November 20, 2024
Each fall, Fortlandia brings a new set of forts to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center for kids (and adults) to play on. This year the forts include a butterfly plane, a snake climbing structure, a human-sized ant farm, and a monster in a treasure chest. I checked them out during a twilight visit in early November.
Fort Flutter
Fort Flutter designers: American Lore Theater, Jacob Rosenberg, and Liza Fishbone
“Fort Flutter is a whimsical salute to the flying heroes of Texas — the butterflies and pollinators who bring life to the land, and the fearless mail pilots who once soared in our skies. Inspired by the Wildflower Center’s winged inhabitants — and the daring air routes of Texas’ early aviators — this fort invites you to step back in time to an era when wings — both delicate and daring — carried messages of hope and love across vast, wild landscapes. With a nod to history and play, Fort Flutter blends nature’s beauty with the spirit of adventure, making it a thrilling stop on your wild journey.”
Fort Flutter’s airplane wings catch light like a butterfly’s.
At the control panel, a map shows the routes for pollen delivery.
Fort Flutter Pollen Delivery, at your service in the 512 area code
A caterpillar with parachute strapped on grabs boxes of pollen and prepares to jump.
Pollen grains are handed off.
Flower stamps remind us that the flowers we treasure depend on insects to pollinate them.
Mimic
Mimic designers: Victoria Marquez and Cody Thompson
“What’s inside this giant treasure chest? Only those brave enough to enter will find out! Adorned with paintings of native Texas wildflowers, this fort — even when viewed from the outside — recalls an abandoned building that has been overtaken by nature. And what’s on the inside of this mysterious and fanciful structure? Should you choose to find out, be sure to peer out the bared teeth and have a friend snap a photo to commemorate your courage.”
I did not crawl inside to find the paintings, but the monster design made me smile.
Honeycomb Hideout
Honeycomb Hideout designer: STG Design
“This fort is all the buzz! Tiered, hexagonal platforms mimic a bee’s hive and provide ample ways to play. Climb on the structure, crawl through the tunnel, or make like a bee and travel back and forth between the hive and the spiral-shaped flowers that surround it. Maybe you just want to sit on a honeycomb and contemplate the beauty of nature. Who could blame you? The little platforms are sized perfectly for a second life as chairs or tables — and some my be repurposed as such when this year’s Fortlandia exhibition ends.”
Honeycomb Hideout is really three forts in one, thanks to colorful “flowers” — spiraling, perforated panels — around the main fort.
Kids and adults favored this fort with its tiered climbing structure and hideout below.
Shell Yeah!
Shell Yeah! designers: Chioco Design and Austin Custom CNC
“Texas is home to about 230 species of snails — and an estimated 56 of them live right here in Travis County! Step outside after heavy rain, and you might find a slew of these adorable gastropods in your front lawn. Snails may be slow-moving, but they’re hard workers. By feeding upon decaying matter, they help recycle nutrients and spread them through the soil. Their beautiful, swirling shells were the inspiration behind this fort, which invites visitors to slow down and make time for play.”
Inspired, perhaps, by the 2021 film Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, Shell Yeah! is an adorable fort.
Fort building area
Kids are invited to build their own forts from branches, rocks, stumps, and other natural materials in a woodsy space.
Ant Farm
Ant Farm designer: Chris Honea
“Ants get a bad rap, but they’re an important part of a healthy ecosystem. On top of being a yummy snack for bigger critters like horned toads and armadillos, these insects help keep things clean by eating all kinds of organic waste. Plus, they’re amazing at teamwork. We could all learn a lot by walking a mile in their six shoes. This human-sized ant farm — inspired in part by the movie Honey, I Shrunk the Kids — invites young explorers to do exactly that. Activate your imaginary antennae, feel your way through the tunnels, and discover what life is like as a tiny insect!”
Ant Farm’s clever design was delighting one young girl, who was running the ramps like a busy ant.
Pyrostructure
Pyrostructure designers: William Bonner and Kennedy Rauh
“Lightning- and human-sparked wildfires can be devastating to rural and urban areas, but they are essential to the health of grassland and savanna landscapes. Prescribed fires — like those conducted by land stewards at the Wildflower Center — offer the same benefits without the risks. Pyrostructure is a celebration of fire and the growth and renewal that follow the flames. Through a series of brightly colored modules, this fort invites you to experience the journey from vibrant grassland prairie to charred landscape and back again.”
This fort’s celebration of fire and its power of renewal has to be the most unique theme I’ve seen at Fortlandia.
Harmony Habitat
Harmony Habitat designer: Okkem Design
“From a dark underground burrow to an airy, suspended nest, ‘Harmony Habitat’ invites children to explore a variety of animal habitats and provides multiple ways to engage with the structure. Two interconnected halves of a subdivided icosahedron (a three-dimensional shape made up of numerous flat faces) come together at a common pentagonal plane, teaching visitors about harmonic geometry and three-dimensional shapes. Let your imagination be your guide as you crawl, climb and perch alongside the creatures that call Central Texas home.”
Pretty etchings of locally found species of plants and animals…
…not all of them native, like the monk parakeet, adorn the exterior of the structure. I didn’t crawl inside to see the rest, but a hanging nest in the center looked fun.
Fort Fang
Fort Fang designer: Ion Art
“Inspired by the snakes that slither through wildflower fields across Central Texas, Fort Fang embodies both the mystery and intrinsic beauty of nature. Its modular, serpentine structure provides multiple points of entry and exit, and nearly infinite possibilities for imaginative play. With an organic shape and coloration that mimics our gardens in the spring, this secret hideout is designed to look like a natural extension of the landscape.”
Fort Fang has a great look with its undulating climbing structure and tunnel-like hideaways below.
They’re all a lot of fun, but visitors do get to vote for their favorites by using a QR code on the fort signs to access the poll. My money comes down to Fort Flutter for cuteness and Pyrostructure for a creative theme. Which would YOU choose?
Fortlandia will be on display at the Wildflower Center’s Family Garden until February 2, 2025. To see the rest of the gardens at the Wildflower Center, click here for my blog post.
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