Texas Discovery Gardens

Nestled in beautiful Fair Park, the Texas Discovery Gardens is a beautiful place to escape the sounds of the city and enjoy a day in nature.  We made a list of some of my kid's favorite things to do when we are visiting. 

  The Daily Butterfly Release and Talk at noon in the Rosine Smith Sammons Butterfly House & Insectarium.  The Butterfly house is amazing, with butterlies from all over the world flying free among the beautiful and exotic plants.  Yes, the sights and smells are overwhelming, but even better is taking away a little knowledge.  Each day at noon they release newly "emerged" butterflies, and talk about them and the facility.  Although we have visited for the talks many times, I learn something new each visit, such as that the butterflies will only lay eggs on a host plant that the caterpillars will eat.  An example is the monarch, which only lays eggs on milkweed.  If none of the plants are around, the butterflies simply "holds on" to her eggs until she finds an appropriate host.   

Enjoy a picnic in The Meadows.  Pack a lunch and set up at the picnic table or on a blanket under the beautiful and shady live oak and pecan trees in the garden.  Squirrels entertain you with their arboreal acrobatics, and native butterflies dance around.  It's one of our favorite places to spend a leisurely afternoon reading or watching the clouds drift by. 


Spot frogs and turtles in Leftwich Pond.  A native habitat pond, they will only come out if you are very still.  My kids make a game of it, seeing how close they can get before they jump back in the water.  It's usually followed by a game of who can jump the farthest. 

The Grand Allee Du Meadows  Grab a shaded bench and relax to the lulling sound of the fountain.  The kids will love walking around the paths, and mine proclaim the grass to be "the softest in Texas". 

Butterfly Garden  Are you a Butterfly Watcher?  Butterfly watching, similar to bird watching, is a fun hobby for families to encourage spending time outside and increase your awareness of our natural world.  Bring, or start a butterfly list and visit the garden, where native Texas butterflies can be found.  It's also a great place to learn about differnt plants to grow to attract them to your garden.  For more information on Butterfly Watching, Texas Parks and Wildlife has a introductory pamplet you can print out;  http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/publications/pwdpubs/media/pwd_bk_w7000_0752.pdf

Texas Nature Challenge  The Texas Discovery Gardens has participated in the Texas Nature Challenge for the past three years.  For more information on the Texas Nature Challenge;  http://naturechallenge.tamu.edu/

Cool off and get wet  You aren't going to find this on their map, or website.  But speaking from experience, take a towel.  My kids even wear their bathing suits, because.... it's a garden.  They are constantly watering something, and take no objection to letting the kids cool off in the sprinklers!  Just be respectful!  If you happen to catch them on a day when the water's not spraying, just step outside the garden to the fountain on First Avenue, to really get soaked! 

Attend a special event  Take a class, a naturalist led walk, or attend a festival at the garden, such as the Basically Bethoven each Sunday in July, and the Bugs n' Butterflies Festival in September.  The Fancy Nancy Tea Parties are one of my daughter's favorites.  Visit the Texas Discovery Gardens website for more information on Upcoming Events at http://texasdiscoverygardens.org/index.php


My Mommy Tip: They allow you to bring in lunch boxes and coolers, etc. You can stash them in the beehive like cubbies near the restrooms while you explore the gardens. They have a couple of soda machines near the restrooms, but otherwise you must leave the gardens to get food. The Museum of Nature and Science has a nice cafe, which you can visit without paying admission to the museum. For a nicer, sit down fare, The Old Mill Inn Restaurant is open year round inside Fair Park. There is also a McDonalds located just outside Fair Park. 

 

River Legacy Living Science Center, Arlington

Nestled in the jewel of Arlington's premier park, River Legacy, is the Living Science Center.  Adults and children are offered opportunities for exploring their natural world. 

I appreciate the natural feel of the LSC, like this amazing tree trunk support.  On the far back wall are some of their resident reptiles.  In the foreground is one of their nature centers, filled with toys for young hands. 

Even their flooring is made from natural stone. 

Every child should have some of these natural tree blocks.  They can be purchased at www.natureexplore.org.  Nature Explore is a "collaborative project of Arbor Day Foundation and Dimensions Educational Research Foundation".  Go online and order a free catalog, they are filled with "research based resources for connecting children with nature".  
Or you can make your own blocks. 

The LSC offers NAYCE certified preschool classes during the school years, as well as many after school programs for older children and summer camps for all ages.  My children have done numerous classes and camps there, and they are some of their favorites! 

They also have an exhibit on the Arlington Archeosaur Site, a nearby dinosaur and prehistoric reptile excavation site.  My son, the future paleontologist, really enjoyed seeing this.  He just started volunteering out at the dig site this summer, and it's all he talks about.  To learn more about the Arlington Archeosaur Site, please visit;  http://arlingtonarchosaursite.com/

One of the more creative playplaces in the LSC, children can imagine that they are the size of a small bug, and share their space with them!  When my daughter had an Alice in Wonderland Birthday party a few years ago, this is where I brought her, dressed as Alice,  and took pictures for the invitation. 

They also have several exhibits outside, including a garden and compost center.  I was jealous because while my tomatoes are doing nothing, their plants were full of plump green ones!  We decided it must be because they are being grown in the shade, as opposed to my own bad gardening. 

Texas Nature Challenge

We completed our third Texas Nature Challenge while we were there.  The challenge was to identify several different things inside and out of the LSC. 

They had to identify different fungus they found along the trail.  That's my son with the magnifying glass.  I love that kid, he's such a .....  fungi!!  I know, but I just couldn't help it. 

They made some bark rubbings, too.  Can I suggest that this is a great activity for younger children to create an appreciation and understanding of trees?  Give them some paper and crayons, and take them out to do some bark rubbings.  As they are transferring the different bark shapes, discuss with them how different trees have different barks, and use the names of the trees.  If you don't know the names, it's okay.  Buy or print out a tree identification list, and you and your child can look it up together.  It's important that your child see that your are continually researching and learning, to develop a lifelong love of learning in them. 

After we finished our challenge, I grabbed my four year old, who in typical fashion I had to carry out of the LSC kicking and screaming, and we drove down to see how work on their new playground was progressing.  River Legacy replace their old playground equipment for new, more naturally inspired equipment.  The reaction from my children was most surprising, because while they liked the new structures, they were most concerned about the trails behind the playground, where they love to explore.  Proving that nature can be the best playground.  Not to fear, River Legacy has left them intact!  We are looking forward to visiting the new playground when it opens, hopefully sometime this month, according to River Legacy staff.

For more information on River Legacy Living Science Center, including their super summer camp schedules and upcoming events; http://riverlegacy.org

Check out my previous post on the River Legacy Paddling Trail; http://havingfuninthetexassun.blogspot.com/2012/05/river-legacy-paddling-trail.html

To read more about the Texas Nature Challenge; http://naturechallenge.tamu.edu/

Lewisville Lake Environmental Learning Center

Lewisville Lake is a very popular and commercial lake just north of Dallas.  It's busy shorelines host restaurants and homes, and the water is filled with boats each weekend.  But just on the other side of the dam sits the Lewisville Lake Environmental Learning Center.  This quiet, beautiful and natural area is surprisingly remote from the fast boats and loud music you find on the lake. 

A secluded site, we first visited the dam, where the Elm Fork of the Trinity River spills out to continue south as it joins up with the West Fork in Irving, and winds itself down through East Texas on it's way out to Trinity Bay. 

We were there to complete our second of the Texas Nature Challenges, which was to hike one of the three trails, and make observations along the way.  We chose the Cicada Trail, which runs through a hardwood forest, and seemed to be the one to offer the most shade. It was already about 100 degrees, and the shade makes such a difference!

A photo of one of the cicadas for which the trail is named.  Very aptly named, too.  The cicadas are everywhere, it was almost hard to hear each other, at some times they were so loud. 

This is my daughter.  She too, is something on the trail that made it hard for us to hear each other. 

When we came upon this hollow tree with a large entrance at the bottom, we all stopped and yelled, "The Watcher in the Woods"!  We read the novel by Florence Engel Randall, a couple of summers ago.  The tree, and it's "entrance" looks like something right out of the book.  Literally, a shiver ran down my back when I saw this. 

If you haven't read it, it's a fun, and suspenseful book for kids.  We recommend it, but I wouldn't go down this trail just after reading it.  Unless you want to scare your kids..... 

The Cicada Trail runs along the former river bed of the Trinity River.  When the lake was formed, they MOVED the river to it's present location.  That amazes me. 

After our hike, we enjoyed a picnic lunch, and some COLD watermelon!  Is there anything better than COLD watermelon on a hot day? 

The LLELC also host one of the Texas Paddling Trails, the Beaver Pond Paddling Trail. 

It started off a little muddy, and shallow, and gloriously shady.  My husband took the kayak, and the kids and I were in our canoe.  Beautiful birds flew all around us, including very friendly but photo shy Green Herons.  We came up a young family of them, right out of the nest.  They were just too quick to get a good picture. 

The trail quickly opened up into a large, open pond.  Again, water birds were everywhere.  We paused several times just to look and listen.  The water was surprisingly clean, and we could see fish swimming around us.  My son was really biting his bottom lip, since they don't allow fishing on the trail. 

There was so much to see and do, and we really didn't get to half of it.  But we will be back.  One of the trails has an old cabin, the Minor-Porter homestead.  You know how much I love log cabins.  Tours are offered on the second third Saturday of each month. 

On the second third Saturday of each month, kayak trips are also offered on a 6 mile stretch of the Trinity River.  All the equipment and instruction is provided, but registration is required.  Check their website for prices and more information.  www.kayakpower.com

They also offer badge workshops for scouts, and much more. 

To visit the LLELA website; http://www.ias.unt.edu/llela/main.htm

To read more about other Texas log cabins;  http://havingfuninthetexassun.blogspot.com/2011/08/discovering-texas-past-log-cabins-of.html

To learn more about the Texas Nature Challenge; http://naturechallenge.tamu.edu/

Texas Nature Challenge: Dogwood Canyon Audubon

 This is our 3rd year to participate in the Texas Nature Challenge.  We have had a great time each year, learned about many new places, and met so many new friends! 

 A Little Bit About the Texas Nature Challenge

The TNC is held throughout Texas, and you sign up for your specific region.  Each region has specific challenges you must complete, held at different locations.  All of the challenges are age specific, so any age can compete.  Although it's not really a competition.  There are recognitions for the teams completing the most challenges, best scrapbook, etc, but it's all for fun! 
http://naturechallenge.tamu.edu/

Dogwood Canyon Audubon Center at Cedar Hill

For our first Nature Challenge, we visited DCAC in near to us Cedar Hill.  The day we visited was  Free First Thursday, when the center has special events scheduled and, as the name implies, it's free.
We completed our challenge, which was to pick up trash around the picnic area.  This may not sound like fun to some kids, but my 12 year old LOVES to go to park and river clean ups.  He begs us to "adopt a street", so he can keep it clean ALL THE TIME.  By the way, his same concern is NOT extended to his bedroom! 

We then spent some time in the AIR CONDITIONED nature center. Some of the special events they had planned were guided hikes in the canyon, animal encounters and a craft project.  The nature center shows a wide assortment of things you can find in the canyon. This was a great way for us to identify some of the things we found during our hike!

A neat terrarium they have in the nature center.  My daughter pointed out that it's the same container we keep sugar in at home. Now that she has the idea, I think I'll have to keep an eye on what's living/growing in my sugar bowl!


During the guided hike, we learned some interesting things....

See the conical pits in the loose soil?  These are the traps of larva antlions. 

They sit just underground, waiting on a hapless ant to walk along and fall in, then they quickly emerge and invite them... for dinner! 

We watched for a bit, hoping to see one of the antlions emerge, or better yet, an ant get trapped or attacked.  What, you feel sorry for ants?

The nice thing about the trail is that almost all of it is in the shade.  The bad thing is that my poor photography skills are handicapped much more by lack of proper lighting.  But then, my river of sweat isn't blocking the lens, either. 

Our guides are demonstrating to us the proper technique to roll a log.  What?  You don't know the proper technique? 

Roll the log TOWARD you, so that whatever might be hiding/living/sleeping under the log has an escape path AWAY from you.  This seems important to me. 

This is a large juniper trees growing at the DCAC.  The junipers are important because of their significance to the endangered Golden Cheeked Warbler.  These Texas birds, who do not breed outside of the state, will only nest in these trees, tearing strips of bark for it's nest.  While these trees are numerous in the hill country and central regions of Texas, the area around DCAC is one of the few in N. Texas where the trees grow and these birds can be found.



  

We had great guides that told us so much of the history and ecology of the canyon. 

Thanks, DCAC!!






To read about our last visit to DCAC; http://havingfuninthetexassun.blogspot.com/2012/04/dogwood-canyon-audubon-center-cedar.html

Uptown Village at Cedar Hill

After our hike and clean up, we cooled off at Uptown Village at Cedar Hill's spray park.