As I mentioned in my last blog post, I’ve been meaning to see more parks and nature areas around Austin. Luckily, during Homecoming Week I participated in a service project at Wild Basin Park, a a nature conservation area owned in part by St. Edward’s with a spectacular view of the hill country that surrounds Austin. My goal to see more of the city is going well!
But anyway, let’s face it — the weather this month was pretty terrible. It seemed like every day of February was either cold, rainy, or both. Fortunately, I was able to find a couple of bright, sunny days to enjoy Red Bud Isle (where I spent the entirety of last month) and Zilker Park, where I also took some notes on what I noticed about the area.
Red Bud Isle: February 13th
“To those devoid of imagination a blank place on the map is a useless waste; to others, the most valuable part.” -Aldo Leopold, A Sand County Almanac
I find this quote from Leopold particularly relevant as I start to spend more time outdoors, especially in places set aside from the hustle-bustle of the city. When I’m outdoors for a duration of the day, I honestly tend to be in a better mood. It definitely takes a load of stress off of my shoulders to get off campus for a while; going off the map for a bit of time to unwind is something I find beneficial and, as Leopold says, valuable.
I went to Red Bud Isle to do some homework while my friend kate did some yoga, and this time we went out to the edge of the park where you have the most SPECTACULAR view of the lake. At the edge of the isle, there’s a large tree with huge roots protruding from the lake water that you can walk or sit on, and it’s pretty great (and makes for a great photo opportunity!)
Kate doing some yoga poses at the end of the isle.
As I sat there taking notes and doing homework, I tried to listen for and see more of the wildlife in the area since I had no luck last month, but with little success. Even though this place seems out of the way from most human activity, the area is just barren of animals. My only guess at this point is that the animals and birds aren’t out and about as much because of the winter weather. Trees, for the most part, are barren of leaves right now and there wouldn’t be many resources for plant eaters in the area. Perhaps in March I might see an increase in activity here, so I’m hopeful about Spring!
Zilker Park: February 7th/21st
I ended up spending a lot of time in Zilker Park this month, and although I wouldn’t qualify it as a “nature” area, it definitely helped me to appreciate the outdoors more. The view of downtown is amazing, and even though it’s pretty close to the city, it feels so separated from everything else around it. While I was here I sat on the large rock structure in the middle of the park, played some frisbee in the field, and took a walk on the trail around the park. Wildlife here at Zilker is obviously limited because it’s surrounded by the city; the dogs running around probably make up the largest animal population in the area. There’s way too much going on around the park for many mammals to live here, but there’s plenty of ducks and swans around the river. Still, people like myself come here to enjoy the outdoors and feel a bit closer to nature rather than the city life, and for good reason. Even if it’s only a pseudo-nature area of Austin surrounded by roads and businesses, one thing is for sure: Zilker is beautiful and i’m reminded of how great the city of Austin is.
obligatory snapchat post from zilker.