Prairie Verbena

— In mid-April this year, I went hiking at the beautiful Doeskin Ranch area of the Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge. The area is just outside Austin city limits and offers a nice view of the Hill Country and good hiking trails. The specific trail I took was the Rim Rock loop starting near the parking area. The loop is nearly 2 miles (3.2 km) with approximately 300 feet (91.5 meters) elevation. It’s not a hard trail, but the elevation gain can be moderately demanding. In the small pond area at the beginning of the trail, there was this beautiful field of Prairie Verbenas. I headed towards the field to get some photos and was surprised at the number of Tiger Swallowtail butterflies going from flower to flower. Even more impressive it was to see a female swallowtail with its black wings and blue accent (see last photo below). The area has become more popular lately, but you can still hike for hours without passing another soul on the trail.