Bumble Bees and Pickerel Weeds

Last Friday, I visited Sheldon Lake State Park in northeast Harris County. My classmates and I took a thirty minute drive out to the location. We were then taken on a tour with a couple park rangers down the boardwalk in the prairie and up an observation tower. We saw many different types of flowers, grasses and trees. I didn't know what to expect on this trip because I don't think I had ever seen a prairie.

Sheldon Lake State Park 14140 Garrett Road, Jacinto City, Tx.

(All pictures on this post were taken by me.)

On our personal tour down the boardwalk, we were told the history of the prairie and the restoration that is still taking place. The land was once a prairie that was plowed flat to become a farm and reservoir during World War II. The land was then purchased and is undergoing restoration to again become a prairie with native plants and animals. The many dragonflies seen buzzing around are a sign of a thriving ecosystem. Although they want the prairie to contain native plants, many invasive weeds and Chinese tallow seeds get dragged around the prairie. People's boots, tools and tires bring in a lot of invasive seeds when planting around the prairie causing them to sprout in unlikely places.

The prairie is 2,502.2 acres.

Another part of their restoration included making man-made potholes and mima mounds. Mima mounds are dome shaped rises in the ground. On our tour, I learned that prairies are prone to seasonal flooding. This flooding keeps the fish from overpopulating and killing off their food source. Wetlands can go dry in the summer so the fish population temporarily decreases allowing the frog population to increase. Thankfully, there weren't many mosquitoes because gambuzzi fish and dragonflies eat them. An interesting fact that I caught my attention is that about every three years, they burn about 50 acres so new plant life can grow.

Above is a mima mound in the upper left corner.

Moving out way along the boardwalk, we saw many dragonflies and bumblebees among the pickerel weeds, milkweeds and crimson-eyed rose mallow. The bumble bees are native to prairies and pollinate wild flowers. My favorite flowers were the purple pickerel weeds and the white crimson-eyed rose mallow. Volunteers plant milkweed flowers because monarch butterfly larvae feed on them. In total, they plant around 10,000 plants a year. They have a plant-a-thon event where volunteers come out and plant 2,000-3,000 plants in a single day. I would love to join them because I love flowers.

Pickerel Weed (Pontederia Cordata)

Crimson-Eyed Rose Mallow(Hibiscus Mosheutos)

After our guided tour was over, we walked across the road to a large field where the John Jacob Observation Tower is. There were around ninety to one hundred steps up the tower to get to the top. There were two hawk watchers up in the tower surveying the amount of hawks in the sky. The week before we went, they had seen a bald eagle up there. The view was amazing up there and it was definitely worth the walk up to see the nature from above.

John Jacob Observation Tower

The view from the front of the tower.

The view from the back of the tower.

Another view from the back of the tower.

I didn't have any expectations because I wasn't really sure what I was walking into but I'm glad I came on this trip. It really opened my eyes because I never knew you could restore land back to what it was before. I definitely didn't expect to see so much free land. I learned that together, we can restore land in large quantities and bring native plants and animals back into their homes. I will definitely come back in the near future with friends or family to show them the beauty of Sheldon Lake State Park.

Nights in Lake O' the Pines

My favorite outdoor place is a lake house in Lake O' the Pines, Texas. Lake O' the Pines is a small town home to a little less than 6,000 residents. It's owned by an old friend's family. They would always invite my family and I with them in the summer, fall and winter. We fished, made bonfires, rode in boats and swam in the lake.

Lake O' the Pines, Tx.

(photos.invasiveswatch.org)

When fishing, we would go down the long hill to the lake and sit on the pier connected to the boat dock. We fished with live bait and we were told that we had to rub sticks together in order for the worms to come out of the ground to pick. It sounds ridiculous looking back at it now but of course we believed anything because we were four to seven years in age. My brother still brings up the time I casted my fishing pole and caught his shirt on the hook and almost dragged him into the water.

I've always loved fishing and I still do to this day.

(farm7.staticflickr.com)

On the boat dock, there were two boats, a pedal boat and a motorboat. The pedal boat was a bright cherry red that I can distinctly remember. It was a four-seater but we were so little that my friend, her sister, brother and I could all pile into the back. One day, my dad took my brother, my mom and I in the motorboat around the lake for a long time to just explore and enjoy the view. Later that day, my friend's dad had the same idea but about five minutes in on the other side of the lake, we heard the engine cut out from the pier where we were waiting for them.

The boat dock looked similar to this one.

(wahoodocks.files.wordpress.com)

One of my favorite memories there with my friend was making leaf piles and jumping into them. The orange leaves were my absolute favorite they really caught my eye. There was a combination of pine needles and actual leaves because there was a variety of trees all around us. There was a distinct smell of pine from the pine trees. You could smell it inside; it's like you could never get away from it.

I love orange leaves because fall is my favorite season.

(colourbox.com)

The actual house sat on a long hill right next to the lake. I don't really remember the inside of the lake house because I was always outside enjoying nature and my surroundings. There was never a dull moment and that's what I love most about being there.

Though my memory is hazy, this is a close replica to the wooden house.

(builddirect.com)

In the summer, the weather was a bit warm but not extremely hot like the Houston area. It was perfect weather for swimming in the lake. If I were to go back today, I wouldn't swim because of my fear of the unknown but I'm glad I was fearless and naïve as a small child. The fall and winter were nice and cool. We made bonfires roasting marshmallows almost every night.

Swimming was one of my favorite memories there.

(lakechamplainregion.com)were

Towards night fall, my friend's mom would turn on stringed bulb lights on poles down the hill. They were there to provide light to get to and from the house and the lake. It was pitch black at night because the only light that was out was the moon hidden by the trees. I loved being out at night because you could actually see the stars out by the lake since there wasn't pollution over there.

They lights remind me of a Pinterest outdoor wedding.

(likeasaturday.com)

On nights leading up to our departure, my friend's dad and my dad would light up big fireworks along the grass next to the lake. The rest of us sat on the side of the hill and watched in awe. I imagine that's a very dangerous thing to do considering the amount of massive trees surrounding us but I would do just about anything to see it again.

I used to really love fireworks as a young kid.

(northscapephotography.com)

I haven't been to the lake house since Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita hit back in 2005 when I was seven years old. I'm sure a lot has changed since then but that will never change the way I felt being there.

Fall and winter nights were the best in my opinion.

(highlandscurrent.com)