A walk on the wild side: the Molly Hollar Wildscape at Veterans Park

For me, the highlight at Arlington’s Veterans Park is the Molly Hollar Wildscape, created in 1994 by a grant from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Molly Hollar (1928-2024) was a local nature conservationist who planned, designed, and maintained the wildscape bearing her name.

Signage at the Molly Hollar Wildscape

The area has grown to an expansive area of four acres, filled with tall trees, native plants, and abundant wildlife. It’s also an ecosystem preservation site, utilizing organic gardening methods and water conservation. It encourages people to connect with nature. The area contains paved and unpaved paths with switchbacks and different elevations. There are also benches, a boardwalk, a gazebo, and informative signs to enhance your visit.

I visited on a Thursday, late afternoon in mid-November. North Texas was still more like early Spring than Fall. The temperature was pleasant 70 degrees and it was a bright, sunny day. The sun filtered through the trees. Sunlight and shadows mixed, causing an ethereal, sepia-tinted wonderland. With few people there this time of day, it was serene, still, and quiet. Although likely more colorful and in bloom during the Spring or Summer months, or at least after a decent rain, there was still plenty of green and vibrancy.

The area is home to wildlife consisting of birds, insects, mammals, and reptiles. I saw squirrels climbing trees, running, and foraging. I heard birds singing and what I thought could be a woodpecker tapping—tap, tap, tap, tap—but he remained unseen. There was a handsome red robin with charm, vivacity, merriment, and mischievousness. He had a sly twinkle in his eye and could have been a character from a children’s book. We watched each other with awe.

Wildlife at the Molly Hollar Wildscape

Leaves and twigs crunched underfoot while I quietly crept through the trees, not wanting to disturb the world. The air was fresh and clean; breathe in, breathe out. The scenery was relaxing and welcoming; pause, take it all in. Repeat. Repeat. I wandered for nearly an hour through the wildscape, lost in a dream but awake with wonder.

The Molly Hollar Wildscape is a unique place in Arlington that forces you to walk slower, deliberate, and with all your senses.