn of places to experience these tenets firsthand from the book’s 25 hiking adventures. Enjoy astounding photography by skilled naturalists of hardwood bottomland forests, soaring limestone escarpments, vast wetlands and winding waterways, rare remnants of Blackland and Fort Worth Prairies, and well-preserved swaths of Eastern Cross Timbers “cast iron forest.” Get to know a diverse community of volunteers working for nature.

More about the host.

Sat. Nov. 18, 11 am to noon

North Texas Master Naturalists Presents — Wild DFW: The Moon & Nature at Night

J. Erik Jonsson Central Library, 1515 Young St, Dallas, TX 75201

Zoom link TBA

Wild DFW: The Moon & Nature at Night 

Known by many as the Moonlady, Amy Martin, author of Wild DFW: Explore the Amazing Nature Around Dallas-Fort Worth, merges fascinating nocturnal nature insights from the book with her deep knowledge of the Moon. After this talk, you’ll be a pro-level Moon watcher able to predict where it will be at any time. Understand synchrony which creates tides and causes us only to see one side of the Moon. Discover how the Moon led to life on Earth and stabilized the planet to enable human life to evolve. Discover how darkness and the Moon impact plants and wildlife, especially in urban areas. Learn how to live in tune with the Moon with gardening based on the lunar phases.  

More about the co-host: NTMN

More about the co-host: J. Erik Jonsson Central Library

Oct. 8 Sun at 2 to 4 pm (NOTE DATE CHANGE)

Ned & Genie Fritz Texas Buckeye Trail

7000 Bexar St, Dallas, TX 75215

Attendance is limited; please register to reserve a spot.

Forty years ago, acting Governor Lloyd Doggett decreed Sept. 24, 1983 to be Ned Fritz Day. The citation heralds Ned’s work in thwarting the Trinity barge canal, fighting against clearcutting of forests, and work establishing public park lands. The team at Ned Fritz Legacy insists now that it be celebrated every year. No better way to honor Ned than a walk in the woods.

Come walk the soft-surface (natural) trail segments of the Ned & Genie Fritz Texas Buckeye Trail to the Trinity River. The Legacy team of Kristi Kerr Leonard and Amy Martin will be joined by Eileen McKee and Michael McKee, the Fritz’s daughter and grandson (tentative).

Along the 2.5 mile round-trip, view the 2^nd Saturday workday team’s habitat restoration efforts. Join their efforts.

This amble recreates the trail’s chapter in Wild DFW: Explore the Amazing Nature Around Dallas-Fort Worth (Timber Press). The hike, one of the book’s 25 adventure narratives, was taken in spring with Leonard, Martin, and Eileen McKee to experience the Texas buckeye blooms.

Oct 10 Tue at 7 to 8:30 pm
Doors will open at 6:00 PM
Zoom meeting waiting room will open at 6:45 PM
Business Meeting will begin at 7:00 PM
Naturalist Talk will begin at 7:30 PM (approximately)

Heard Natural Science Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary, Science Resource Center
1 Nature Pl, McKinney, TX 75069

Zoom option

Blackland Prairie chapter Texas Master Naturalists https://txmn.org/bptmn/

Wild DFW: A Deep Dive into North Texas Ecotone & its Natural Wonders

45-min Powerpoint plus 5 to 10-min Q&A, followed by book signing (1-hour slot). Suitable for advanced-training credit. 

Author Amy Martin shares the fun yet nerdy naturalist material from Wild DFW: Explore the Amazing Nature Around Dallas-Fort Worth. Why is North Texas an epic ecotone? What is the Great Trinity Forest the easternmost example of? How do tilted layers of bedrock shape our three ecoregions, foster a plethora of soil types, and lead to our plant and wildlife diversity and why did it tilt? From the ancient inland ocean and melting ice caps that forged North Texas to the goliath creeks and many forks of the Trinity, learn how water shapes our landscape. Learn of places to experience these tenets firsthand from the book’s 25 hiking adventures. Enjoy astounding photography by skilled naturalists of hardwood bottomland forests, soaring limestone escarpments, vast wetlands and winding waterways, rare remnants of Blackland and Fort Worth Prairies, and well-preserved swaths of Eastern Cross Timbers “cast iron forest.” Get to know a diverse community of volunteers working for nature.

Doors will open at 6 pm for socializing.

Join us for our special partial solar eclipse prairie walk at Parkhill Prairie on Oct. 14 Sat. See calendar for details.

More about the host.

Oct 11 at 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm

Fort Worth Public Library, Southwest Regional Library

4001 Library Ln

Also by Zoom. See separate calendar event.

Wild DFW: Never See North Texas Nature the Same Way Again

45-min Powerpoint plus 5 to 10-min Q&A

Author and naturalist Amy Martin nearly died four years ago from a severely broken neck. She learned to walk again by hiking natural trails. Those hikes are an integral part of Wild DFW: Explore the Amazing Nature Around Dallas-Fort Worth. Hear her inspiring story woven with rhapsodic passages from the book. Learn how a little knowledge about natural history and ecology can transform your perception of North Texas nature. Astounding color photos bring alive peak experiences from the 25 featured hiking adventures through hardwood bottomland forests and Eastern Cross Timbers, soaring limestone escarpments, lush wetlands, and rare remnants of Blackland and Fort Worth Prairies. Wild DFW is Martin’s way of facilitating others to find the healing power of nature and the natural wonder she felt as a child. Get to know a diverse community of volunteers working for nature.

More details.

Oct 11 at 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm

Fort Worth Public Library, Southwest Regional Library

4001 Library Ln. Fort Worth, TX

Also by Zoom.

Wild DFW: Never See North Texas Nature the Same Way Again

45-min Powerpoint plus 5 to 10-min Q&A, followed by book signing (1-hour slot)

Author and naturalist Amy Martin nearly died four years ago from a severely broken neck. She learned to walk again by hiking natural trails. Those hikes are an integral part of Wild DFW: Explore the Amazing Nature Around Dallas-Fort Worth. Hear her inspiring story woven with rhapsodic passages from the book. Learn how a little knowledge about natural history and ecology can transform your perception of North Texas nature. Astounding color photos bring alive peak experiences from the 25 featured hiking adventures through hardwood bottomland forests and Eastern Cross Timbers, soaring limestone escarpments, lush wetlands, and rare remnants of Blackland and Fort Worth Prairies. Wild DFW is Martin’s way of facilitating others to find the healing power of nature and the natural wonder she felt as a child.

Get to know a diverse community of volunteers working for nature.In attendance will be representatives from:
<> Native Prairies Association of Texas Fort Worth chapter.
<> Fort Worth Audubon Society (tent.)
<> Texas Master Naturalist Cross Timbers chapter (tent.)

Plus WIld DFW photographers:
<> Zachary Chapman
<> Chris Emory (tent.)
<> Daniel Koglin (tent.)

More details.

More about the host.

Oct 14 Sat at noon to 2:30

Prairie walk at Parkhill Prairie.
County Rd 668, Blue Ridge, TX 75424

Special guest: Rich Jaynes, native grass expert featured in the Parkhill Prairie chapter.

Blackland Prairie chapter Texas Master Naturalists 
Blackland Prairie chapter Native Prairies Association of Texas (tent)

Recreate the hike in the Parkhill Prairie chapter of Wild DFW with Rich Jaynes, native grass expert featured in the chapter. After taking an easy mowed trail through some Blackland Prairie restoration guided by Brandon Belcher of The Nature Conservancy, once to the ridgetop we’ll take a trailless wander through the 50-acre remnant, renowned for its ancient eastern gamagrass colonies and rare terrestrial crawdad. Goldenrod and Maximilian sunflowers should be peaking.

While we explore, the Sun will be undergoing an annular solar eclipse. Because we are outside the central eclipse band, it’ll only be a partial eclipse from our perspective and won’t have the shadow-darkening effect of more precise eclipses. But it will be interesting for us to see what changes in sunlight we detect and if it seems to affect wildlife. Bring eclipse glasses for the full impact.

Wear vigorous bug spray, preferably a combo of dusting sulphur and lemon eucalyptus Repel repellent; both will also be available. Hat with all-around brim suggested (no shade), long pants (grasses can cut), and hiking boots (prairie walking is serious stomping). Bring plenty of water; none on site.

More about the host.

More about the location.

Book signing & discussion

Oct 15 Sun at 3 to 5 pm

Barnes & Noble: Lincoln Park

7700 W Northwest Hwy #300, just west of US 75, Dallas, TX 75225

Come have a chat with naturalist Amy Martin, author of Wild DFW: Explore the Amazing Nature Around Dallas-Fort Worth and get your book signed. Ask her questions about where to explore nature in North Texas and where your wild child can have fun safely. Share your favorite places and trail stories. Discuss the healing qualities of nature and learn how the author learned how to walk again through nature explorations after a broken neck. Learn about great nature groups you can get involved with. 

B&N event webpage.

Native Plant Society of Texas, Dallas chapter 

Gaston Christian Center’s Fellowship Hall

8515 Greenville Avenue, Dallas, TX 75243

Zoom option

Wild DFW: Never See North Texas Nature the Same Way Again

Author and naturalist Amy Martin nearly died four years ago from a severely broken neck. She learned to walk again by hiking natural trails. Those hikes are an integral part of Wild DFW: Explore the Amazing Nature Around Dallas-Fort Worth. Hear her inspiring story woven with rhapsodic passages from the book. Learn how a little knowledge about natural history and ecology can transform your perception of North Texas nature. Astounding color photos bring alive peak experiences from the 25 featured hiking adventures through hardwood bottomland forests and Eastern Cross Timbers, soaring limestone escarpments, lush wetlands, and rare remnants of Blackland and Fort Worth Prairies. Wild DFW is Martin’s way of facilitating others to find the healing power of nature and the natural wonder she felt as a child. Get to know a diverse community of volunteers working for nature.

More about the host.

Wed. Oct. 18 at 7 pm 

Fort Worth Sierra Club

Fort Worth Botanic Garden, 3220 Botanic Garden Blvd, Fort Worth, TX 76107 

Wild DFW: Never See North Texas Nature the Same Way Again

45-min Powerpoint plus 5 to 10-min Q&A, followed by book signing (1-hour slot)

Author and naturalist Amy Martin nearly died four years ago from a severely broken neck. She learned to walk again by hiking natural trails. Those hikes are an integral part of Wild DFW: Explore the Amazing Nature Around Dallas-Fort Worth. Hear her inspiring story woven with rhapsodic passages from the book. Learn how a little knowledge about natural history and ecology can transform your perception of North Texas nature. Astounding color photos bring alive peak experiences from the 25 featured hiking adventures through hardwood bottomland forests and Eastern Cross Timbers, soaring limestone escarpments, lush wetlands, and rare remnants of Blackland and Fort Worth Prairies. Wild DFW is Martin’s way of facilitating others to find the healing power of nature and the natural wonder she felt as a child. Get to know a diverse community of volunteers working for nature.

More about the host.

Sat Oct 21 — picnic talk at noon, walk from 1 to 3 pm

Tandy Hills Natural Area

3325 View St, Fort Worth, TX 76103

Join our guests from the Greater Fort Worth Sierra Club for a talk and walk with author and naturalist Amy Martin about her book, Wild DFW: Explore the Amazing Nature Around Dallas-Fort Worth. Come at noon and bring a picnic lunch. Amy will talk at the outdoor classroom about how as a lifelong Dallasite she fell in love with Fort Worth nature and lead a discussion on how the bedrock and ecology of the two counties shapes their primary cities’ personalities. Then at 1 pm we’re off to recreate the hike from the Tandy Hills chapter, exploring the prairies in splendid fall wildflowers and the lush riparian corridor rich in wildlife. Expect loads of Maximilian sunflowers and other bold fall wildflowers. Native grass seedheads should be emerging and looking good. Walk attendance is limited to preserve trail integrity and so everyone can hear the leader talk.

More about Greater Fort Worth Sierra Club.

More about Tandy Hills.

Oct. 24 Tues at 7 to 8 pm

Flower Mound Public Library

3030 Broadmoor Ln, Flower Mound, TX  75022

Wild DFW: Never See North Texas Nature the Same Way Again

45-min Powerpoint plus 5 to 10-min Q&A, followed by book signing (1-hour slot)

A photo-filled tour of the top nature spaces in North Texas from Amy Martin’s Wild DFW: Explore the Amazing Nature Around Dallas-Fort Worth (Timber Press).

Author and naturalist Amy Martin nearly died four years ago from a severely broken neck. She learned to walk again by hiking natural trails. Those hikes are an integral part of Wild DFW. Hear her inspiring story woven with rhapsodic passages from the book. Learn how a little knowledge about natural history and ecology can transform your perception of North Texas nature. 

Astounding color photos bring alive peak experiences from the 25 featured hiking adventures through hardwood bottomland forests and Eastern Cross Timbers, soaring limestone escarpments, lush wetlands, and rare remnants of Blackland and Fort Worth Prairies. Get to know a diverse community of volunteers working for nature.

More about the host.

Take a walk in the Full Moon light with Amy Martin, the Moonlady and author of Wild DFW: Explore the Amazing Nature Around Dallas-Fort Worth. After a poetic overview of the Moon, an audience-involving demonstration explains the lunar phases and why we only see one side of the Moon. After this, you’ll be a pro-level Moon watcher, able to predict where the Moon will be at any time. The talk concludes with material from the book on nocturnal denizens, their use of Moon phases, and how urban nature turns to darkness for safety and adaptation. Then off on a night hike with breaks for short raps ranging from synchrony and the formation of life on Earth to the qualities of moonlight. Plus plenty of Moon-shadow dancing, Moon song singing, and howling at the Moon. 

Attendance FULL; waitlist available: https://anc.apm.activecommunities.com/coppelltx/activity/search/detail/19203

Oct 28 Sat at 6 to 9 pm

open at 6pm, talk/book signing 6:30-7pm, full moon hike 7-8:30pm, event ends at 9pm.

Wild DFW: The Moon & Nature at Night
Full Moon walk with Amy Martin and Kristi Kerr Leonard featured in the After Dark chapter. Space limited, register for walk here: https://dogwoodcanyonaudubon.ticketleap.com/fullmoonsipshop

Dogwood Canyon Audubon Center http://dogwood.audubon.org/
1206 W FM 1382, Cedar Hill TX 75104

Oct 28 Sat at 6 to 9 pm
open at 6pm, talk/book signing 6:30-7pm, full moon hike 7-8:30pm, event ends at 9pm.

Wild DFW: The Moon & Nature at Night
Full Moon walk with Kristi Kerr Leonard featured in the After Dark chapter. Space limited, register for walk here: https://dogwoodcanyonaudubon.ticketleap.com/fullmoonsipshop

Dogwood Canyon Audubon Center http://dogwood.audubon.org/
1206 W FM 1382, Cedar Hill TX 75104

2 dessert vendors– guests purchase
Wine—free, limited
20% gift shop discount
Raffle for special bird print by Gentling brothers
Self-guided walk on short Canyon Floor Trail (1/4 mile)
Meet eco-organizations including Dallas Open Space

Take a walk in the Full Moon light with Amy Martin, the Moonlady and author of Wild DFW: Explore the Amazing Nature Around Dallas-Fort Worth. After a poetic overview of the Moon, an audience-involving demonstration explains the lunar phases and why we only see one side of the Moon. After this, you’ll be a pro-level Moon watcher, able to predict where the Moon will be at any time.

Then off on a night hike with breaks for short raps ranging from synchrony and the formation of life on Earth to the qualities of moonlight, plus material from the book on nocturnal denizens, their use of Moon phases, and how urban nature turns to darkness for safety and adaptation. Plenty of Moon-shadow dancing and Moon song singing.

Sip & Shop:
They’ll have wine* available in our nature gift shop where we will also run a 20% discount for the evening. We will have bakery items available for purchase from Cedar Hill businesses: Ketchum’s Kobblers and Four Girls and A Guy.
*Wine is first come, first serve, while supplies last. Limit of two glasses per attendee. Wine served only to ages 21+. No purchase necessary.

Hiking Trails:
The Canyon Floor Trail will be open for self-guided exploration. Borrow a red flashlight from our gift shop before heading out. We also have a small number of spaces open for a guided hike with Amy Martin on the West Loop Trail. Separate reservations are required for the hike with Amy Martin (an option to add tickets will be available through checkout if spaces are still available).

Giveaways:
Attendees will be entered into a drawing for a lithographic print from the Scott and Stuard Gentling “Of Birds and Texas” collection. Learn more about this artwork at https://www.lindahall.org/about/news/scientist-of-the-day/scott-and-stuart-gentling

Reservations & Ticket Price:
Reservations are encouraged, but walk-ups will be accepted if space is available. There is no minimum charge for this event. However, a suggested donation is $10 per person or an equivalent purchase in our gift shop. For the guided hike with Amy Martin, a suggested donation is $20 per person.

Additional Information:

• This event begins at 6p and ends at 9p.
• If you are a local business interested in being a vendor at one of our future events, or if you are interested in selling nature-based items in our gift shop, please contact us at dcac@audubon.org. S

Photo of West Loop Trail overlook by Stalin SM.

More about the host.

Oct 29 Sat at 1 to 4:30 pm

Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge

9601 Fossil Ridge Rd, Fort Worth, TX 76135 

Join us on Sunday October 29 from 1 to 2:30 pm for a talk by author and naturalist Amy Martin from her book, Wild DFW: Explore the Amazing Nature Around Dallas-Fort Worth. Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge has its own chapter and the director Rob Denkhaus is featured in discussions of Eastern Cross Timbers. The refuge’s former director Suzanne Tuttle shares her knowledge of Fort Worth Prairies in the book.

Then a short drive to the Wild Plum Trailhead where we’ll recreate part of a hike from the book. With the imitable Kate Morgan at the helm, we’ll take Wild Plum and the Riverbottom Trail past the historic chinkapin to the Lotus Marsh. Expects lots of waterfowl action at the marsh, and maybe a gator or two (from the safety of the boardwalk).

Wild DFW: A Deep Dive into North Texas Ecotone & its Natural Wonders

Author Amy Martin shares the fun yet nerdy naturalist material from Wild DFW: Explore the Amazing Nature Around Dallas-Fort Worth. Why is North Texas an epic ecotone? What is the Great Trinity Forest the easternmost example of? How do tilted layers of bedrock shape our three ecoregions, foster a plethora of soil types, and lead to our plant and wildlife diversity? From the ancient inland ocean and melting ice caps that forged North Texas, to the goliath creeks and many forks of the Trinity, get clear on how water shapes our local landscape. Discover places to experience these tenets firsthand. Enjoy astounding photography by skilled naturalists of hardwood bottomland forests and Eastern Cross Timbers, soaring limestone escarpments, lush wetlands, and rare remnants of Blackland and Fort Worth Prairies. Get to know a diverse community of volunteers working for nature.

Allen Public Library Civic Auditorium

300 N. Allen Dr. Allen, TX 75013

Zoom option.

The Trinity River: Why it’s Home to Natural Wonders and Not a Canal

Imagine a concrete canal lined with industrial activity from north of downtown Dallas all the way to the Gulf of Mexico. Such was to be the Trinity River’s fate until Republican Alan Steelman won his dark-horse race for Congress. He took big risks opposing a boondoggle project backed by every political power in the state. Together with an upstart anti-canal coalition, led by noted Texas environmentalist Ned Fritz, they took on an ultra-powerful and well-monied canal lobby. Hear his story of how they won against all odds and the river was saved. Find out about the parks, preserves, and paddling trail that the Trinity now boasts from Amy Martin, author of Wild DFW: Explore the Amazing Nature Around Dallas-Fort Worth and biographer of Ned Fritz.

Preceded by screening of the KERA documentary about the canal fight, Living With The Trinity. Part of APL Live entertainment series.

Allen Public Library webpage.

A photo-filled tour of the top nature spaces in North Texas from Amy Martin’s  Wild DFW: Explore the Amazing Nature Around Dallas-Fort Worth (Timber Press), from three preserves a few thousand acres large, to rambling preserves over 300 acres, to 50-acre retreats that are perfect ecosystem specimens. Get a little knowledge about natural history and ecology that will challenge your assumptions and transform your perception of North Texas nature. This is the mission of Wild DFW. Astounding color photos bring alive hardwood bottomland forests and Eastern Cross Timbers, soaring limestone escarpments, lush wetlands, and rare remnants of Blackland and Fort Worth Prairies. Get to know a diverse community of volunteers working for nature.

More about the presenter.

Wild DFW: The Moon & Nature at Night 

45-min Powerpoint plus 5 to 10-min Q&A, followed by book signing (1-hour slot)

Known by many as the Moonlady, Amy Martin, author of Wild DFW: Explore the Amazing Nature Around Dallas-Fort Worth, merges fascinating nocturnal nature insights from the book with her deep knowledge of the Moon. After this talk, you’ll be a pro-level Moon watcher able to predict where it will be at any time. Understand synchrony which creates tides and causes us to only see one side of the Moon. Discover how the Moon led to life on Earth and stabilized the planet to enable human life to evolve. Discover how darkness and the Moon impact plants and wildlife, especially in urban areas. Learn how to live in tune with the Moon with gardening based on the lunar phases.  

Afterward, we’ll amble around Cleburne State Park and gaze for the South Taurids meteor showers, and maybe catch some early Leonid meteors.

More about the host.

A guided walk at Goat Island Preserve with special guests preserve steward Joe Johnson and photographer Daniel Koglin, re-creating its Adventure chapter from the book. After a quick loop through the new trails on the island itself, we’ll head down Joe’s Riverside Trail for a ways and then loop back through an interior forest trail. Total mileage will be around 6 level miles, but feel free to go however long you feel like. Walk attendance is limited to preserve trail integrity and so everyone can hear the leader talk. Reservervation link TBA.

Nov 7 Tues at 6:30 to 8 pm 

Waxahachie Parks & Rec 

401 S Elm St. Waxahachie TX

Amy Martin, author of Wild DFW: Explore the Amazing Nature Around Dallas-Fort Worth (https://Wild-DFW.com/), will drop in for a casual conversation about how the book came to be apart of Timber Press’s series of Wild books on urban nature. Hear some insight about the research and writing process, what the essential tools of her trade are, and how creation of the book is only half the work, with marketing as the other half. She’ll read some of her favorite passages from the book and answer questions about the ecology and natural history of North Texas and prime places for exploration. Wild DFWs will be available for purchase, or bring yours to have it signed. 

Indian Trails Texas Master Naturalists book club

Nov 7 Tues at 6:30 to 8 pm 

Waxahachie Parks & Rec 

401 S Elm St. Waxahachie TX

Program TBA.

More about the presenter:

Nov 9 Thurs from 6:30 to 7:30 pm

Pantego Books

2910 W Pioneer Pkwy, Dalworthington Gardens, TX near Arlington

A quick overview of 20 great nature spots in North Texas, plus a discussion on how Widl DFW came to be.

More about the host.

Wild DFW: The Moon & Nature at Night 

45-min Powerpoint plus 5 to 10-min Q&A, followed by book signing (1-hour slot)

Known by many as the Moonlady, Amy Martin, author of Wild DFW: Explore the Amazing Nature Around Dallas-Fort Worth, merges fascinating nocturnal nature insights from the book with her deep knowledge of the Moon. After this talk, you’ll be a pro-level Moon watcher able to predict where it will be at any time. Understand synchrony which creates tides and causes us to only see one side of the Moon. Discover how the Moon led to life on Earth and stabilized the planet to enable human life to evolve. Discover how darkness and the Moon impact plants and wildlife, especially in urban areas. Learn how to live in tune with the Moon with gardening based on the lunar phases.  

More about the host.

Thurs. Nov 16, 2023 at 7 to 8 pm

Eastwood Neighborhood Association

Central Lutheran Church

1000 Easton Rd, Dallas, TX 75218

Wild DFW: Wild Waters of the East

The park surrounding White Rock Lake is known for its historic structures, marinas, and popular hike/bike trail. Equal to those treasures are its wild areas: the wet woods of Dixon Branch and north of Mockingbird, the Old Fish Hatchery and spillway birdwatching areas, quiet bays and backwaters where waterfowl nestle, and westside Moon-watching docks. But to the north in Garland is Spring Creek Forest Preserve with its massive trees, wildflower prairies, and rich riparian corridor. To the south in Pleasant Grove is Piedmont Ridge, a limestone escarpment with some of the county’s highest altitude and scenic views, rich in pioneer and Native American heritage along Oak Creek.

About our presenter.

Sat. Nov. 18, 2 to 4 pm 

Lewisville Thrive, Dogwood Room

1950 S Valley Pkwy, Lewisville, TX 75067

Sponsored by Friends of LLELA.

Denton County: North Texas Nature Hotspot

Denton, Lewisville, and the upper metroplex are a big part of Wild DFW: Explore the Amazing Nature Around Dallas-Fort Worth. The author, Amy Martin, will share material from the book about how Denton County is home to three of the five largest (from 2600 to 3700 acres) nature parks and preserves in North Texas: Clear Creek Natural Heritage Center (Denton), Ray Roberts Lake State Park (Pilot Point), and Lewisville Lake Environmental Learning Area. That’s bragging rights!

Also, Bob Jones Nature Center (Southlake) sits amid 700 acres of Eastern Cross Timbers habitat held by US Army Corps of Engineers that has over 20 miles of natural trails. Lewisville Lake also has extensive natural trails on USACE land on its western flank. Significant nature entities just south of the county line include Colleyville Nature Center and Coppell Nature Park.

After this orientation, a panel will delve deeper into Denton County nature, including Martin and Jeff Brown of the North Texas Trails blog. Another panel follows, addressing how to involve teenagers and younger in nature, tapping into the deep knowledge of City of Lewisville LLELA and Elm Fork Master Naturalists youth educators.

Sun. Nov. 19, 5:30 to 7:30 pm, twilight ends 5:50 pm

Tandy Hills Natural Area

3325 View St, Fort Worth, TX 76103

Wild DFW: Moon talk and watching party with Chris Emory

Take a walk in the Full Moon light with Amy Martin, the Moonlady and author of Wild DFW: Explore the Amazing Nature Around Dallas-Fort Worth. After a poetic overview of the Moon, an audience-involving demonstration explains the lunar phases and why we only see one side of the Moon. After this, you’ll be a pro-level Moon watcher, able to predict where the Moon will be at any time. The talk concludes with material from the book on nocturnal denizens, their use of Moon phases, and how urban nature turns to darkness for safety and adaptation.

Then off on a night hike with breaks for short raps ranging from synchrony and the formation of life on Earth to the qualities of moonlight. Plus plenty of Moon-shadow dancing, Moon song singing, and howling at the Moon. 

More about our host.

Chris Emory Photography.

Wild DFW: Never See North Texas Nature the Same Way Again

45-min Powerpoint plus 5 to 10-min Q&A. Zoom presentation; link TBA.

Author and naturalist Amy Martin nearly died four years ago from a severely broken neck. She learned to walk again by hiking natural trails. Those hikes are an integral part of Wild DFW: Explore the Amazing Nature Around Dallas-Fort Worth. Hear her inspiring story woven with rhapsodic passages from the book. Learn how a little knowledge about natural history and ecology can transform your perception of North Texas nature. Astounding color photos bring alive peak experiences from the 25 featured hiking adventures through hardwood bottomland forests and Eastern Cross Timbers, soaring limestone escarpments, lush wetlands, and rare remnants of Blackland and Fort Worth Prairies. Wild DFW is Martin’s way of facilitating others to find the healing power of nature and the natural wonder she felt as a child. Get to know a diverse community of volunteers working for nature.

Wild DFW: A Deep Dive into North Texas Ecotone & its Natural Wonders

45-min Powerpoint plus 5 to 10-min Q&A, followed by book signing (1-hour slot)

Author and naturalist Amy Martin nearly died four years ago from a severely broken neck. She learned to walk again by hiking natural trails. Those hikes are an integral part of Wild DFW: Explore the Amazing Nature Around Dallas-Fort Worth. Hear her inspiring story woven with rhapsodic passages from the book. Learn how a little knowledge about natural history and ecology can transform your perception of North Texas nature. Astounding color photos bring alive peak experiences from the 25 featured hiking adventures through hardwood bottomland forests and Eastern Cross Timbers, soaring limestone escarpments, lush wetlands, and rare remnants of Blackland and Fort Worth Prairies. Wild DFW is Martin’s way of facilitating others to find the healing power of nature and the natural wonder she felt as a child. Get to know a diverse community of volunteers working for nature.

LOCATION:

Research and Education (RES) building, Everett Hall, room 100  

Use parking lot 6 on Clifton Street. Enter the RES building’s ground floor at the parking lot’s northwest corner. Campus map.

More about the host.

Mon Jan 15 at 7 pm to 8:30 pm

Come early and walk the grounds! Socializing starts at 6:30 pm.

Fort Worth Botanic Garden

3220 Botanic Garden Blvd, Fort Worth, TX  76107

presented by Texas Master Naturalists, Cross Timbers chapter

Wild DFW: Never See North Texas Nature the Same Way Again

A photo-filled tour of the top nature spaces in North Texas from Amy Martin’s  Wild DFW: Explore the Amazing Nature Around Dallas-Fort Worth (Timber Press), from large preserves a few thousand acres in size, to rambling preserves over 300 acres, to 50-acre retreats that are perfect ecosystem specimens. Get a little knowledge about natural history and ecology that will challenge your assumptions and transform your perception of North Texas nature. This is the mission of Wild DFW. Astounding color photos bring alive hardwood bottomland forests and Eastern Cross Timbers, soaring limestone escarpments, lush wetlands, and rare remnants of Blackland and Fort Worth Prairies. Get to know a diverse community of volunteers working for nature.

Re-create a section of the Spring Creek Forest Preserve adventure chapter with a hike through the lesser-known Ranger section—a lush riparian corridor with huge trees and beautiful views of Spring Creek. Tes your winter tree identification knowledge.

More about the host.

A short talk about the Eastern Cross Timbers ecosystem of Arlington, followed by a winter woods walk to appreciate the beauty of the blackjack and post oaks eccentric branching patterns in winter. As part of Forever Forest exhibit. Time is TBA.