New Signs & Ribbon Cutting Ceremony on October 11 at 10:00 am

If you haven’t seen the new signage for the nature preserve, drive by, or better yet, join us on October 11 at 10:00 am as we celebrate our name change with an official Ribbon Cutting Ceremony with City of Houston officials. Our new signs were installed July 9 on each corner of the preserve.

And, what exactly do those signs mean now that West 11th Street Park has changed status and become The Lorraine Cherry Nature Preserve? Well, the City of Houston has been at work writing a Nature Preserve Ordinance that is in its final stages of approval. While the new Nature Preserve Ordinance prohibits any new buildings or mountain bikes in the preserve and has a tightening of dog restrictions, not too much will change for our favorite urban forest.

Dogs not only need to be leashed at the nature preserve, now they will need to stay on trails with their owners. If you see any dogs off leash or off trail while visiting, please submit an email to: askparks@houstontx.gov. We appreciate you working with us to help correct this problem in our preserve to protect the nature within.

Color/Draw/Build a Bug Contest

To celebrate the end of summer and back to school, Friends of The Lorraine Cherry Nature Preserve are pleased to announce a color/draw/build-a-bug contest for children. Two children from multiple grades will be selected via raffle to win a bug-related book as a prize.

In order to be eligible to win, have your child color or draw or build a bug and take a picture of their creation. To enter, just post a photo on the Lorraine Cherry Nature Preserve Facebook page with the child’s name and grade level only.

Entries can be submitted starting on Saturday, August 13 until Saturday, October 8.Prizes will be awarded on Tuesday, October 11 at our Ribbon Cutting Ceremony. A drawing will be held and the winners will be notified prior to the ceremony.

The prizes are:

1st Grade: The Book of Brilliant Bugs, by Jess French

2nd Grade: Ultimate Bugopedia: The Most Complete Bug Reference Ever, by Nancy Honovich

3rd Grade: Butterflies Are Pretty…Gross!, by Rosemary Mosco

4th Grade: Everything You Wanted to Know About Bugs, by DK

5th Grade: National Geographic Backyard Guide to Insects and Spiders of North America, by Arthur Evans

6th Grade: Common Insects of Texas and Surrounding States: A Field Guide, by John Abbott.

Bird Walks are Back

Friends of The Lorraine Cherry Nature Preserve sponsors weekly Bird Walks in the Forest each Tuesday morning at 8:00 am September through May. Bird Walks in the Forest also take place in the evening on the first Thursday night of the month at 5:30 pm September through November and again February through May.

If you’d like to join, meet at the kiosk on Shelterwood across from the corner of Pineshade. Dress for the weather, wear comfortable shoes, and bring your bug spray and water. If you have binoculars, it really adds to the experience to have them with you. If you hear thunder, the Bird Walk will be canceled until the following week. We are looking forward to having you join us soon.

Drought Update

Not only have we had some really hot days this summer, we’ve been in a drought. And while one of the best bits of news about a drought is a significant reduction in mosquitoes in the forest, a lot of folks are wondering exactly what this might mean for our plants and animals.

As for our plants, especially the trees, it’s hard to tell right now. With larger trees, stress isn’t often seen immediately. You can visibly see the stress the shorter bushes and trees are undergoing when you walk through. While we do have the Ephemeral Pond (Stop 6 on the Wireless Wilderness Tour), we don’t yet have a continuous water source for our animal residents when it doesn’t rain. Or, do we?

This summer, we have had a dedicated neighbor volunteer who is walking in five-gallon buckets of water nearly daily to fill the Ephemeral Pond for our animal friends in need of a drink. The squirrels have even gotten to the point where they wait for him to arrive and fill up the pond before they get their morning drink and go about their day. He has even taken plastic lids filled with water to the turtles so that they can have some much needed hydration in the heat. A BIG thank you to him and his dedication to our animal friends.

Save the Dates

August 8-October 13 - Draw/Paint/Build a Bug Contest - Be sure to have your child join in the fun–check out W 11th Street Park Facebook page for details.

Tuesday, October 11, 10:00 am - Ribbon Cutting Ceremony-Come join us to celebrate the name change as the newest bit of history at the nature preserve! This will take place on Shelterwood near the kiosk. (No Bird Walk in the Forest on October 11)

Saturday, October 28, 9:00 am - Wildflower Garden Workday-Bring your garden tools and join us as we winterize the wildflower gardens. No donuts, just digging, done by 11:00 am.

Saturday, November 5, 9:30 am - Morning Mindfulness-Bring a foldable lawn chair to participate in a free mindfulness meditation in the forest. Meet at the Kiosk on Shelterwood.