Nature Walk #1: Oak Grove Park

     For this week’s nature walk, I went to Oak Grove Park in Grapevine Lake. The area attracts many families because of the baseball, softball, and soccer fields that surround it. In addition, there are boat ramps for people who choose to participate in water-related activities. Given that it was Labor Day weekend, the park was bustling! There were so many people on land and water that it was challenging to get photos without them in it.

I chose to walk towards the lake on just open land, with no path or pavement. Much of the grass was brown and crunchy, which goes to show how hot and dry this summer has been (but that is normal for a Texas summer). With that being said, I was there only a half-hour before a heavy rainstorm fell in the area. It was windy and cooler than usual which was a nice change of pace from the 90+ degree weather we normally have.


With the looming storm above, the sky was beautiful with majestic clouds. I was fascinated by how the fluffy clouds perfectly covered the sun so that beams of light shined down. I have always loved the look of that in the sky, when I was smaller I used to think it was God looking down from the heavens to us on Earth. Another beautiful sight was the row of trees with changing leaves. It was cool to see the change of seasons in the leaves as they moved from green to brown. I also love to take photos of flowers, and near the lake, I spotted some beautiful pink/purple flowers which seemed to be marsh fleabane. Maybe in the future, I will seek out areas that have more special flowers.


Overall, my experience outdoors helped relieve me of the stress that built up over the week. My mind went quiet breathing in the fresh air of the outdoors and hearing families enjoy their weekend. Suddenly everything I was worrying about was no longer significant in those moments. I have noticed that nature has that healing effect on me, so I’m excited to continue to have outdoor adventures this semester.
Location: Oak Grove Loop S, Grapevine, TX 76051, USA

Comments

  1. williams.dan76September 5, 2023 at 11:31 AM

    Great blog post, thanks. I've paddled the north end of Grapevine a lot, but never visited Oak Grove Park. Loved your descriptions and your photos. I thought your photos of the storm clouds were exceptionally good. Great stuff.

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