Wild DFW: Explore the Amazing Nature In and Around Dallas-Fort Worth — By Amy Martin

Dallas-Fort Worth is more than just a bustling metroplex, it has layers of very diverse natural ecosystems from spacious Blackland Prairie, to scrappy Eastern Cross Timbers, to lush wetlands and riparian corridors that are full of amazing wildlife, plants and fascinating geological history, all waiting for you to find and explore!

Equal parts field guide, natural history and trip planner, Wild DFW has something for everyone. This handy and extensive guide looks at the many factors that shape local nature. 

Wild DFW includes a field guide detailing more than 120 species of interesting area animals, insects, and plants, with fascinating facts and tidbits.

These flora and fauna populate the astounding Adventures Section that covers 25 of North Texas’s finest nature parks and preserves.

Read about the author’s hikes through these spaces, led by volunteers and managers who know the land the best and who enthusiastically shared their knowledge and inspiring stories. Gain insight into North Texas as never before while enjoying practical tips and complete information for exploring these outdoor treasures.

Wild DFW, by naturalist and journalist Amy Martin, engagingly explores the nature of North Texas (Collin, Dallas, Denton, and Tarrant counties) from ancient history to the present with facts, philosophy, and personal insight. The imaginatively laid-out book features more than 30 detailed maps and over 350 stunning photographs by area naturalists.

Wild DFW also features 25 day trips that will help you find and explore the area's many natural wonders on hiking trails, in public parks and even in your own backyard!

You can select from:

The Wild DFW Bundle - $26.00

• One copy of Wild DFW.

The Wild DFW Get Out and Go! Bundle — $50.00

• One copy of Wild DFW.
• One blue, portable, 16-ounce Grosche Chicago Steel Insulated Water/Tea Infuser Bottle 

The sturdy and very versatile Grosche Tea Infuser/Water bottle in this bundle lets you easily carry 16 fluid ounces of your favorite hot or cold beverage. The 18/8 stainless steel, double-insulated, vacuum-isulated  interior will keep beverages hot for 12 hours and cold for 24 hours. It is BPA free, and it is made from lead-free, food-grade, reusable stainless steel that will not leave a metallic taste in your mouth.

The water bottle/tea infuser included in the Wild DFW Get Out and Go! Bundle features an extra-large stainless steel infuser that detaches into two separate pieces to give you the option to choose which best suits the kind of infusion you want. 

The long and wide infuser can contain loose leaf tea, fruit and/or herbs for easy removal and cleaning. The small basket infuser, when detached, can be placed inside after adding your choice of fruits and herbs directly into the bottle to keep an infusion going all day.

The fine-sized holes in the filter work perfectly to keep fruit, tea bags and ice from passing through when drinking. You can also remove the strainer completely, and it becomes a simple beverage bottle or mug!


The bottle's leakproof lid simply flips open for easy on-the-go drinking, and it has a wide grip handle which makes it easy to carry. The exterior is a durable, matte finish. 



Want to keep you hands free? This infusion flask is the perfect size to fit most cupholders on backpacks and bicycles and in vehicles.



A little bit more about the very special bottle in this Bundle....

Focusing on the health and well-being of People+Planet is at the core of Pretty Things & Cool Stuff's mission, and we work very hard to thoughtfully and conscientiously curate the partners with whom we work and the discoveries we bring to our customers. We have been proudly offering a range of useful and enjoyable products from Grosche since we opened almost ten years ago.

We thought one of its water bottles that we carry was the perfect companion to an autographed copy of Wild DFW for this special bundle not only because of its on-the-go versatility and durability, but also because it is made by Grosche. 

A family-run and majority woman-owned and operated business, Grosche began in Canada in 2006. It is a social enterprise and a B (Benefit) Corporation on a mission to address the safe water crisis faced by nearly 800 million people around the world. Grosche's mission also is to grow sustainably and to "Be a Source of Joy in the World", for customers, employees, society and planet. It received the prestigious Best for The World Award for 2016-2017 from B Corp.

In 2023, Grosche reached its initial goal of using proceeds from its sales to fund 300 million days of clean, sterile drinking water to people in six countries and 90 villages around the world. Its new goal is to be able to fund a half billion days of clean, sterile drinking water by 2030.

THE BOOK DETAILS

FORMAT: New, paperback

TO BE PUBLISHED: July 11, 2023 

PUBLISHER: Timber Press

ISBN: 9781643260846

PAGES: 372, 340 photos and 50 illustrations

DIMENSIONS: 9.1 inches H x 6.6 inches W x 1 inch D

MORE ABOUT WILD DFW FROM AUTHOR, AMY MARTIN

"Nature is more than someplace we visit — it’s where we live. Discover North Texas’s rare prairies, diverse bottomland forests, limestone escarpments, wetlands, and more, as well as the river that defines us, the Trinity. Learn how this area arose from a primordial inland sea, how its varied layers of bedrock create its diversity, and how it serves as an ecotone linking eastern forests to western plains.

But Wild DFW is about far more than the landscape. The book comes alive with a community of people who are devoted to preserving and appreciating the land where they live. Many found deep healing through nature. Others found their life’s true purpose. Their stories will inspire you. Through them, you’ll discover the issues facing the urban environment and how you can help while having a great time

“There’s no real nature in North Texas.” Oh really? Hardwood bottomland forests. Well-preserved swaths of the “cast iron forest” of Eastern Cross Timbers. Soaring limestone escarpments and quizzical cuestas. Vast wetlands and swamps. Rich riparian corridors along rivers and large creeks. Rare remnants of wildflower-filled Blackland and Fort Worth Prairies. Three immense preserves from 2600 to 3600 acres, plus the 6000-acre Great Trinity Forest. Two large lake-based state parks. A huge national wildlife refuge for water-loving birds. North Central Texas has all this and more.

Travel down the many forks of the Trinity River—Clear, East, Elm, and West—and their reservoirs to discover the watery roadmap that shapes our terrain and is home to a 127-mile-long nationally recognized paddling trail. North Central Texas is an ecotone that transitions the eastern deciduous forest into the western plains. Its astounding ecological diversity arises from many tilted bedrock layers ranging from 75 to 350 million years old, the multitude of soil types which that generates, and the wide-ranging flora those foster. The river ties it all together.

Wild DFW’s front section on natural history and ecology also covers:

The wild ways of nature after dark.
Geology forged by an ancient inland sea.
Invasive species that threaten the region’s ecology.
How to turn your backyard into a nature sanctuary.
Epic migrations of birds and insects through the area.
Native wildlife and the native flora that sustains them.
The citizen scientists who are surveying nature for further study.
Weather accentuated by tornadoes, ice storms, drought, and floods.
Urban creeks that provide an entry to nature for many, especially children."

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Known for her style weaving prosaic passages with insightful information, Amy Martin’s varied 45-year career in newspaper and magazine journalism is laced with activism and leadership, and it also is infused with a deep spirituality and concern for the Earth.

In addition to her latest book, Wild DFW: Explore the Amazing Nature Around Dallas-Fort Worth (Wild-DFW.com), her previous books include Itchy Business: How to Treat the Poison Ivy and Poison Oak Rash, Prevent Exposure and Eradicate the Plant (Itchy.biz). 

Amy currently is senior features writer for GreenSourceDFW, North Texas' leading environmental publication. She is creating a biographical website about Ned Fritz, Texas' most famous environmentalist ((NedFritz.com). Amy also volunteers extensively for Texas ecological causes.