Fredericksburg Chapter

Discover Friends of the Fredericksburg Nature Center

We try to record presentations. However technical difficulties occurred with our walk through the Fredericksburg Nature Center. Once we discovered that it just wasn’t going to work, I tried to record with my phone. There are two segments in this link – I accidentally  hit the off button about 5 minutes in. The second recording covers the remainder of the presentation.  I hope you will find a pathway to your own natural landscape with these links.  ~ Denise Coulter, webmaster.

Friends of Fredericksburg Nature Center.

Lonnie Childs Invites us into the Nature Center

“I’m excited to talk about the Fredericksburg Nature Center and the Friends’ plans to construct an Interpretive Center at the park, which will include a meeting venue, educational programming space, exhibits, expanded native plant gardens, and a children’s play area,” noted Lonnie Childs. “The new Interpretive Center will be a center for environmental education with a specific emphasis on children.”

October 24 our chapter of Native Plant Society of Texas hosts Lonnie Childs from 6:30-8 p.m. at St. Joseph’s Halle, Fredericksburg.

Lonnie Childs, President of the Friends of the Fredericksburg Nature Center (FNC) and a member of this chapter will present an overview of the nature center and its future. The Fredericksburg Nature Center is a 15-acre tract located along Live Oak Creek within Lady Bird Johnson Municipal Park. It consists of more than one mile of hiking trails, pollinator gardens, a bird blind, and educational exhibits. The presentation will cover the concept of natural habitats, the ecological services they provide to us, why their preservation is so important, and an overview of its seven micro-habitats.

The nature center was created and is maintained by the Friends of Fredericksburg Nature Center, a 501c(3) volunteer organization, under a service agreement with the city Fredericksburg.

Childs enjoyed a 30-year career as a business executive before retiring to the Fredericksburg area to pursue his interests in history, nature, and land conservation. In 2004, he earned the Texas Master Naturalist designation and now serves as an instructor in that program. After serving as President of the Fredericksburg chapter of NPSOT, he was State President of NPSOT in 2012-2013. In 2017, the society awarded him the Benny Simpson Fellows Award for service to NPSOT.

There will be no meeting in November, and the December meeting will be a Members-only holiday party. Local residents who are new and current NPSOT Fredericksburg chapter members are eligible to win one of two free native plant consultations. Entry coupons are only available in the Fredericksburg Standard Radio-Post and Daily Update. One entry per membership. The last chance to submit the entry coupon is at the October 24 chapter meeting. After confirming membership status, the drawing will be held and announced in the November chapter newsletter.

Holly Simonette

About the Region

Fall Symposium 2025 Logo - Teach for the Future

Salado, the location of our Fall 2025 Symposium, lies at the intersection of two ecoregions: the Edwards Plateau (Limestone Cut Plain) and Blackland Prairie (Northern Blackland Prairie).

The Edwards Plateau area is also called the Hill Country; however, this general term covers a much larger area extending farther north. Spring-fed creeks are found throughout the region; deep limestone canyons, rivers, and lakes (reservoirs) are common. Ashe juniper is perhaps the most common woody species found throughout the region. Additional woody species include various species of oak, with live oak (Quercus fusiformis) being the most common. Sycamores (Platanus occidentalis) and bald cypress (Taxodium distichum) border waterways. This area is well known for its spring wildflower displays, though they may be viewed in spring, late summer, and fall, as well. According to Texas Parks and Wildlife, average annual rainfall in the Edwards Plateau ranges from 15 to 34 inches.

The Blackland Prairie extends from the Red River south to San Antonio, bordered on the west by the Edwards Plateau and the Cross Timbers, and on the east by the Post Oak Savannah. Annual rainfall averages 30 to 40 inches, with higher averages to the east. This region is dominated by prairie species. The most common grass species include little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) and Indian grass (Sorghastrum nutans) in the uplands and switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) in the riparian areas and drainages. Common herbaceous flowering plants include salvias, penstemons, and silphiums. This area has suffered greatly from overgrazing and agricultural use. Few intact areas remain, though many of the plants can be found along county roadsides throughout the region.

Our fall Symposium host chapter, the Tonkawa Chapter, includes both of these ecoregions.

Source: Wildflowers of Texas by Michael Eason