Third graders from Nimitz Elementary descended
from the bus and converged around me. I held a sign with their teacher's name
on it. I felt like I was greeting someone at the airport. But as we began
moving through the nature trail, I turned into a curious ten-year-old. The short-grey haired nature volunteer led us
to a Bald Cypress, which was about a foot in diameter, the lowest branches just
above my head. Around it a circle of bricks indicated the circumference of the
largest Bald Cypress in Texas.
The nature instructor asked the
children to stand on the bricks. Twenty children went about three-quarters
around it. I wanted to know how old that big tree is, where it is, and what its
diameter is. She didn't know. I'll have
to find out.
We followed her through the butterfly
garden and saw a patch, about as big as bedroom carpet, that had not been
watered – see, the drought is still with us.
I took pictures, trying not to let any of the kid's faces show, because
we did not have permission slips from parents.
A plant specialist gave us a lesson in
identifying poison ivy. Don't confuse it with baby box elder which looks exactly
the same when it first comes out of the ground.
I helped herd the children into a
classroom where a young woman with shoulder length brown hair, from the Upper
Guadalupe River Authority (UGRA) talked to us about Aquatic Invertebrates (water
bugs). My favorite has always been the dragon
fly. But I learned about Damsel Flies
and other insects that lay eggs in water. Their eggs become nymphs which look
nothing like their adult selves. One day they crack out of their nymph bodies
and emerge as a completely different looking creature. They pump up their wings
and off they go! Dragon flies live only
"one season." I remember the
big-eyed dragon flies in Coarsegold that took drinks from my pool. I loved how
they zigged and zagged across the summer sky.
Then we went outside and looked at
actual, real critters captured from the river by a gangly young man from UGRA in
ironed jeans and wire rimmed glasses: tiny fishes, crawfish, water scorpions,
and even an invasive Asian Clam about as big as a thumbnail. Makes me think
differently about swimming in the river. I sure hope I don't get bitten by a
"hot fire" bug!
I conversed with a smart little girl
in a pink top and black skirt. She reminded me of Darla from the Little
Rascals, with her dark bobbed hair, bright eyes and little button mouth. She expressed real interest in everything,
unlike most of the kids who went where they were told but didn't really engage.
Our last stop was inside the Nature
Center where a dark Latino man with a big belly, wearing a plaid shirt, told us
he was with the Parks and Wildlife service. He had set up a long table that
held various skulls. Behind it photographs of dangerous wild creatures stared
out at us: mountain lion, javelina, wild pig, bobcat, badger, skunk, fox,
coyote, opossum etc. One panel had venomous snakes: coral, cottonmouth and two
types of rattlers.
He talked mostly about what to do if
you encounter a dangerous animal in the wild – he advised that we use our walking
sticks to fight off an attacking beast and if we got bitten by a rattler, stay
calm and walk back to where you came, unless you have friends that can carry
you.
The precocious little girl seemed to
know most of the answers to his questions. She said she watches a nature show
for kids. Hearing information and remembering it are two different things. The little girl impressed me by how much
information she retained.
Now, remembering my day, I'm ashamed
to realize how much I don't remember. This is why I usually take notes. Writing
things down helps commit them to memory, and the notes are always there for you
to refer back to.
My two hours zipped by. The rain that
had been forecast didn't come till late in the day. The morning was cloudy and
mild, a perfect day to learn about plants and critters. I was sad to leave
after the school bus pulled away and we volunteers waved good bye to each other
and headed for our cars.
When the rain did come, later in the
day, John was out washing the cars. He came inside and said, "Soft
hail!" and handed me a white pellet of ice. I popped it in my mouth and
looked out the window. What looked like white marbles were bouncing off the
vacant lot next door. It only lasted a
little while and by the time I took Walter out for our before-dinner walk, the
sun was shining on puddles in the black, steaming asphalt.
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