Dunwoody Nature Center is a 22-acre local park that I’ve
visited over the years; I’ve watched it grow from a small private park to a
city-owned nature destination.
It was once infested with English ivy and
non-native wisteria. Volunteers, Master Gardeners, and Eagle Scouts have made a
dent in those problems and city funding has helped expand amenities (bathrooms!) and activities (like their upcoming
Butterfly Experience next weekend). This
week I decided to revisit the park and explore the trails.
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| Black-eyed Susan near the main building |
Dunwoody Nature Center trails are heavily shaded which
makes for cool walks but few blooms to observe this time of year. The dirt trails
are well-maintained and offer lots of interesting bits of nature, including rocky
streams, lush ferns, wetland boardwalks, and even this young deer. If the kids
get restless, there are several play areas with fun things to ride or climb.
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| This fawn was hiding behind a trail sign |
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| Christmas ferns near the trail |
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| My grandson loved the rope caterpillar swing |
Trail signage is good and you can download a trail map ahead
of time or grab one in the parking lot. Educational signs point out some of the
features and large trees have blazes to help you know where you are. The park
has development on all sides so you can’t go too far off course. I think it’s a
great place to get kids into hiking with fun extra play spaces for them and
bathrooms.
Flowers can be found at the front or around the main
buildings. One structure has a green (and growing) roof and the adjacent
wetland was full of blooming pickerel weed (Pontederia
cordata). Most of the new plantings are native plants, but invasive plants
still plague the park. Wisteria is
trying hard to come back, Elaeagnus
shrubs are hiding in the woodland, and the autumn fern that was planted years
ago as an ornamental is invading the streams just as it has in other parts of the metro area. If you live nearby,
volunteer to help identify and remove invasive plants.
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| Pickerel weed was full of pollinators |
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| Autumn fern invading the creek |
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