April 2023
Note from the Nature Center

April is one of our area’s most exciting months for nature enthusiasts. Wildflowers are blooming, attracting dozens of species of butterflies and moths. During their northward migration, colorful warblers, orioles, and buntings appear in the trees and at feeders. Resident animals are on full display as they try to attract mates and establish territories. Green anoles show off their dewlaps, squirrels fluff up their tails, and birds throw their heads back in song. Each day brings new colors, sights, and sounds to the park. We hope you have time to walk the trails this spring and enjoy all the park offers.
Photo Above: Albert Holba Photos Below (Left): Frank Farese, (Right): Greg Lavaty
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Photo by Greg Lavaty
This bird is one of 33 species of warbler seen at Kleb Woods. Can you name it?
a. Blue-winged Warbler
b. Yellow Warbler
c. Black-masked Warbler
d. Virginia Warbler
History Discussion Group: The Girls of Flight City

Thursday, April 13, 9 – 11 a.m.



Suitable for adults and older students with a keen interest in history. Click here for more information.  
Senior Birding Bus Trip: Angelina National Forest

Friday, April 14, 5 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Free for those 50 and older. Registration required. Click here for more information.
Wednesday Afternoon Birding Program: Birding Hawaii

Wednesday, April 19,
12:30 – 1:30 p.m.

For adults and older students with a keen interest in birds. Click here for more information. 
A Closer Look at Nature: Birdwatching for Beginners

Thursday, April 20,
10 – 11 a.m. or 12:30 – 1:30 p.m.


Designed for school-aged children. Registration required. Click here for more information. 
Into the Woods
Message in a Bottle

History abounds at Kleb Woods Nature Preserve, and artifacts are not just limited to the objects in and around the farmhouse. The trails hide a treasure trove of odds and ends, from truck fenders to windmills to an old cistern. Decades of falling leaves have buried many objects, and occasionally those things are re-discovered.

Glass bottles are often found on or just below the soil. Determining where they came from and how old they are can be challenging. Finders can look for clues such as letters or numbers to indicate the manufacturer or production year. The shape helps determine what a bottle or jar once contained. A pontil mark on the base is a feature of a handblown bottle. The presence of mold seams indicates a bottle made in the last 200 years, and the thickness of the seam can further narrow down the age. Glass color is strongly tied to the fashions of the day and advancements in manufacturing and can help age the piece. Red, purple, or amethyst glass was primarily used between the 1840s and 1880s. Aqua and opaque “milk glass” was used from the 1870s but became less common in the 1920s after automatic bottle machines made colorless glass easy to reproduce. 

The nature center has many objects on display that have been found in the park over the years, including dozens of glass bottles. We hope you will explore these findings on your next visit.
Photos by Kendra Kocab
Discussion Preview: The Girls of Flight City

During World War II, thousands of British pilots trained at civilian training schools in the United States. The first of these schools was located in Terrell, Texas. The fictional novel based on a true story, “Girls of Flight City,” by Lorraine Heath, brought this little-known chapter of history to life and inspired guest speaker Barbara Pankratz to dig deeper into the subject, even taking a road trip to the No. 1 British Flying Training School Museum.

A novel is unusual source material for History Discussion Group, but “Girls of Flight City” has historical significance. The trick is determining fact from fiction. Join us on Thursday, April 13, from 9 – 11 a.m. as Barbara Pankratz leads a discussion on how the United States and Britain worked hand-in-hand from the grassroots level to the highest levels of government to defeat the Nazi war machine.
Volunteer Activities
Our volunteers have assisted with a lot of educational programming this year. They helped us prepare for kids classes, built dozens of nest box kits for families to construct, and taught more than a thousand school children about nature and history at Kleb Woods during school field trips. We are grateful for their help and dedication to the park. To learn more about volunteer opportunities, email us at klebwoods@hcp4.net.
Photo: Kendra Kocab
Interactive Content Answer

This bird is one of 33 species of warbler seen at Kleb Woods. Can you name it?

Answer: a. Blue-winged Warbler