Frankford Prairie

This ‘miracle’ native prairie is quietly tucked inside a north Dallas neighborhood in what once was the community of Frankford.  The site includes 2 ½ acres of native prairie, the beautifully restored Old Frankford Church and cemetery dating back to 1862, Indian Springs at Hall’s Branch which feeds White Rock Lake, and a field which was once a wagon yard for trail drivers across the creek.

Master Naturalists volunteer to help restore and maintain the prairie while learning about native plants and wildlife.  Workdays might include eradicating invasive plants like Scabiosa and Johnson grass as well as inventory resources and manage it to enhance biodiversity.  Depending on the day’s activity, it is possible to earn both advanced training and volunteer hours at the same event.

All activities must be scheduled with a leader authorized by the Frankford Preservation Foundation, the host organization.

Please refer to the calendar on the NTMN website.

Please see this presentation for an overview about Frankford Prairie.

2024 Activities – 14 volunteers with 292 hours of service performed

• Monthly and weekly workdays – because this is a true prairie remnant and was never plowed, prairie management differs from other prairie restorations. Hundreds of native plants exist on this site. We remove non-native plants to allow the native grasses and forbs to flourish.  In lieu of prescribed burning or grazing, an annual mowing in January is performed.  The 12-acre urban property also includes a pioneer cemetery and historic church.
• Establish a designated walking path on the perimeter of the east prairies so visitors can get a bit closer. It will be maintained every two weeks by the cemetery mowing service.
• Made huge strides in removing ragweed this year. Removed snail seed and morning glory in the west prairie that was smothering little blue stem and side oats.
• Removed 3 school bus sized piles of compost of invasive species that has been accumulating for the last three years. All material went to living earth for sure composting. (we would love to make a class project and keep the compost on site if we could get the chapters interest in this?)
• Removal of dead trees along the perimeters of the prairies
• Seed collection and reseeding of the following: Leatrice, Side oats, Little blue, Big blue, Galardia, Cups grass, Bi-flora milkvine, Milk weed, whirled and green