Austin Nature & Science Center

04/29/2026

⁉️ WHAT IS IT WEDNESDAY ⁉️

We're back! Our last beautiful mystery crystal was a DUMORTIERITE QUARTZ! The rare blue dumortierite is a mineral made of aluminum, boron, and silicate elements, with some other minerals that give it different colors from blue to pink and violet. It forms often as inclusions within quartz, such as in our examples, where it gives a light blue tip to the crystals that really shines and "flashes" over a bright flashlight. Under a microscope, we can see that the blue dumortierite is actually fibrous, glassy little blue prisms inside the quartz. Beautiful!

Today we have something beautiful in a different way! What is it?

04/25/2026

🦞CREEK CREATURES TODAY! 🪱

Learn all about arthropods, amphibians, and more with hands-on microscope activities, slime-making, and plenty of cool animals and artifacts to touch and learn about! Free, drop-in programs going on today until 2:00pm today. See you there!

04/09/2026

🪲 SATURDAY PROGRAMMING! 🪁

Coming up THIS Saturday, April 11th -

You can find ANSC at ABC Kite Fest in Zilker Park from 10:00 - 5:00 hosting an interactive nature activity for all ages!

You can also visit us here at ANSC for Meet the Animals: Arthropod Edition. Stop by the Green Earth classroom any time from 10:00 - 2:00 to meet some of ANSC's tiniest resident creatures.

Please note that our site's accessibility and parking will be affected by road closures for ABC Kite Fest. View road closures here, and visit https://abckitefest.org/ for more information about ABC Kite Fest, including how to get to Zilker Park and its surrounding areas this Saturday, April 11th.

Join Austin’s beloved ABC Kite Fest! This free spring tradition features kite flying contests, kite making, MossFest concert, and family fun since 1929.

04/02/2026

⛈️GUIDED HIKES CANCELLED FOR THIS SATURDAY 🌬️

Due to forecasted storms, Guided Hikes will not take place this Saturday, April 4th. Please visit us next Saturday, April 11th for "Meet the Animals" from 10:00-2:00! ANSC will be open for regular admission.

04/01/2026

🌸 APRIL SATURDAY PROGRAMS AT ANSC! 🐢

03/25/2026

⁉️WHAT IS IT WEDNESDAY ⁉️

Last week's wiggly little mystery was a BUPRESTID LARVA! Also known as flatheaded borers, these are the larva of the often-dreaded but very beautiful wood-boring beetles. We often don't see these little grubs because they are inside wood or under bark - that's why many species can be damaging to trees. The eggs are laid on a host plant, and the hatched larva are voracious chewers, often making tunnels and grooves where they pupate and emerge from holes as adults. They often will "attack" already-damaged trees, but can do their own damage to healthy trees as well, especially in large numbers.

Here's something very different, another beautiful treasure brought in to our Trade Counter that looks extra special with light shining through it - what is it?

03/24/2026

🧑‍🌾 LANDSCAPE VOLUNTEERS NEEDED! 🌸

Do you love planting, watering, weeding, and the rewarding work of helping nature along? Come volunteer with us! We need help keeping our site beautiful and maintained for our visitors and our environment. The landscape volunteer hours are currently Tuesdays from 8:30am - 11:00am, but these may expand soon. See more information and apply here: https://www.austintexas.gov/parks/locations/austin-nature-and-science-center.

03/10/2026

⚒️ THANK YOU IMPD VOLUNTEERS! 🪚

The Austin Park's Foundation's It's My Park Day Spring 2026 was a great success despite the weather, thanks to the wonderful volunteers who showed up all over the city to help with work in our parks! Here at ANSC, volunteers repaired and added new split-rail fencing in several areas of our site, and did lots of trail, brush, dirt, and gravel work in our Birds of Prey area. The biannual event will return in the fall - check out https://austinparks.org/impd/ for more information and ways to help.

03/06/2026

🪱 ANIMAL PROGRAM TOMORROW - CREEK CREATURES! 🦠

Observe and learn all about some of the tiniest and coolest creatures found right here in ANSC’s creek and ponds. It's amazing what's in there, and amazing to see them in all their detail up close through our microscopes! Programs are free and ongoing from 10:00 - 2:00. See you there!

03/04/2026

⁉️ WHAT IS IT WEDNESDAY ⁉️

You know your BEAVER CHEWS! That's right, last week's beautiful piece of wood was found in heavily beaver-populated pond area full of chewed-up wood with the characteristic sharp points and big teeth marks! Beavers are often referred to as some of nature's best engineers, and often the way they cut into trees to bring them down is actually a complex process of chewing in calculated directions on specific sides at specific heights in order to fell trees in the direction most beneficial to them, usually towards water. This often leaves those sharp, stake-like ends on the chewed-up stumps.

Beavers also use trees as a major food source - they're herbivores who prefer small tender branches or the inner layer of bark (cambium), chewing off but not eating the hard outer bark or the inner core of bigger trees. Then they use the non-edible parts to make their dams and lodges. In many places, the felled trees and stumps from beaver activity are beneficial to the ecosystem by providing homes and shelter for other animals (lots of birds, turtles, etc.), and allowing more sunlight to reach crowded areas of ponds, increasing the overall health and biodiversity of many of these beaver ponds!

This week's mystery is a gnarly little friend discovered by one of our Nature's Way Preschool classes in our preserve! What is it?