By Brandt Mannchen

On June 8, 2024, the Houston Sierra Club celebrated Summer via a two-mile hike at Hudson Woods, part of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s San Bernard National Wildlife Refuge in the Columbia Bottomlands (CB).  The CB is a unique coastal forest with Live Oak, Pecan, Shumard Oak, Burr Oak, Water Oak, Hackberry, and Green Ash. 

Linda, Ed, and Dave walked with me as we explored Hudson Woods.  We saw the beauty of Scoby Lake, with egrets, herons, and vultures flying overhead in the blue sky with white clouds.  Many female orb-weaver spiders had strung their webs in low hanging branches.  These large, colorful, yellow and black spiders were searching for food and a mate, sometimes together!

We saw many signs of feral hogs where they had wallowed and rooted in the leaf litter and groundcover turning over soil and eating whatever they found.  These non-native species, while highly intelligent, compete with native wildlife and eat the food and degrade or destroy the habitat they need for survive.

We also saw massive Live Oak, Pecan, and Water Oak trees and a shady understory of Yaupon Holly, Deciduous Holly, and young Green Ash, American Elm, Cedar Elm, and Pecan trees.  Switchcane is coming back after it was grazed out due to free-range cattle in the 1800’s and 1900’s.  The CB forest, in many places, is naturally dense and easy to get lost within.  Staying on the trail was our way of making sure that we didn’t get turned around and we loved seeing the blooming Turk’s Cap under the canopy.

We got out of Hudson Woods by 10:45 am as the heat was becoming uncomfortable and oppressive in the low 90’s.  We drove into Lake Jackson and ate at “The Local”, a restaurant that provides plenty of options for hungry hikers.  Inside there were bridal and baby showers in motion so we ate outside in the shaded patio and enjoyed the conversation and camaraderie.

We then drove over to Sea Center, a Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Dow Chemical, Coastal Conservation Association effort. 

We enjoyed the aquariums, picked up interesting literature about fish and natural history, and took a fish hatchery tour which led to a lake where 30-inch long Red Drum (Redfish) live after giving their eggs and milt to raise millions of small fry fish to help repopulate these Texas bays and estuaries.

We then visited the constructed fresh and brackish water wetlands next to Sea Center and watched a Red-eared Slide eating vegetation among wetland plants like blooming salt marshmallows and white hibiscus.

Hudson Woods and Sea Center make a great pair of stops when you have a lazy Saturday to fill.  Don’t miss them!

Photos by Linda Mundwiller.