There are nearly 8 million people living in North Texas. So this is an urban area, although we're all familiar with the occasional coyote wandering through.
But also living among us are bobcats, river otters, hummingbirds, beavers, owls, bison and alligators.
That's an amazing range of wildlife. And it's not even counting the bats, the snapping turtles or the crazy insects (Luna moths, anyone? Wolf spiders? Wind scorpions?).
Author and naturalist Amy Martin's new book, Wild DFW, is a guide to the natural riches of the area, and where to find them.
1. So why are all these critters even here?
Basically, North Texas is so wide, the annual rainfall drops by 10 inches as you travel from Dallas to Fort Worth. And along that route, you'll cross three different "ecoregions": the Blackland Prairie, East Cross Timbers and Fort Worth Prairie.
And with those three, plus that change in rainfall, come a whole range of different soil types.
"Each type of soil gives rise to a different plant community," Martin said, "which then harbors different wildlife."
We've also got the various forks and creeks of the Trinity River, which are shallow and slow — so they create their own marshy habitats. And those wetlands, said Martin, are why we have alligators in places like Lake Worth.
Lake Worth's average, muddy depth is only six feet. And Texas Parks and Wildlife stocks it with fish. So of course it has alligators.
2. Speaking of wild life, what about those bald eagles at White Rock Lake?
Nick and Nora, as the young couple is known, have gotten all the media attention. But actually, Martin said, you can find bald eagles at most North Texas reservoirs.
We're back to how the lakes around here got made: There used to be a fair number of valleys and basins and gullies — until we dammed up the rivers and turned them into public water reservoirs.
"So North Texas has a lot of reservoirs and those reservoirs are full of fish," said Martin. "And that's bound to attract bald eagles. Pretty much every reservoir in North Texas has a bald eagle couple, at least one."
3. But what's with all the other birds we keep seeing? Egrets, woodpeckers, ducks, geese, herons, seagulls?
We're sitting in the "Central Flyway" of major bird migration from Central America all the way to Alaska. So, twice a year, back and forth, we get visitors.
But there are reasons the birds like to stop by and hang awhile.
It's the water reservoirs, right? Yep. Plus, some of those lakes have sizable nature preserves as well. Such as the Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge.
"There will be tens of thousands of snow geese there," said Martin. "They'll pretty much overwinter there. Joining them will be all kinds of waterfowl, wading birds, shorebirds, all kinds of ducks and geese. It is a bonanza."
"But strangely enough," she added, "one of the best places to see birds is the Village Creek Drying Beds in Arlington."
It's an old waste water treatment plant. The town switched systems, but the old filtration ponds have been left there.
"And they fill up with rainwater," Martin said, "and that attracts a lot of birds."
One birding website spotted more than 300 species of birds — from whistling ducks to the black-crowned night heron.
4. Forget all the crows and critters. What about wildflowers?
A typical grass pasture contains about six plant species, said Martin. The Blackland Prairie can have several hundred — it's as rich and eco-diverse as a rainforest.
So any place with that rich, dark soil, Martin said, will have pretty good flowers.
"The best place for wildflowers in North Texas is Tandy Hills Natural Area in Fort Worth," she said. "It's on a very high bluff. And you can actually see downtown Fort Worth from it. And when the flowers are set up against a sky view, it's jaw-droppingly beautiful."
But because we have various parcels of prairie around North Texas, "there are other places along Benbrook Lake and Spring Creek Forest Preserve with excellent wildflowers."
5. Any last recommendations?
Of course. A good place to see hawks is driving out LBJ to the DFW airport. You'll see them, one after the other, patiently sitting on top of light poles by the side of the road.
What are they doing there?
"They're out there hunting mice," Martin said. "And the mice are drawn by the food that people throw out of their cars."
And this final recommendation is one for the future: "North Texas is really missing out on a great opportunity with urban nature tourism, especially Dallas," Martin said. "There's a lot of people who like nature who are not interested in camping. They would love to come here and eat in a nice restaurant and then spend the entire day hiking and maybe go to see a show that night.
"There's hardly any cities where just 10 minutes from downtown, you can walk down a trail into the Great Trinity Forest, and see deer.
"The urban ecosystem is where the future lies."
Got a tip? Email Jerome Weeks at jweeks@kera.org. You can follow him on Twitter @dazeandweex.
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