Digging deeper on my visit to a hidden nature park

On the last day of my trip to Corpus Christi for the Tx Master Naturalist conference, I decided I would stop by somewhere small on my way home that didn't have any observations on iNaturalist. I was barely out of town when I pulled over, googled "nature park" and came across Fred Jones Nature Sanctuary in Taft, TX. I drove past lots of farmland, and unexpectedly zipped right on by the hidden park entrance, which is little more than a wooden sign on a gate overgrown with vegetation.

I backtracked and took a quick peek, confirming boots would be required. The place was incredibly overgrown and looked uncared for. At the front was a structure with picnic tables underneath, but it was in bad disrepair. The flora was mostly new to me, so I spent as long as I wanted just wandering around, often trudging through grass growing chest high. I tried to follow what used to be walking paths, but I could only go so far with the overgrowth. I spent 20 minutes just watching the wind create waves in the grass and dragonflies chasing each other around. It was so peaceful.

I was excited to spot Allocyclosa bifurca, a spider (deep in the dark corner of the structure) that I'd never seen before. The plants I'm still trying to ID!

But the reason for the post is what I found out tonight while uploading the pics. It turns out this property was the original homestead of Fred B. Jones, amateur botanist and one of the founders of the Audubon Outdoor Club. He authored "Flora of the Texas Coastal Bend," 1977, and "Flowering Plants and Ferns of the Texas Coastal Bend Counties," 1961. He also contributed the majority of the 4600+ specimens at the Welder Wildlife Foundation herbarium.

I found a video by a young man named Tyler Neimeier. It looks ENTIRELY different in his visit from March, 2017, only 6 months earlier. I never came across the metal feeder (?) or any standing water. No boardwalks either. I probably accessed only 2 of the 9 acres it's reported to have. I suppose it's due to a combination of Hurricane Harvey and donations to the AOC. I sincerely hope it will be put back in order very soon. It's a great little place. Thank you Fred Jones!

PS. It's probably a good thing I didn't push on through the high grass. Alligators don't care whether you have boots on or not.

Publicado el lunes, 13 de noviembre de 2017 a las 07:42 AM por kimberlietx kimberlietx

Observaciones

Fotos / Sonidos

Qué

Araña Tejedora Bifurcada (Allocyclosa bifurca)

Autor

kimberlietx

Fecha

Octubre 24, 2017 a las 10:47 AM CDT

Descripción

An exciting find!

I stopped by a little hidden (and overgrown) nature park before leaving town. Fred Jones Nature Sanctuary.

Fotos / Sonidos

Qué

Alacrancillo (Heliotropium angiospermum)

Autor

kimberlietx

Fecha

Octubre 24, 2017 a las 11:12 AM CDT

Descripción

I stopped by a little hidden (and overgrown) nature park before leaving town. Fred Jones Nature Sanctuary.

Comentarios

What a shame to let such a gem deteriorate but I'm so glad you stopped and gave the place some much needed love and appreciation. Equally glad you didn't get eaten ;)

Anotado por tfandre hace mas de 6 años

Great story! The forgotten places are always the best ones. Thanks for taking the time to explore, document, and share your findings with us.

Anotado por amzapp hace mas de 6 años

Thanks for sharing!

Anotado por justjenny hace mas de 6 años

Wow! Thank you for stopping, documenting and sharing. So good to see you in Corpus Christi!

Anotado por connlindajo hace mas de 6 años

I'm going to have to visit this spot when we visit Corpus soon. We lived in Corpus Christi when we first got married and go back to visit quite often, and there are many hidden gems like this in the area. Did you discover Blucher Park, which is a park right near downtown, but is a great birding spot?

Anotado por naturemom hace mas de 6 años

@naturemom I didn't know about Blucher Park, but it was just a few blocks from the hotel where the conference was. I spent my spare time at Padre, Port Aransas, Rockport, and Oso Bay. If I get anywhere close to a beach, it pulls at me like a magnet. I hadn't been to Corpus in 20 years, so I was glad for the opportunity to go back!

Anotado por kimberlietx hace mas de 6 años

Omg!! Fred Jones Nature Sanctuary got a well-deserved make over! I can't wait to have a reason to visit Corpus again and see it now!
https://www.mysoutex.com/san_patricio_county/news/entertainment_and_society/gcgv-employees-beautify-taft-sanctuary/article_d30b15ba-96f5-11eb-bf61-a7943732ef09.html

Anotado por kimberlietx hace mas de 2 años

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