Flora & Fauna

A native Green Anole (Anolis carolinensis) rests on a Palmetto frond in the sunlight. In recent years Green Anoles in the U.S. have come under threat from the invasive Brown Anole (Cuban or Bahamian anole) that originated in the Carribean. It is not uncommon for the Brown Anoles to eat the babies of Green Anoles. Thus the Green Anole has resorted to living higher in the tree canopy to adapt to this new threat.

A flock of Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks (Dendrocygna autumnalis) at the Beaver Pond on the Spring Creek Nature Trail.

A Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) sits atop a tree along the Spring Creek Nature Trail in The Woodlands, Texas.

A Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) rests atop a pine tree along the Spring Creek Nature Trail. Over the past several years, Bald Eagles have made an amazing comeback to the Houston region.

A Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) sits atop a tree along the Spring Creek Nature Trail in The Woodlands, Texas.

A Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) fishes in a shallow pong along the Spring Creek Nature Trail in The Woodlands, Texas.

Snowy Egret (Egretta thula) in flight on the Spring Creek Nature Trail.

Great Egret (Ardea alba) landing in shallow water along the Spring Creek Nature Trail.

Great Egret (Ardea alba) and White Ibis (Eudocimus albus) feeding among the reeds and shallow waters along the Spring Creek Nature Trail.

A trio of Snowy Egrets (Egretta thula) in a shallow pond along the Spring Creek Nature Trail. The trail has several locations with water features that attract migratory as well as coastal bird species ear round.

Snowy Egrets (Egretta thula) feedling in shallow water along the Spring Creek Nature Trail.

Snowy Egrets (Egretta thula) feedling in shallow water along the Spring Creek Nature Trail.

Yellow Garden Spider (Argiope Aurantia)

Canadian Geese (Branta canadensis) in shallow lakes along the Spring Creek Nature Trail in The Woodlands, Texas.

Wetlands such as these on the Spring Creek Nature Trail provide not only critical habitat to various species, but also contribute to flood mitigation and improving water quality. Through the filtering of pollutants, wetlands help in delivering cleaner water for drinking.

Mottled Duck (Anas fulvigula) Commonly found year round along the Gulf Coast in shallow freshwater ponds. Closely related to Mallard Ducks and sometimes hybridize with them. The oldest recorded Mottled Duck was 13 years, 7 months old (The Cornell Lab).

Mottled Duck (Anas fulvigula) Commonly found year round along the Gulf Coast in shallow freshwater ponds. Closely related to Mallard Ducks and sometimes hybridize with them. The oldest recorded Mottled Duck was 13 years, 7 months old (The Cornell Lab).

A Great Egret (Ardea alba) stands in a shallow lake amidst fall colors on the Spring Creek Nature trail in The Woodlands.

Great Egret (Ardea alba). Great Egret's are a large white heron, and typically feed on fish, frogs, insects, snakes, and crayfish. Breeding adults typically have long white plumes extending past their tail. They are common to coastal marshes and inland wetlands.

Imature Little Blue Heron (Egretta caerulea) feeding in the shallow waters on the Spring Creek Nature Trail.

Imature Little Blue Heron (Egretta caerulea) feeding in the shallow waters on the Spring Creek Nature Trail.

White Ibis (Eudocimus albus) feeding in shallow lake waters along the Spring Creek Nature Trail. The American White Ibis held an important place in Native American folklore, which said that ibis are the last to seek shelter before a storm and the first to emerge after. Thus, it became a symbol for both danger and safety.

White Ibis (Eudocimus albus) feeding along the reeds and shallow waters of the Spring Creek Nature Trail.

Pollutant or nature? Hard to say without sampling the water, but in wetlands, these 'slicks' can be created by anaerobic microbes breaking down plant material below the surface of the wetland. In the photo you can see small bubbles that are breaking the surface. Good possibility this is a natural process at work.

Fungi growing on side of tree. Fungi are an important part of eco-systems, recycling nutrients and also helping to transfer nutrients between trees via their extensive mycelium networks.

'Raft of Coots'

American Coot (Fulica americana) Also known as a Mud Hen or Pouldeau. They are distantly related to ducks, and unlike ducks that have webbed feet, coots have broad, lobed feet. Groups of coots are called covers or rafts.

Bobcat (Lynx rufus texensis). Named so because of their short 'bob' tails. Bobcats exist throughout most of the United States. southern Canada, and northern half of Mexico. They are abundant in Texas, and are a subspecies, with 12 subspecies found throughout the United States. They are closely related to the Lynx, highly adaptive, and can thrive in urban areas. Bobcats have no protections, and habitat loss is the biggest threat. Bobcats can weight up to 25 pounds, and eat mostly small animals such as rats, squirrels, mice, and rabbits. Females typically produce a litter of 3 kittens, and remain with the mother for about 6 months. Their ranges can be 25 miles for males, and only a few miles for females (Source: TexasNativeCats.org).

Mallard Ducks (Anas platyrhynchos) in the early morning lake fog on the Spring Creek Nature Trail.