Brown jumping spider?Perfect camouflage.

Cute little fella, isn’t he?

Being a Master naturalist means that I get to take part in some awesome projects in Central Texas. This one ranks up there as one of my favorites and one of the most intense so far.

Recently the National Wildlife Federation joined forces with the Austin Independent School District to make learning outdoors for urban students more accessible. During these times of economic pressure many urban school districts are struggling to improve Science and Math performance for their students. As Marya Fowler, lead Senior Education Manager for the NWF, who is valiantly spearheading this project states: ” Learning in the outdoors, where a student’s experience is hands-on and inquiry-based, draws students into these disciplines in a way textbooks and classroom exercises often do not.” With this in mind she states that “we are creating a model wildlife habitat that will serve as an environmental education and training venue for thousands of children and teachers in Austin and central Texas.”

The “before” picture of the location for the future wildlife demonstration garden at the AISD’s Science and Health Resource Center. Compacted earth and indestructible Bermuda grass is the prevailing theme here.

The project is extensive. It is located at the AISD’s Science and Health Resource Center and includes the setup of a variety of curriculum-based learning stations, which include native plants that attract birds, butterflies, and other wildlife.  A rain garden and benches will be setup as well. There will be a little pond for wetland plants and native fish. Interpretive signs will be stationed in various areas, and a rain harvesting system will help focus on water conservation.  An all important endeavor during these times of drought. Marya states that: ” Our ultimate goal is that the design elements of this model wildlife habitat will be easily replicable, and will inspire educators to build habitats on their own campuses to use as outdoor classrooms and advance science learning throughout central Texas.”

Installed raised beds for butterfly and bird attracting plants. These are filled with soil.

Over 50 volunteers are helping with this project and it will still be some time before it is completed.

The project is extensive. Terraces had to be setup on the steep slope to build garden beds and to slow the water runoff from rain.

Setting up of terraces with Ashe Juniper logs.

The ground was very compacted and had to be loosened with pickaxes to dig holes for trees and for the planting beds. It was an excellent workout!

The Pickaxe Chicks

Jim planting Carolina Buckthorn.

A splash zone was built to prevent water crashing down from the roof from eroding the beds below.

Raised beds and pathways outlined by logs.

Local kids got involved too. They were excellent workers, digging trenches, filling splash zones with rock and planting trees.

Work in progress, looking from the building down to the grounds. Pathways and planting beds are under way.

Things are taking shape. Trees have been planted and are diligently watered. Pathways have been created and protected with landscape cloth and crushed granite. Planting beds are filled with good soil.

It’s a pretty large project and there is still a ways to go, but everyone is very excited about how it will all turn out.

Or more correctly, around a pond. Any snow falling in the water immediately melted.  I took these pictures one morning after a brief snow dusting during the night. Thankfully we did not have a cold winter this year.

The tropical waterlilies were still putting out foliage which is just amazing, even though I stopped fertilizing them  back in October and moved them to the deepest part of the pond which is about 3 and half feet deep.  They can be a bit fussy about temperatures below 50 degrees.  Thankfully there is so much volume of water in the pond, which also continually keeps moving that the water temperature has not dipped below 48 degrees so far.

It looks like the fields and gardens have been sprinkled with powdered sugar.

That was back in January, and now the gardens look messy, shrubs are budding out and the beds need a good cleanup and composting. Spring is coming folks! Ready, set – get gardening!

Kokopelli watching over our pond.

This garden art makes a gentle sound in our ever present breezes.

And our backyard bird ‘fast-food fly-through’ brings us hours of entertainment.

The pollen is on! The bees are crazy busy bringing home some beautiful orange pollen. The bounty is so large there is a veritable traffic jam at the entrance of my hive with all the bees bringing home the gold. I have no idea which trees are in bloom, but my bees are bringing back the orange pollen by the bucket loads. This is excellent news since this means that my queen is laying eggs and the brood is growing. Next week I will be opening the hive (weather permitting of course – can’t bee too cold!) to see what is going on in there. But from the outside all looks well.

My Texas Redbuds are about to bloom too. That always causes a big bee frenzy. I can’t wait to what color that pollen will be.

Next to the house is this old scrubby looking shrub. I don’t quite know what kind of plant this is. Perhaps an Acacia of some sort. Its always first to bloom here in my yard. Tiny little blooms that the syrphid flies enjoy. Only one honey bee has found it as seen below.

I guess this is just not worth the effort of calling any of her sisters out here, since something much larger and bounty full is blooming out there. Only my girls would know where that is and they’re not sharing! 🙂