Camp Leroy Shuman BioBlitz
Sat Sep 21, 2024 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Description
Camp Leroy Shuman BioBlitz, Lake Worth, Tarrant County
*This tour is offered by donations. Suggested donation amount is $5; but please donate any amount you believe this special tour is worth. Donations benefit Native Prairies Association of Texas & are non-refundable.
The deadline to sign up is Sept 16th. There are no restrooms on site. The address and directions will be given upon registration.
Camp Leroy Shuman, a campground for boys and girls, opened in 1920 and was closed in 2009. The property is owned by the City of Fort Worth and is accessible through permission. It is one of the first scout camps in Fort Worth. Today, the flagpole and the remains of the mess hall are still there. There are plenty of old trails here, although some are slightly overgrown. Numerous deer graze on the grasses near dark.
The camp is predominately a Post Oak/Blackjack woodland, with scattered open patches of sandy, Western Cross Timbers prairie. Typical woody species are Post Oak (Quercus stellata), Blackjack Oak (Quercus marilandica), Possumhaw (Ilex decidua), Carolina Buckthorn (Frangula caroliniana) and Rusty Blackhaw (Viburnum rufidulum). Various grasses and forbs exist in the understory and in the scattered patches of sandy pocket prairies.
Focus for the fall BioBlitz will be to document a rare species for Camp Leroy Shuman, only found in 2 locations in Tarrant County. This will be the fourth BioBlitz held here in the past two years, collecting data to benefit the City of Fort Worth, who own the property. Please arrive at 8:45am.
Some prairie species to expect are Big Bluestem (Andropogon gerardii), Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), Indiangrass (Sorghastrum nutans), Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum), Chapman’s Purpletop (Tridens chapmanii), Purpletop (Tridens flavus), Purple Threeawn (Aristida purpurea), Inland Seaoats (Chasmanthium latifolium), Silver Bluestem (Bothriochloa laguroides), Sideoats Grama (Bouteloua curtipendula), Woolly Rosette Grass (Dichanthelium acuminatum), Scribner’s Rosette Grass (Dichanthelium scribnerianum), Canada Wildrye (Elymus canadensis), Southeastern Wildrye (Elymus glabriflorus), Big Top Lovegrass (Eragrostis hirsuta), Plains Lovegrass (Eragrostis intermedia), Red Lovegrass (Eragrostis secundiflora), Gayfeather (Liatris mucronata), Maximilian Sunflower (Helianthus maximiliani) and Flat Flower Gerardia (Agalinis homalantha).