Upcoming Nature Series Programs
(The Nature Series is presented from September through May)
| March 9 | Monarch Butterflies & the Larval Watch Program -Kip Kiphart. Press Release |
Click "Programs" in the list to the left for more information.
Nature Center Home to New Bee Hotel
Glenn Thompson has made and installed a bee hotel, more accurately referred to as a "bee block" or "bee nest" for the Nature Center. The beautiful new nest box is modeled after one Kim Bacon showed us during her presentation at the April Friends program on Texas Native Bees. Look for it in the Butterfly Garden on the HAT part of the Loop Vista Trail. (Click on the picture for a larger view.)
Jane Crone will soon be "scorching" the bee box in order to darken it and make it more attractive to visiting bees. Stop by and look at Glenn's handiwork next time you're at the park. And if you see Glenn, be sure to thank him.
If you would like to learn more about native Texas bees visit Kim Bacon's website at Texas Bee Watchers. You will find all sorts of useful links there, including plans for building your own bee block.
Native Cactus Garden Ready for for New Plants
A team of volunteers (Sharon Rodriguez, Charlie Randal, William Lange, and Steve Dogde) have prepared a big new plot that will double the size of the current native cactus garden on the Live Oak trail. The team filled the kidney-shaped plot with crushed granite, which will provide a better environment for the cacti. Keep an eye out for a lot of new specimens in this bed soon.
Handicap Trail Sporting Graceful New Flower Bed 
A team of dedicated volunteers has created a beautiful stone-terraced flower bed along the east end of the Handicap Accesible Trail (HAT), just east of the Butterfly Garden. In a month or so it should be overflowing with plants and flowers. The bed took only three mornings to complete. Click on the images for an enlarged view.
2008 Year End Newsletter Available
The 2008 newsletter summarizing the Nature Center activities and news for the year is now available here.
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Names Fredericksburg Nature Center as Affiliate
The Fredericksburg Nature Center is honored to have been named an affiliate organization to the the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin.
The Wildflower Center encourages the preservation and use of native plants in all regions of the country through a network of cooperating affiliates. The Fredericksburg Nature Center supports and encourages this preservation and use of native plants by introducing and exposing the public to native plants through a system of trails that is home to nearly 300 species of wildflowers. Many native tress, shrubs, vines, and grasses also make the Nature Center their home. It also provides a free public program series that provides education about native plants and related natural resources.
Visit the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center website to learn more about it and its affiliated organizations.
