| Valley Nature Center | |
| Type: | nature preserve, cactus garden |
| Location: | Gibson Park, Weslaco, Hidalgo County, Texas |
| Map: | Texas |
| Coords: | 26.1592°N -97.9971°W |
| Area: | 6 acre |
| Created: | 1984 |
| Open: | Yes |
Valley Nature Center is a 6-acre park and nature preserve in Gibson City Park, Weslaco, Texas. Its focus is environmental education about the natural history of the Lower Rio Grande Valley.
The center's activities include a summer camp, weekly programs for all ages, birding trips, natural history classes and lectures. There are programs for individuals, children and adults. There is a native plant nursery with plants for sale, a conservation resource library and a gift shop.
Valley Nature Center has been in operation as a non-profit organization since 1984 and a new building was opened in 2014.[1] Formed from a vacant lot, the site now includes a 1 mile trail through a cactus garden, bog ponds, and butterfly garden.
Insects, birds and animals that have been seen include Malachite butterfly and Melanis pixe butterfly, plain chachalaca, green jays, great kiskadees, buff-bellied hummingbird, Texas tortoise, Texas horned lizard, and Eastern Cottontail Rabbit. The park is considered a good site to view migrating birds and butterflies.[2] [3] [4]
Botanical collection includes species native to Sabal Palm Grove, Arroyo Colorado brush, the Barretal, Coastal Lomas, and the Chihuahuan Thorn forest also known as Rio Grande-Falcon thorn woodland.