Valentine’s Day is this coming weekend, providing the perfect opportunity for you and your sweetheart to enjoy an outdoor adventure built for two: 

• Take a kayaking/canoeing trip on one of the 70 official Texas Paddling Trails. If you find a secluded cove, it may be the perfect time to steal a kiss.
• Create mutual feelings of goodwill and accomplishment by volunteering together. There are outdoors projects of all kinds in need of a hand (or two). And you can find out a lot about someone when you work side-by-side.
• Does time travel seem a romantic proposition? Take your Valentine on a visit to one of Texas’ many historic sites, which include inns, working farms, Spanish missions, even a brewery! Cupid would approve.
• Fishing may not strike you as romantic, but studies show someone may fall for you hook, line and sinker if you take them fishing! Many waterways are stocked with trout in winter, making it easy to find a spot to fish.

State parks will also have events galore. So get out there and find out for yourself why love’s better outside.

The latest Game Warden Field Notes include an accidental shooting, a boat flipping, the antics of illegal hunters and drunken hijinks. But hold on to your hats, Field Notes are about to come to you in living color! A 13-part television series about the work of Texas Game Wardens premieres in June on Animal Planet. Watch this preview of “Lone Star Law”! #LoneStarLawAP

Until then, keep up with Texas Game Wardens and their soon-to-be-famous feats of law enforcement on Twitter and Facebook.

If you have an interest in your yard or wildlife, try wildscaping, which is gardening with plants that supply food (like nectar), water and shelter for desired wildlife. Using native plants suitable for your area is encouraged; from there you can keep it simple or go big with these step-by-step instructions. Wildscaping helps out wildlife and can enhance your property by luring in hummingbirds, butterflies, moths and other pollinators. 

Spring or autumn is the best time of year to get started. Try growing a few native flowering plants in pots or in the ground. Add a shallow saucer of water that you refill each day and you’ve got yourself a mini-wildscape! Once you get the hang of it, try wildscaping a public space like a school or place of worship.

Check out how to get your project certified by Texas Parks and Wildlife as an official Texas Wildscape. Certification gets you a plaque to put in your yard and, hopefully, some interested neighbors who will want to do the same.

The wild and wonderful Great Texas Birding Classic is the perfect way to get outdoors and have fun with your friends, family or work colleagues. This popular, birdwatching event runs April 15 - May 15 every year. It has regional and statewide options in 11 tournament categories, so there’s sure to be one to match your lifestyle. 

Entry fees benefit conservation projects and winning teams get to select which projects receive each year’s grants. To date, $844,500 has been donated. If you’re a newbie, get an edge with our strategy advice and tips. April and May can have the best weather you’ll find in Texas, so get a group together and join us in some big outdoor fun at the 20th Annual Great Texas Birding Classic. Follow them on Facebook to keep up with tournament news.

Are you looking for a new weekend destination? Plan a trip of discovery to Sea Center Texas (SCT) or Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center (TFFC). Both have multiple aquariums, a working fish hatchery and a wetlands trail. 

SCT is celebrating its 20th anniversary and going all out for Nature Day on February 27. They’ll showcase special walk-through exhibits, crafts and activities for the whole family. Don't miss the 20-foot touch pool, which allows you to have a close encounter with marine animals. And admission to SCT is always free!

Freshwater Fisheries events include the popular Fly Fish Texas on March 12. Anglers from across Texas will share their fly fishing tips with novice fly fishers and teach them how to tie a fly, cast it and catch a fish. TFFC has events all year, so keep an eye on their calendar.

Both are open year-round, but be sure and include these unique destinations when planning your spring and summer holidays. Screen-free fun awaits!

Porcupines (also known as “Prickle Pigs”) love the smell of human sweat. So, if you come across one nuzzling your sweat-soaked backpack straps, don’t panic. Contrary to popular belief, they don’t propel their spines and aren’t aggressive. But if it bristles or swats its tail, give it some space and be sure your pets do the same.

If you’ve never seen a porcupine in Texas, keep an eye out because they’re expanding their range. This Facebook post comes to us from the Matador Wildlife Management Area in north Texas. To keep up with all things Texas wildlife, follow us on Facebook.

The Valentine-pink color of the roseate spoonbill is due to their diet of pigment-rich foods like shrimp. The more they eat, the pinker they get!

Their pink feathers were so popular on women’s hats in the 1800s that the birds were nearly hunted to extinction. They were able to recolonize along the Gulf Coast, so look for them there March - October. Today, their biggest threat is habitat loss.