Bird Pocket Park, Tyrrell Park Nature Trail

This proposed Partners for Plants project will create a pocket park within the large (500-acre) Tyrrell Park campus that will attract woodland birds, both migratory and resident. This pocket park is the first of three planned by the City in this location. The other two pocket parks will be a pollinator garden and a butterfly garden. The pocket parks are located on a walkway that leads from the Visitor's Center to Cattail Marsh.

The Education Center at Cattail Marsh was a Founder's Fund finalist in 2016 and is a hub of activity for the Marsh. The bird pocket park will be the closest to Cattail Marsh. The area for the pocket park is approximately 75 - 100 yards deep and 50 yards wide. It is shaped like a cul-de-sac, so the entrance will be narrow. The area is in semi-shade, and the soil is primarily clay. Many trees in Tyrrell Park have been lost due to storms and decay, so the tree canopy is depleted. The purpose of this bird pocket park is to attract migratory woodland birds and sustain resident woodland species. Beaumont is located on the central flyway used by thousands of birds on the spring and fall migrations. Cattail Marsh attracts many wetland birds, so our woodland pocket park will attract woodland species migrating as well.

This area of Texas draws birders from all over the world who come to see the migration. The planting site will be cleared of dead trees and prepared for planting. Our plants will be composed of five types of vegetation to meet the food and shelter needs of the birds. There will be large trees, understory trees, shrubs, forbs, grasses, and ground cover. Magnolia Garden Club will be purchasing plants, soil, mulch, and plant labels. Magnolia members will participate in a planting work day in April to install the garden.

Over the next two years, our club will monitor the garden, schedule work days to maintain it, and replace plants as needed. Our volunteers will also participate in educational events organized by the City at the Nature Trail. In addition to the Partners for Plants grant that we hope to receive, Magnolia Garden Club plans to use funds given by the family of a deceased member to complete the funding for this pocket park. The deceased Magnolia member was an avid birder and long-time supporter of native plants. Our members feel that using funds donated in her memory is a wonderful way to honor her. We have collaborated with the City in designing the plant list for the garden to include almost exclusively natives. We have consulted with the Houston Audubon Society to create this list. Our club believes that the establishment of a woodland birding pocket garden will provide a missing piece in the ecosystem of our city's largest greenspace and public park.