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Friday, September 21, 2012

Dam wildlife is awesome - Photo safari on Addicks Dam Road



Addicks Dam protects the City of Houston from flooding after heavy rains. What is less well known is that the earthen dam with a gravel road on top also affords an excellent opportunity not only for walking and hiking (one stretch even has exercise equipment, albeit not as fancy was what is installed along Terry Hershey Trail) -- but for enjoying native wild life.This includes not only butterflies and sundry bugs, insects, and birds, but also large mammals: most notably deer - even groups of deer. Here are three on the edge of a wooded area, taken with tele-lens in the late afternoon (contrast and sharpness enhanced with photo editing software). 


All ears and staring at the Canon shooter (PowerShot SX 20 - ISO 400  f/5.7  1/20 sec.)

Buckeye resting on a tall grass


Not to mention the bounties of the colorful flora -- which changes over the course of Spring, Summer, and Fall - the butterflies that the flowers attract, and the simple beauty of the tall grasses. 

Flowers with bugs...looks like caterpillars

Even the gravel road plays host to beautiful living things

Indian Paintbrush amid high grass on the slope of Addicks Dam

Sensitive Briar 

Because of its elevation in what is an essentially flat landscape, Addicks Dam Road also offers nice sunsets, although the Barker Dam does better in that regard because it runs North-South with tree-line on the horizon, rather than East-West as Addicks Dam does [in the Energy Corridor segment], and also even has a lake to catch the setting sun's reflection. 






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