Part of our in-depth series exploring the forts of Comancheria
Seasons: Spring, Summer, Fall
Site Access: Fee, Daily
Site Contact: 830-278-3499
Directions
Return to FR 117 continuing straight ahead to FR 140 East. Go for 1.2 miles and turn right on County Road 375; continue 0.3 mile to gate entrance.
Fort Inge (rhymes with "hinge") is a county park that has been taken over by a private entity, running along the Leona River and providing excellent wildlife habitat very close to Uvalde. This site offers nature enthusiasts birds and animals from three different habitats: cactus scrub typical of the Chihuahuan Desert, grassy flats that are inviting to a variety of sparrows, and a wooded riverbottom that showcases birds like Green Kingfisher, Great Kiskadee, and Long-billed Thrasher–avifauna characteristic of the Lower Rio Grande Valley. The wooded edge of the Leona River below the dam also has a mussel shoal made of native shellfish that still thrive in the clear, unpolluted stream. Wintering birds make use of the cover and the lake above the dam, and migrants fill the trees during spring. Black-chinned Hummingbirds nest here.
Powdered Dancer is a damselfly that occurs here, and common butterflies such as Red Admiral and Checkered White can be seen from early spring on. Later in the season the park fills with butterflies and odonates. Intimate views of the park’s wildlife are available by paddling a canoe down the lake, and a nature trail follows the river for about one mile. An active honey tree, with bees buzzing in and out, is located at the end of the trail just behind the big hill.
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