I went to Onion Creek, just a little upstream from Stagecoach Park. I tried to get to Onion Creek at the park, but was unable to because of a fence and the land dropping off. I had seen another approach to the creek and decided to try it.

This is Onion Creek just north of Buda and next to the railroad tracks. There’s a small dam here and this is looking upstream from the dam. The water is stagnant and there’s scum growing, but I suppose scum is form of life too. The creek is very wide and deep here. I estimate it’s width at over 100 feet and the dam was about 15 feet high.

Onion Creek

Here’s a view of the railroad bridge crossing Onion Creek. I climbed down from the dam, on the downstream side and walked to the base of the bridge. It’s fairly high, about 50 feet above the creek bed.

Railroad Bridge Over Onion Creek

From the base of the railroad bridge, I hiked downstream a bit and found a nice stand of Inland Sea Oats (Chasmanthium latifolium). It’s a clump-forming perennial grass. The large, drooping, flower spikelets are very pretty and in this shot, they’re backlit. It likes growing in moist soil and in shade, so the Onion Creek bank is a perfect spot for it.

Inland Sea Oats