GALLERY: A glimpse inside UHCL’s nature trail

The University of Houston Clear-Lake (UHCL) has a nature trail on campus just off Bayou Road that was named after Marguerite Claghorn, assistant to UHCL’s founding chancellor, Alfred Neumann, who first walked the trail in 1990. Marguerite Claghorn Nature Trail is a quiet place for students, faculty and staff to reconnect with the outdoors and enjoy time alone or with a friend.

Wildlife such as rabbits and birds, like cardinals and woodpeckers, can be seen or heard moving in the underbrush and tops of trees. In the early morning or evenings, one might be able to spot deer as they emerge from the thicket to graze on school grounds. If walking the trails, keep an eye out for some of the wildlife and plants pictured in the following gallery.

UHCL Nature Trails

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These curious looking flowers greet visitors as they walk the trail. “This flower is likely Carolina Elephantsfoot (Elephantopus carolinianus),” said Jenny W. Oakley, researcher for the Environmental Institute of Houston housed on campus. Photo by The Signal reporter Paloma Palacios.

This mystery flower is made of smaller flowers. iNaturalist is a website where students can post and identify photos of wildlife and plants found around campus. Some of the flowers you can find growing on the UHCL campus include Passion Flowers (Passiflora incarnata) and Prairie Nymphs (Herbertia lahue.) Photo by The Signal reporter Paloma Palacios.

What boughs used to crown this tree? Trees growing around campus include oak trees, cypress and dwarf palmetto. Photo by The Signal reporter Paloma Palacios.

A small rabbit hides in the underbrush alongside the trail. “The rabbit you saw is probably a swamp rabbit or eastern cottontail,” said Arlen Addison, environmental studies major, who is currently working on a grant to conserve coastal prairies on Marguerite Claghorn Nature Trail. The campus is home to deer, squirrels, raccoons and birds, but UHCL is also known to house alligators, bobcats, coyotes and snakes. Photo by The Signal reporter Paloma Palacios.

A cluster of purple berries provides food for the forest birds. Oakley identified these wine-colored berry clusters as American Beautyberry. Many bird nests can be found near these purple fruits as they provide food for cardinals and other bird species that call UHCL their home. Photo by The Signal reporter Paloma Palacios.

Keep a look out for these strange, spikey looking flowers. Oakley said these are Late Flowering Thoroughwort (Eupatorium serotinum.) Photo by The Signal reporter Paloma Palacios.

Just like in fairytales, a trail of mushrooms leads deeper into the woods - away from the 1.2 mile trail. UHCL sits on a 520-acre natural wildlife preserve adjacent to Armand Bayou Nature Center. Photo by The Signal reporter Paloma Palacios.

A Golden Silk Spider greets visitors from its web. These gentle arachnids will not to bite unless physically disturbed. They produce one of the strongest webs with which they make their homes and catch their prey – a few of UHCL’s species of insects including beetles, cicadas and wood moths. Photo by The Signal reporter Paloma Palacios.

Fungi can grow on a moss-covered logs like this. This fungus is known scientifically as Trametes cubensis and is usually found growing on the stumps of hardwood trees. To date Texas has lost 99.9% of its coastal prairie. Photo by The Signal reporter Paloma Palacios.

As the sun sets, its rays shine on a bird’s nest overhead. Nests can also be found in the boughs of trees all around the campus. Be on the lookout for Red-shouldered Hawk chicks chirping in the spring. There is a reason Hunter Hawk is the university’s mascot. Photo by The Signal reporter Paloma Palacios.

A fallen giant can be seen in through a thin line of saplings. “Our campus, along with the Armand Bayou Nature Center property are some of the last remaining bottomland hardwood habitats in this area.” Oakley said. “The forests on campus are an important riparian zone for Horsepen Bayou, and there are some very unique forested wetlands on campus.” Bottomland hardwoods are river swamps consisting of various species of cypress, oak, gum trees and other plant an animal life adapted to survive in flooded or mostly flooded areas. Photo by The Signal reporter Paloma Palacios.

An old gazebo signals the end of the trek and the start of the road home. Photo by The Signal reporter Paloma Palacios.

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