Meet the new baby porcupines at the Austin Nature and Science Center

Meet the new baby porcupines at the Austin Nature and Science Center

porcupine

One of two new baby porcupines meets the press during during its presentation at the Austin Nature and Science Center on Sept. 13, 2022. Pam LeBlanc photo

Porcupines, known as porcupettes, look vaguely like prickly little potatoes when they’re born.

They’re smaller than a fist, and already covered with quills, which harden within a few hours of birth.

But as the weeks pass, they grow into lumbering, vegetation-munching rodents with eyes the size of thumb tacks and toenails that help them cling to trees.

porcupine

This porcupine is about four months old and weighs 6 pounds. Pam LeBlanc photo

They’re oddly cute, as I discovered this morning, during a visit to the Austin Nature & Science Center, which unveiled a pair of four-month-old North American porcupines that will be introduced to the public this Sunday.

Just one, a male, made an appearance today. The female is still acclimating to its new home. Both were born in Minnesota.

The as-yet-unnamed, 6-pound bundle of quills I met emerged from a plastic dog carrier the size of a large suitcase, nibbled bits of lettuce, sweet potatoes and apples, chewed on a leafy branch, and all but ignored the small crowd of journalists who gathered to admire it.

Porcupine facts

Porcupines, it turns out, are the second largest rodent in North America, weighing in behind the North American beaver. When the center’s new porcupines are full grown, they’ll weigh about 12 pounds each.

porcupine

The new porcupine munches lettuce at a press event on Sept. 13, 2022. Pam LeBlanc photo

Porcupine sightings are becoming more common in the Austin area. The species is slowly spreading into Central Texas, as the climate warms and they look for more reliable sources of water.

Help name the porcupine babies

The public is invited to help name the center’s new babies, either by suggesting a name online or by visiting the center this Sunday, which is Austin Museum Day. Members of the Friends of the Austin Nature and Science Center will be collecting donations to make improvements to some of the center’s animal shelters.

porcupine

The Austin Nature and Science Center will unveil its two new baby porcupines on Sunday, Sept. 18, 2022. Pam LeBlanc photo

The center’s goal is to educate the public about nature and natural places, and get people excited about what’s living in their own backyards. It offers programs and exhibits, including a sand pit where kids can dig for dinosaur “bones,” a honey bee hive, and a trading post where kids can bring in natural treasures and swap them for others.

The center also cares for rehabilitated wildlife like owls and hawks that can’t be released to the wild due to their injuries.

The porcupines will join the Small Wonders Exhibit, where visitors can also see an assortment of snakes, lizards and other reptiles.

The Austin Nature and Science Center is located at 2389 Stratford Drive, just south of the pedestrian bridge under Loop 1 (MoPac.).

porcupine

The two new porcupines at hte Austin Nature and Science Center eat rodent blocks and fresh vegetables. Pam LeBlanc photo

 

About Pam

I’m Pam LeBlanc. Follow my blog to keep up with the best in outdoor travel and adventure. Thanks for visiting my site.

Where is Pam?

Click to open a larger map

Follow Pam

Get to know Barton Creek Greenbelt’s history through new website

Get to know Barton Creek Greenbelt’s history through new website

Barton Creek Greenbelt

Karen Kocher will launch a new website explaining the history of the Barton Creek Greenbelt.

Thousands of people swim, hike, or pedal bicycles along Barton Creek, but few understand how this twisty, beloved stretch of greenbelt was preserved for public use.

And it almost wasn’t.

Related: Joan Khabele led effort to desegregate Barton Springs Pool

Creators of a new interactive map and timeline that explains the history of the Barton Creek Greenbelt will launch their project with a live demonstration at 11:30 a.m. Saturday at the Beverly S. Sheffield Center at Barton Springs.

“It’s a fascinating history and it illustrates how people, if they band together and organize, can triumph in saving our natural environment despite the political and economic forces standing in the way,” says Karen Kocher, executive producer of the project. Kocher, a professor of practice in the Department of Radio-Television-Film at the University of Texas, also created the Living Springs documentary series.

Barton Creek Greenbelt

The map portion of the website allows users to click on different places in the Greenbelt.

You can explore the new website here. (I’m particularly excited about the map page – a photo I snapped of a man playing with his dog in the creek is used as an icon for the Barking Springs pullout.)

The site is loaded with archival photos, newspaper clippings and quotes from people who visit the greenbelt and pool. It includes information from the 1950s until present day, including interviews with artists, cyclists, swimmers, cavers and more.

 

 

About Pam

I’m Pam LeBlanc. Follow my blog to keep up with the best in outdoor travel and adventure. Thanks for visiting my site.

Where is Pam?

Click to open a larger map

Follow Pam

Looking for a sweet creek to explore? Wade up Bull Creek

Looking for a sweet creek to explore? Wade up Bull Creek

Chris LeBlanc relaxes in Bull Creek. Pam LeBlanc photo

Most parks around Austin have reopened, but actually getting in one lately can feel like trying to get a reservation at the most popular restaurant in town.
Day-use slots fill up quickly at state parks. Barton Springs requires a reservation (unless you go between 6-8 a.m.) and the Barton Creek Greenbelt is too crowded for comfort.
So where have I been getting my dose of Mother Nature? Lately, the far reaches of Bull Creek.
I used to slosh through Bull Creek when I was 8 or 9 years old, once cut a massive gash in my foot there during a day camp and had to be carried out, and got engaged on its banks when I was 33. The key these days is walking far enough up the creek that your only company is the tiny frogs, nesting sunfish and giant spiders.
If you park along Winding Ridge Boulevard, just on the west side of Capital of Texas Highway (the park has multiple entrances), you can walk down to the creek and wade upstream a quarter of a mile. Even on a busy Saturday, you probably won’t find many others beyond the area closes to the road. Look closely – up on the right bank, you can see the rusting hulk of an old, old car. Keep going and you’ll find plenty of big boulders to climb. The rock skipping’s great. So’s the fish watching.
If you want to kayak or canoe, you can access West Bull Creek from Lakewood Drive just north of FM 2222. Be careful where you walk – most of the land along the road is private property, and it’s marked No Trespassing. But if you turn left along the guardrail and follow the narrow trail toward the FM 2222 bridge, you can get to the deeper part of the creek. Put in boats under the bridge and paddle downstream, toward the fire station and County Line restaurant. Or wade through shallow water for a cool hangout spot upstream. (Again, stay in the creek; don’t wander onto privately owned land.)

Pam LeBlanc paddles a canoe in a cove near Pennybacker Bridge, where Bull Creek opens into Lake Austin. Chris LeBlanc photo


Downstream, the creek widens and you’ll emerge into a large cove that opens onto Lake Austin near the Pennybacker Bridge.
We took our Alumacraft canoe there recently, and loved jumping in the water and practicing getting back in the boat in deep water. We also saw a snake, so keep an eye peeled.
You never know what you’ll find. I’ve been spending a lot of time in the area lately, and have spotted a turtle the size of a pecan, a heron hunting for food and lots of minnows. The best part? Stretching out in a Pam-sized rut carved into the limestone bed and reveling in the feeling of water rushing over my skin.
For more information about Bull Creek District Park, go to https://austinparks.org/bull-creek/.

Chris LeBlanc cools off in Bull Creek. Pam LeBlanc photo

About Pam

I’m Pam LeBlanc. Follow my blog to keep up with the best in outdoor travel and adventure. Thanks for visiting my site.

Where is Pam?

Click to open a larger map

Follow Pam

Someone is trashing the new one-way signs along the Butler Trail

Someone is trashing the new one-way signs along the Butler Trail

The Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail was converted to a one-way route last week. Photo courtesy The Trail Foundation

Not everyone agrees with the new temporary, one-way direction of the Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail.

The city of Austin Parks and Recreation Department converted the trail to a clockwise-only route last week, in an effort to minimize face-to-face contact among users.

Simple, right? Not that hard to follow, if you’re going to go against recommendations to steer clear of the trail during the coronavirus pandemic.

The Trail Foundation, the non-profit organization that maintains and enhances the 10-mile loop around Lady Bird Lake, spent $6,000 to make and install more than 300 signs noting the change. At the same time, the foundation has asked people to avoid the trail right now, because it’s difficult to maintain a 6-foot distance from other users at pinch points along the route.

Somebody has been removing and trashing the one-way direction signs installed on the trail. Photo courtesy The Trail Foundation

According to Trail Foundation counters, about 85 percent of trail users have heeded the one-way rule, which went into effect last week, but many of the directional signs have been reversed, ripped in half or left by the trash.

Come on, Austin, we’re better than this.

Now, foundation staff members are asking anyone who does use the trail to put back up any downed or misplaced signs. And remember, if you do use the trail, please wear a face covering.

“It’s been a struggle for us because it’s against our grain and mission to discourage people from coming. We love this place and it offers wonderful access to nature, but in this moment, it also presents some hazards,” said Heidi Anderson, CEO of The Trail Foundation.

Come on, Austin. We’re better than this.

About Pam

I’m Pam LeBlanc. Follow my blog to keep up with the best in outdoor travel and adventure. Thanks for visiting my site.

Where is Pam?

Click to open a larger map

Follow Pam