Clockwise from top: Copper Globe Mallow (Sphaeralcea angustifo lia) resembles a mini-Hollyhock
plant. Eye-catching, Skyrocket (Ipo mo psis aggregata) near McDonald Observatory. A perky
Trans-Pecos variety of Verbena. Its cousin grows at Tandy Hills.
Keep It Like It Was
Story and photographs by Don Young
“Help me to be in the world for
no purpose at all except for the
joy of sunlight and rain. Keep me
close to the edge, where every-
thing wild begins.” ~ Tom Hennen
4
M
y home for the past 62 years has
been Fort Worth, Texas. Once
upon a time (maybe 200 years
ago) it wasn’t such a bad place to live. In
recent decades as the population, industri-
al activity and dirty air have increased dra-
Cenizo
Third Quarter 2014
matically, my wife Debora and I have felt
the insistent pull of the land of big blue sky,
the Trans-Pecos region of far West Texas.
One thing we like about Fort Worth,
which has helped make living here tolera-
ble, is theTandy Hills Natural Area, a 160-
acre native prairie, a postage stamp-sized
remnant of what once defined the entire
region.
Last August, as Fort Worth and Tandy
Hills were looking raggedy, we decided to
push the inspiration
restart button and continued on page 26