On a mild June morning we hiked from Dallas into the Dallas – Barnhartvale Nature Park, then over to the Blackwell Horse and Hiker Trails for a 6 km loop route. We started up the Hoodoo Trail toward the dump, then followed trails that traversed the open forest and grassland slopes.

There were signs of the start of a dry, hot summer, but for the most part the area was still green.

Along the way we stopped to check out the wildflowers, including spreading dogbane, salsify, fleabane, agoseris, milkweed, hawksbeard, gaillardia, nodding thistle, and alfalfa. All photos by the author. Can you spot the crab spider? Click an image for a lightbox view and a caption.