Nature
TRAIL
IT ALL BEGINS HERE.
The Mountain View College campus
is designated as an
Urban Wildlife Sanctuary.
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Established in 2000 as part of its 30th anniversary celebration,
MVC is the first urban wildlife sanctuary on a college campus to
be certified by the Humane Society of the United States.
Mountain View College’s Humane Society of the United States
Urban Wildlife Sanctuary sculpture created by
MVC welding instructor Mr. Dewayne Roy.
Introduction
Welcome to an amazing resource
Mountain View College’s
Nature Trail !
–
This guide is designed to assist your exploring the many life forms
that can be found on MVC’s nature trail.
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The landscape includes streams, waterfalls, six ponds, woodlands, and prairies.
Here you will also see wildflowers, turtles, birds, prairie grasses, and native trees.
Take the time to listen to the birds and frogs.
Observe the rich diversity of plants and wildlife.
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We promise that each time you walk the trail, you will make a new discovery.
Remember also the trail is a place for students to conduct research on plants,
wildlife protection, and the environment.
For your safety, please contact Dr. Sarah Hutchings at [email protected]
or 214-860-8579 to arrange a guided tour.
We hope that this brochure will entice you to learn more about our campus.
Please go to www.mountainviewcollege.edu to learn more about the nature trail.
Mountain View College’s Upper Pond
A
B
C
D
F
E
A: Bullfrog: This voracious amphibian will eat virtually
anything that moves and anything that it can swallow:
you have been warned. This frog makes a loud, deep
sound described as jug o’ rum.
B: Largemouth Bass: Known for putting up a fight when
hooked, this fish will do whatever it can to resist capture,
even resorting to aerial jumps and stunts. Adults eat other
fish and large invertebrates such as crayfish.
C: Red-eared Slider: These turtles often bask in the
sun on logs or along the edge of the pond. Their diet
consists of aquatic plants, small fish, and decaying
material. The turtle’s shell is made up of ribs joined
together and covered with skin. Mature males have long
toenails on their front feet that are used when courting
females.
D:Algae: There are more than 20,000 known varieties of
algae. Many types are vital to humans in the form of food
and medicine.
Ever wonder what lurks
in the ponds at
Mountain View College?
LIFE
ponds
IN THE
Spatterdock
E: Microscopic Pond Life: The ponds are teeming with
important microscopic organisms.
F: Common Snapping Turtle: Since its head is too large
to pull into its shell, this turtle snaps at enemies. However,
the snapping turtle loses its aggressive behavior when
in the water. These turtles move away from other animals
unless they are prey and can usually be found to the bottom
of the ponds in the mud. They eat a variety of food including
algae, pond plants, and animals.
?
Did you
know
The sex of Red-eared Sliders is determined by the incubation temperature.
If the temperature is below 80°F, the offspring are males.
If the temperature is 87.8°F or higher, the offspring are all females.
Wildflowers
Bluebonnets
n
Bluebonnet | March-April
n
State Flower of Texas
Sensitive Briar | April-July
From fields of bluebonnets to patches of
Indian blankets, Mountain View College
provides a palate of brightly-colored
wildflowers and plants.
WILDFLOWERS
AND
other
plants
Leaves fold when touched
Common on rocky, chalky, or sandy
soils in North Central Texas
n
Indian Blanket | April-June
Also called Firewheel
Grows quickly
n
Regrows next spring if a seed falls on
bare ground
Prickly Pear Cactus | April-May
n
Edible fruit
Wild Foxglove | March-April
Pioneers used the leaves to make a
laxative tea.
n
Attracts a variety of moths
Mexican Hat | May-July
Wild Foxglove
Indian Blanket
Sensitive
Briar
Sombrero-shaped flower
Prickly Pear
Cactus
Mexican Hat
Fleabane
Daisy
P lants
n
Pink
Evening
Primrose
Toothache Tree
Leaves and bark contain a mild anesthetic
used by American Indians and pioneers to
treat tooth pain.
Trunks covered with corky lumps containing
sharp spines
Cattails
Toothache
Tree
n
Pink Evening Primrose | March-June
Hardy, drought resistant plant
In Texas, flowers open in the morning and
close in the evening. The opposite happens in
the northern part of this plant’s growth range.
Fleabane Daisy | April-June
Flower heads consist of more than 100
white ray flowers.
n
n
n
Texas Thistle | April-August
Mature flowers attract bumblebees.
Barbara’s Buttons | May-June
Grows in sun to partial shade
Attracts butterflies and beetles
n
Cattail
Grows in wet areas
Male flower pollinates the female flower below it.
Female flowers become the brown cattail.
n
Poison Ivy
Please heed the warning of the children’s
rhyme: “Leaflets three, let it be!”
Leaves vary in size, shape, color, and luster.
Wash exposed areas with soap and water as
soon as possible.
n
Buffalo Grass
Native, short, warm season perennial grass
Poison Ivy
Texas Thistle
Barbara’s Buttons
Buffalo Grass
THE
birds
?
Did you
know
The ponds at MVC
are a great place
to watch birds.
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
n
Measures 13 inches in size from beak to tip of the tail
Likes to eat grasshoppers, crickets, and beetles
Look for these birds near the athletic complex.
In urban areas, 30% of the materials making up a
nest may be manmade such as string, carpet fuzz,
and cigarette filters.
n
Yellow-crowned Night Heron
Visits in the summer
Eats crustaceans, fish, and insects
In flight, the feet and part of the leg extend beyond
the tail.
Female lays 3-4 pale blue eggs.
n
Great Egret
Eats mainly fish
Most of its calls are associated with breeding.
Breeds locally
n
Mallard Duck
Migrates through campus
Unlikely to be seen during the summer
Feeds by tipping forward and grazing on underwater
plants
Eats insects, snails, and worms during breeding
season; aquatic plants and seeds the rest of the year
n
Great-tailed Grackle
Commonly found on campus all year
Males have a longer tail and shinier feathers.
A mallard duck swims to the pond bank between the east and west buildings, and a scissortailed flycatcher calls from the top of a tree. Yes, you really are at Mountain View College!
THE
animals
photo by Ryan Fitzer
Since its existence, Mountain View College has been home
to many furry friends and reptiles.
Bobcat: Has a roar as deep as a mountain lion despite its small size
Raccoon: Good thing it wasn’t the raccoon’s relative, the bear!
Common Ground Skink:
Smallest lizard with a detachable tail
that can be regenerated
Six-Lined Race Runner:
Runs up to 18 miles per hour
Spittlebug:
Lives in grasslands
Eats clover and trees
Nymphs produce frothy spittle
to prevent drying out.
AMAZING
insects
spiders
AND
Praying Mantis:
Lives in grasslands
Eats insects, moths, and bees
Female eats her mate.
Monarch Butterfly:
Lives in grasslands
Eats milkweed
?
Travels to Mexico and back each year
Wolf Spider:
Lives in debris on
the forest floor
Eats insects
Female lays eggs in
a sac of webbing.
Did you
know
Eating milkweed gives the
monarch caterpillars a bad taste,
protecting them from predators.
Crane Fly:
Lives in moist soil
Eats decaying plants
“Walks” on water using
surface tension
Does not bite
Look to the sky and ground to find Mountain View College’s tiniest creatures.
This brochure was prepared by students in Dr. Sarah Hutchings’
Spring 2012 Biology for Science Majors II class.
The students studied the Mountain View College ecosystem
throughout the semester.
Photos for this project were taken by students (beginning in 2006),
and by professors Sarah Hutchings and Adam Cochran.
Spring 2012
Biology 1407-6001 Students
Stephanie Aguilar
Victoria Arias
Oluwaseun Banjoko
Frena Brooks
Ernesto Cardoso
Jasmine Crayton
Tirzah Davila
Dallen Drollette
Ileana Esparza
Janet Esparza
Guillermo Herrera, Jr.
Patrick Hughes
Precious Jackson
Anthony Maldonado
Dafne Morales
Pedro Morales
Lisa Nabejar
Yillenni Nino
Shaunessey Roberson
Andrea Rubio
Alex Ruiz
Funded by the U.S. Department of Education P.R. #P031C110083. In October, 2011, Mountain View College was awarded a U.S. Department of Education
HSI STEM and Articulation grant – STEM SUCCESS. This grant is helping to increase the number of students who successfully pursue postsecondary
studies and careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM). This brochure was printed with STEM SUCCESS funds.
Nature
BLACKLAND
PRAIRIE
TRAIL
CLIFF
W
DS
LAN
D
OO
AUSTIN CHALK
WASH AREA
WILDFLOWER
AREA
GARDENS
PONDS
IT ALL BEGINS HERE. Mountain View College
4849 West Illinois Avenue
Dallas, Texas 75211
www.mountainviewcollege.edu
An Equal Opportunity Institution