Wild Basin Nature Preserve

This morning, we took a field trip to Wild Basin Nature Preserve, a preserve that was founded and is maintained by seven "little old ladies in tennis shoes". It "exists to protect and maintain its urban wilderness, and to promote the importance of environmental education, research, conservation and preservation." The buddies and their little friends learned about acorns and squirrels and lots of other things that Tour Guide Sally pointed out along the way.



Some of the fun tidbits from our day:

* Squirrels are little foresters. They bury acorns that eventually grow into oak trees.

* Molly Mold and Alex Algae got together and had a baby: Larry Lichen!

* If you rub a juniper berry in your hands and say "Abracadabra!" you'll magically remove the blue from it.

* Oak galls look like acorns but are actually little houses (and food!) for gall wasps.

*Golden Cheeked Warblers are an endangered species of bird that require a unique habitat only found in Central Texas. To nest, they must find an oak tree near an ashe juniper.

* If it has leaves of three, let it be! (Ace touched it any way.)

*Native Americans once made lemonade from sumac berries. If you rub a sumac berry between your fingers and then lick your fingers, you can taste the lemon.

Thanks Tour Guide Sally for the fabulous tour! We'll be back for another of your Tiny Footprints tours soon!