Measuring Biodiversity Along the Violet Crown Trail, One Observation at a Time

Join the Crown Count

The Violet Crown Trail begins right where the Hill Country starts, on the edge of the Balcones Escarpment where the Edwards Plateau rises up from the Blackland Prairie below. From there, the trail climbs into the Plateau itself: limestone canyon, spring-fed creeks, Ashe juniper and live oak woodland the rest of the way.

It is currently 13 miles long, stretching from Zilker Park to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. Along its route, the trail connects scenic natural areas to neighborhoods, shopping centers, a library, and public parks, functioning as a wildlife corridor through the middle of a growing city as much as a place to walk.

While on the trail you may see white-tailed deer, nine-banded armadillos, squirrels, and a variety of birds, insects, and native plants.

This stretch of Ashe juniper and live oak canyon is breeding habitat for the golden-cheeked warbler, a bird that breeds only in Central Texas. The warblers themselves head south in the summer, but the trees they depend on are here year-round, and every observation logged along this corridor helps build the case for protecting them.

Monarch butterflies move through Central Texas on their fall migration starting in mid-September, riding the same creek corridors and feeding on the native nectar plants, frostweed, blue mistflower, goldenrod, that a healthy greenbelt still provides.

How to Take Part

You don't need to know a single species name to help. Every photo you take of a plant, insect, bird, or anything else alive becomes data other people can identify and use.

1. Get the app

   Download iNaturalist (free) from your app store before you arrive if you can.

   

   iOS

   

   Android
2. Join the project

   Tap into the Crown Count Project so your observations get counted.
3. Observe

   Photograph anything wild: plants, insects, birds, fungi. The app will suggest an ID. A few minutes with our guide to taking better iNaturalist photos before you head out will make your observations far easier to identify.
4. Let the community confirm

   Naturalists worldwide help verify your ID over the following days. No rush.

Two Ways to Get Involved