Armadillo Trail at MSA

The Armadillo Trail

at Miller Springs Nature Center

We encourage you to browse and enjoy at your leisure. However, this is a protected area. We ask that you stay on the paths and that you do not damage or remove any plant or animal that you may find. Thank you.

Armadillo trail at Miller Springs Nature Center is sponsored by the area Girl Scouts. We are proud to have them as a partner.

The Armadillo Trail nature walk is a one half mile loop. There are a variety of native trees, shrubs, and plants that can be easily identified as you stroll along the trail's bends and turns. Several different kinds of animals call Miller Springs home. Some may be seen as you walk along. Others, may only leave signs indicating they were here. Vultures soar overhead or roost in the tall trees. Whitetail deer leave their easily identifiable tracks in the soft earth and rubbings from their antlers on the trees. Raccoons foraging for persimmon and other seeds, leave droppings and their familiar paw prints behind. Lastly, armadillos, the namesake of the trail leave behind their calling cards by digging for insects in the soft dirt and the underbrush along the trail.

As you head south on the trail, around, over, and through the wood chip pile, you will see, on the left, a tree with heart shaped leaves. The Texas redbud usually has seed pods from bright pink spring flowers. Moving along the trail, you will see wild grapevines on the right.
On the left of the trail, you can see a Carolina snailseed vine with bright red berries. If you peel the flesh off of the berry, it will look like a small snail shell. This twining vine has simple alternating leaves.
Walking over a small hill and turning to the right, you will see an ash tree. The ash has compound leaves and winged seeds.
To the left are sumac shrubs that have clusters of reddish seeds and elongated oval leaves. Among the sumac are chinaberry trees that have leaves with serrated edges. When berries are present, the tree tends to droop under their weight. Looking closely at the bark, you can see the damage caused by the White tail bucks rubbing their antlers on the tree trunks.
At the overlook, you can view part of the Tennessee Valley. Most of this valley is actually under Lake Belton. From here, one can see a small canyon to the left, known as Bee Suck Hollow. It is named after a common flower found in Tennessee. The tall tree line to the far right of the valley (east) shows where the Leon River flows.
Down the trail on the left, at the sharp right turn are some multiple trunked trees with smooth bark. Some of the trees may have small black fruit. These are black or Texas persimmon trees.
On the right of the trail after the right turn at #6, you will find an ashe juniper. It is a gymnosperm which is related to pines and firs. There are actually male and female ashe junipers. The males have brown cones on the tips of the twigs and the females may have blue berries.
On the right of the trail, at the beginning of a sweeping turn to the left, is a live oak tree with a hollow trunk. It is known as the live oak because the leaves stay green in winter. Behind you are some plants, possibly waist high, known as frost weed. They are named for a ribbon of "ice" that comes from the base of the plant at the first hard freeze. Note the slender stems and the drooping, fuzzy leaves.
The prickly pear cactus gets its name from the dark red fruit it produces in the summer. It is shaped like a pear but has clusters of tiny spines on it. This fruit can be eaten raw, once the tiny thorns have been removed, or the fruit may be made into jelly. The young cactus pads themselves can be eaten raw in salads or fried and are called nopalitas.
Just past the prickly pear, on the left is a net-leaf hackberry tree. The leaves are sandpaper-like on top. The bark is rough, with wart-like ridges and crack-like fissures.
Down the trail on the left is a bigelow Oak. This is a scrubby shrub-like tree with rough bark that flakes off in strips. Leaves of this tree are longer than those of the live oak. They are variably shaped and have wavy edges.
At the wide part of the trail, turn to the left. A hollow stump is ahead. On the left side of the trail is a cedar elm tree. The leaves have teeth-like edges. Compare the bark with that of the cedar elm to the bigelows surrounding it.
Just past the hollow stump is another patch of prickly pear cactus. Notice the white fuzzy wax covered cocoons on the pads. The tiny insects inside were a valuable resource to the American Indians as a purplish-red dye for pottery and cloth, until about 1875 when aniline dyes were introduced.
Close to the trail, on the right, is a hollow cedar elm tree. The hollow tree is positioned so it collects rain water. No plan here, it just happened.
The next post marks a pile of rocks with many crevices. Notice the growths that look like mineral deposits on the rocks. These are called lichens. They are a crusty fungus-like algae that grows in colors of white, orange, yellow, green, gray, black and many other colors. Toward the base of the dam is a fence line covered with grapevines. Grape vines tend to grow where birds rest or roost. The birds eat the grapes but cannot digest the seeds. The seeds pass through and wherever the bird happens to be at the time, a grapevine may sprout.
One the left, away from the trail is a small multiple stem shrub with narrow, light green leaves called baccharis. In the fall, a single plant can produce six to eight thousand small white flowers. There is a large sumac to the left of the baccharis.
Up the trail on the left, is a mesquite tree. Note the slender, sharp thorns and the long, wide bean pods. The seeds in the pods can be eaten, made into jelly or ground and brewed like coffee. When you get to the service road, turn to the right.
There is a chinaberry grove on the left,
and a hackberry tree to the right.
Just past the hackberry tree is a briar patch. This thorny vine, smilax, can produce dense thickets. Note the shiny heart shaped leaves and stiff spines. Note the baccharis growing near the wall on the left and prickly pear cactus to the right.
On the left of the trail, you will notice several yucca plants. Note the long sharp points at the end of the leaves, and their jagged edges. There are grapevines to the right.