Friends of Lake Kirby

Home
United States
Abilene, TX
Friends of Lake Kirby

This conservation effort is viewed as enhancing the current activities at the lake and park such as sports, picnicking, fishing, and youth activities.

The mission for Lake Kirby Nature Park is to improve and expand the conservation efforts, educational programs, and family friendly recreation of this valuable resource for the enjoyment of all visitors. Portions of Lake Kirby Park are envisioned as a conservation area by a group of Abilene civic leaders, educators, environmentalists and bird watching enthusiasts under the auspices of the West Tex

as Science Center. Other appropriate uses would be hiking and cycling with improved facilities and specialized areas.

06/13/2026

Lake Kirby attracts many bird species, providing year-round habitat for some and temporary refuge for other species during migration. We have resident Great Blue Herons at Kirby most of the year. Cedar Waxings are mainly winter residents and may stay over into early spring. Both photos by Jay Packer.

06/12/2026

Prickly Lettuce – a relative of your common supermarket lettuce. Smaller than a dime across, the tiny flowers of Prickly Lettuce have their own unique beauty. Your common, edible garden lettuce (a different species) is thought to be derived from this wild species. Prickly Lettuce is a native of the Old World, and like many non-native species, whether plant or animal, have a tendency to become aggressive and too abundant, crowding out many native species. Here’s a question: does knowing that this species is a non-native invader lessen your ability to enjoy the beauty of its flowers? I would love to hear your comments!

06/11/2026

Lemon Beebalm is one of few wildflowers in bloom at Kirby as we pass the peak of wildflower season. A member of the mint family, this species is also called Lemon Mint or Horse Mint. The leaves have a distinct citrus or lemony scent when crushed. Bees and butterflies are attracted to the clusters or whorls of flowers as a source of nectar. I love "bee friendly" wildflowers!

06/10/2026

Here’s even more about Buffalo Gourd. This plant belongs to the gourd or cucumber family. Individual flowers are either male or female and each plant has both types. First image shows a male flower and you can see the pollen-producing stamens in the center. The second image is a female flower. You can see the melon-like fruit in the third image. The dried “melon” or fruit contains a lot of flat seeds very similar to the seeds of a watermelon. Now for some Buffalo Gourd trivia: One of our Kirby Facebook followers has seen squirrels “gnaw open” the the fruits to get at the seeds. While taking these photos I saw lots of insect pollinators. Finally, Native Americans reportedly ate the seeds, obtained soap from various parts, and used the plants medicinally. We may think of this as a “most ill-smelling” plant but it does have many benefits!

06/09/2026

Gray Gold-Aster and its beautiful flowers are beginning to bloom along the dam road and prairie areas. It’s a very common summer into fall species in the sunflower family. The foliage is grey-silver in appearance, hence the common name. Songbirds eat the seeds and the many flowers provide nectar for pollinators. It is not palatable to livestock so, from a rancher’s perspective, this is just a native species that crowds out other more desirable plants. Even so, it’s definitely worth stopping to take a look at to admire the attractive flowers and foliage.

06/08/2026

Buffalo Gourd on the west side of the lake. From the images can you guess which plant family this belongs to? Individual flowers are either male or female and each plant has both types. This plant is famous (or infamous!) for its foul smelling odor and the scientific name for the species reflects this odoriferous quality. The Latin or botanical name is Cucurbita foetidissima. The second part of the name says it all. Breaking down the Latin, "foetid" means "ill-smelling" and "-issima" means "most", so this is a "most ill-smelling" plant. Being a good naturalist and scientist, I thought it was my duty to experience this "nauseously malodorous" aroma for you first hand. I grossed out my wife with this description, but to me the crushed leaves smell like a really pungent armpit. Stay tuned for Buffalo Gourd part 2!

06/06/2026

Flowers or spikelets of Texas Grama or Mesquitegrass. Grasses have flowers too! They are just not as big or brightly colored as some of our favorite wildflowers like Firewheel, Texas Bluebonnets, or Basketflower. The reason that grass flowers do not "show off" is that they do not need the services of animals or insects to move their pollen from flower to flower to help with reproduction. Grasses, and other wind pollinated plants, simply release loads of pollen into the air to be carried by the wind to another plant and its flowers. I am really fond of the beautiful seedheads!

06/05/2026

American Lady and Sleepy Orange butterflies from my recent butterfly safari at Kirby, Both are on American Basketflower heads, which is the perfect landing and photography platform. The Lady is much easier to photograph as it lands and will sit stop the flowerhead. The Orange is just the opposite, rarely landing. We should continue to see both into the fall.

06/04/2026

Texas Bluebells or Prairie Gentian starting to bloom. Absolutely gorgeous native wildflower! This may be the most beautiful wildflower in our area. There are several interesting ecological facts about this species: bluebells are not palatable to deer and livestock; they also are of no benefit to songbirds because the seeds are very small and dust-like. On the plus side, bluebells do offer a source of nectar to pollinators. However, I sincerely believe that Texas Bluebells' primary and most important value is in their beauty for us to admire and enjoy!

06/03/2026

White Prairie Clover in flower! It’s a real treat to see this beautiful plant in bloom now along the main dam road. The flowers are minute, white, fragrant, and are arranged in dense, round heads about two inches in diameter. Fruits will be tiny pods that contain one or two seeds. A native member of the legume or bean family.

This wildflower is not only attractive to look at but is well worth the effort to get up close to a flowering patch. You will be rewarded with the very noticeable, sweet, fragrant scent. Different flower species can be identical in color or shape, but there are no two floral scents that are exactly the same. The sweet scents of Prairie Clover especially attract bee pollinators. I hope that you can get out soon to experience this sensory treat!

Address

5650 Maple Street
Abilene, TX
79602

Website

http://www.wtsciencecenter.org/lakekirby

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Friends of Lake Kirby posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Organization

Send a message to Friends of Lake Kirby:

Shortcuts

Want your organization to be the top-listed Government Service in Abilene?