Home » State » Fredericksburg’s nature center – diversity in a small area
Fredericksburg’s nature center – diversity in a small area
NPSOT Archive
**ARCHIVED POST **
There were at least 65 different species of native plants in bloom when Delmar Cain and I visited the trails at the Fredericksburg Nature Center (FNC) in late October. This ten-acre jewel of a nature park on the southwestern edge of Fredericksburg is a great place for native-plant lovers to visit because of the high diversity of plants in one small area.
Wild goldenglow (Bidens laevis) blooming along Live Oak Creek at Fredericksburg Nature Center. (Photo by Bill Ward)
There are some native-plant species at the FNC not found in our area because the geology is different. During the Early Cretaceous, at the same time the Boerne region was a shallow-marine shelf, the Fredericksburg region was a land area where streams deposited sediment eroded from the Llano Uplift. Today, the Lower Cretaceous non-marine sandstone and conglomerate crop out at the FNC, and this bedrock weathers to relatively acidic soils. In the Boerne area, the bedrock of Lower Cretaceous marine limestone gives us calcareous soils.
The FNC grew out of Bill Lindemann’s desire to convince the Fredericksburg city council to set aside a natural area for birders. Bill found the perfect city-owned tract along Live Oak Creek adjacent to Lady Bird Johnson Municipal Park.
White aster (Aster ericoides) among prickly pear and yucca at FNC. (Photo by Bill Ward)
Bill Lindemann was two-time President of the Native Plant Society of Texas, and he is a highly respected birder who also knows butterflies and dragon flies. He immediately recognized that this plot of land could be much more than a birding trail. It has the habitats to be home to a diverse fauna as well as a rich native flora. It is an ideal place for a nature center.
Luckily, the city had no other plans for these acres, and the mayor and councilmen liked Bill’s idea of developing nature trails there. With the help of the city and several members of the Fredericksburg Chapter of NPSOT, Bill began to develop the Fredericksburg Nature Center. Soon members of the Hill Country Master Naturalists and other volunteers joined in. The FNC was officially founded in 2000.
Today the ten acres has well-maintained trails through eleven distinct habitats: postoak savannah, wetland, riparian, old-growth live oak woods, native prairie, cedar brake, lake, mud flats, lake island, and springs and seeps.
The Friends of the Fredericksburg Nature Center has published a checklist for wildflowers and another for cacti, ferns, grasses, and trees. The wildflower checklist has 266 species with more soon to be added. There also are lists for the birds, butterflies, dragonflies, and damselflies.
The FNC has become the center for all sorts of nature activities, including a monthly lecture series and many school field trips and outdoor programs. The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin has recognized the FNC as an affiliate organization.
**ARCHIVED POST**
**ARCHIVED POST LINKS & PICTURES MAY NOT WORK**
**ARCHIVED POST AUTHOR: ward
About the Region
This low-elevations region of Texas extends inland from the barrier islands, about 60 or so miles, and stretches from Brownsville to Louisiana. In total, it covers about 9.5 million acres, with a high point of 150 feet in elevation. More than 1000 species of plants can be found in this region. On the southern end, species more common in Mexico (such as Sabal mexicana) and Central America occur.
The barrier islands provide us with dune systems, and clay flats to the inland side, which have species found in these areas alone. Many plants here, such as Ipomoea pes-caprae (beach morning glory), can be found throughout tropical regions of the globe. I’ve encountered the same species on the beaches of Guam.
Once inland, vast marshes and wet prairies occur. Occasionally, oak (Quercus fusiformis) groves can be found. Common grasses include species of Bothriochloa, Paspalum, and Sporobolus; eastern gamagrass (Tripsacum dactyloides); and switchgrass (Panicum species). Many rivers and creeks cut through the Gulf Prairies, and along these riparian areas various species of trees, Sabal minor, and other plants adapted to clay soils can be found. Due to overgrazing, farming, and fire suppression, woody species such as mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa) and huisache (Acacia farnesiana), and invasive species such as chinaberry (Melia azedarach), Brazilian pepper (Schinus terebinthifolius), and Chinese tallow (Sapium sebiferum) have increased and displaced our native flora.
