Camping on the Edge of an Historic Forest

THE CROSS TIMBERS FOREST
Little did we know before this Next2Nature class, how rare The Cross Timbers Forest is here in Grapevine until we heard Dr. Ray Chancellor talk about it Wednesday during Spring Break. As a lifetime birder, Dr. Chancellor told campers about the forest that hugs the full southern boundary of the campground.

It is filled with hundreds of historical post oaks, black jacks and a few pine trees. Yet, it's almost impenetrable because of the undergrowth of briers and thorny bushes, offering remarkable habitats for birds, squirrels, small mammals, and a few coyotes.

Plan to take a hike through our campground Nature Trail to catch a glimpse of these native Texas birds, trees and wildlife. There's an entrance/exit behind both the laundry room and the Front Gate office.

The Cross Timbers Forest is unique to America, and has been able to survive in only a select area in the central U.S. and North Texas. In the spring, the wide variety trees in The Cross Timbers bud out, providing a feeding frenzy to hundreds of migrating birds. So, bird watchers get your binocullars out this time of year!

Dr. Chancellor also gave a short lesson on Evening Sky Maps, showing all of the stars located overhead here at the campground during March. We learned to read star maps upside down in order to pinpoint galaxies and planets as well.