It looks like we may go over 200 species for the area in plant species alone! Quite a tribute to the Civilian Conservation Corps that built the park and to the State of Texas and Lubbock Parks & Recreation that managed it, for allowing the area to go more or less untouched into the 21st century as a biological time capsule.

This comparatively pristine area is the crown jewel of Mackenzie Park and of the Lubbock park system. It is high time for it to be recognized as such.

We have two confirmed identifications of species not previously reported in Lubbock, Lubbock County, or the South Plains. There may be others in our data. Time will tell.

Congratulations, and thank you to our friends and supporters of this project. The work continues!

... to Mackenzie Park Wilds. Well, most species will survive. For a while. And "a while" is all any of us have, whether individuals or species. The trampling and grazing of bison herds and woolly mammoths didn't kill off the species that survive in Mackenzie Park Wilds. Why should informed careful disk golfers?

Since it came out that one of the observed jaguars in Southern Arizona was killed and skinned, my expectation for the planet and the variety of life on it is even more pessimistic. And we want to spread our species out into the solar system? The non-finding of radio transmissions from far far off has led to a revision of ideas about whether we are alone in the universe and fueled new speculation that intelligent life [as we define it to include us, naturally!] is unique. I think SETI has found nothing because "intelligent" species like us poison themselves and their environment. They (we) use up resources, pollute, change climate, experience internal conflicts, overpopulate, facilitate disease, decline into addictions and apathy. The outer limit for the life span of intelligent species is probably quite short, and we may be nearing the end of ours. Maybe the life span of technological civilizations is 200 years. But enough of depressing thoughts.

We have dialog about this unique Lubbock area going on Facebook. Exchange of information and views. Everybody, feel free to join in. https://www.facebook.com/groups/1825012874221270/

Starting a series of posts over on https://www.facebook.com/groups/1825012874221270/ called "Meet the Neighbors!" First one is Feather Dalea, already up. Already put up photos aplenty of Escobaria missouriensis and Lace Hedgehog cacti.

Next maybe Bigfruit Evening Primrose, sandmats, Downy Indian Paintbrush, Gordon's Bladderpods... What else?

204 Species. This finally inputs all my observations in this area to-date -- 573 -- beginning back in March and ending June 29. Because I'm the worst identifier of our group and was truly guessing at some species, the total might be as low as the 190s. Dr. E.H. added 20+ new species and 50 observations this evening and they are rock-solid IDs by one of the best, and I think the Doc is caught up as well.

I am pleased that those last observations include a favorite genus of mine, Oenothera, I had hoped to see Oxytropis lambertii stubs among the mowed-down damaged plants on the caliche knoll but just didn't spot them. Maybe somebody else can. Maybe they'll come back and bloom next year. For me and likely for others, it began and ended as a labor of love, and as with all love stories there are elements of pain and loss. But it doesn't end, does it? This project continues...

Imperfect as it is, this survey of species -- think of it as a protracted bioblitz -- establishes a baseline against which future change can be measured. And it all was up until the last month quite inadvertent; after hours of exploration and hundreds of photos I received a hint in mid-May from a city employee that change was coming and the picture has clarified only in the last four days.