Ray Roberts Lake State Park

 


Ray Roberts Lake State Park is a beautiful thirty-minute drive from my house, located in northern Texas between the towns of Pilot Point and Sanger, Texas. The land within the park is made up of three ecoregions, making it a unique, diverse ecosystem. The ecoregions within the park are the Eastern Cross Timbers, Blackland Prairie, and Grand Prairie. There are over 300 plant species, 229 bird species, a mix of different trees within each ecosystem, and an abundant amount of animals and insects in all the ecoregions.

The park has four units: Isle du Bois, Johnson Branch, Jordon, and Sanger, covering 29,350 acres. There are nine hiking trails within the park, and depending on what path you are in the park, you may see wetlands, woodlands, or prairie grass. It will be captivating to see the different mammals, fish, birds, butterflies, insects, dragonflies, frogs, turtles, lizards, snakes, and rodents living together in a symbiotic relationship.  

My genuine fascination will be the amphibians in the wetlands, grasslands, and woodlands. I am intrigued to see various species within the environment, and this will give me an idea of the health and state of the soil. Soil health is an intricate part of the development of the ecosystem. I am curious about what kinds of plants, fungi, trees, and species will be within each environment. 

One significant reason I chose this park was that it would enrich my understanding of my local surroundings. Growing up in New England and not Texas, I still feel disconnected from the natural environment. There are many hidden natural spots in Texas that I would like to have a greater understanding of, and I think that Ray Roberts Lake State Park will be a great place to dive deeper into understanding its biodiversity. 

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