Joan Maresca Pursues Her Passion at Eagle's Trace

"Please stop, look, listen, and linger to enjoy the wonderful world of nature throughout Eagle's Trace," says resident Joan Maresca. "Because if you don't linger, you miss it!"

That is Joan's motto and mission--to encourage her neighbors to learn more about and appreciate nature in all its forms at the Erickson Senior Living community in West Houston, Tex., they are proud to call home.

‘Look for something beautiful'

Joan says she grew up "mostly outdoors" in the Baltimore, Md., area and was inspired by a camp director to pay attention to the world around her.

"Our camp director had a special saying: ‘Look for something beautiful, whether it's in a person or in nature,'" Joan recalls. "So, I started observing nature. And it was fascinating watching ants and different types of birds. A bird was a bird to me before, but when you really start looking around, there's a lot of birds!"

She took that fascination with nature into the classroom when she became an elementary school teacher in Baltimore, and later in Houston, teaching for a total of 34 years.

"In my classrooms, I always had fish and two types of turtles: water turtles and land turtles, or tortoises. I also had a hedgehog," Joan says. "We did activities with fiddler crabs and other critters, so the kids would learn to respect and love nature."

Social butterfly

After retiring from her rewarding teaching career, Joan and her husband Frank decided it was time to explore their senior living options. They were already familiar with Erickson Senior Living, as Joan's parents lived at Charlestown, an Erickson community in Catonsville, Md.

"They were there for about 13 years," Joan says. "I've been in Houston since 1968, but after visiting my parents, we knew the quality of life they were experiencing. We looked at other places, but we kept coming back to Erickson. We moved to Eagle's Trace in 2015."

It wasn't long after the couple made the move that Joan began sharing her mission with the community.

"I wanted to start meeting people, and I remembered in one of my classes we had raised butterflies. I thought, ‘What if I handed out some of the little larvae, which turn into chrysalides and then butterflies, and then we release them?'" Joan remembers. "That way, I'd get to know people. So, that's what I did."

Joan ordered the butterfly larvae--Painted Ladies, which she describes as looking like small Monarch butterflies--and passed them out among any residents in her building willing to foster. Once the chrysalides started to form, they were gently put into "flight cages," where they could safely emerge after eclosion, the molting of their hard chrysalides.

"Then, together, we took them to wherever I could find flowers, and released them," says Joan, noting how much everyone loved the experience. "So, I've done this every year for the past seven or eight years. Last spring, we released more than 300 butterflies, which involved about 60 residents."

She adds, "The other day, I was pleasantly surprised when I saw two Painted Lady butterflies! I'm claiming them as offspring of the ones we released last summer."

Educating others

These pretty pollinators not only enhance the natural beauty of the community, but help sustain the health of native flora.

To educate her neighbors on the plant species that inhabit Eagle's Trace, Joan began compiling a book with descriptions and photos of the trees and flowers present on the 70-acre campus. Eventually, birds, insects, reptiles, amphibians, and mammals were added as well.

The book, Visions of Nature at Eagle's Trace, is now available on the My Erickson app--exclusive to Eagle's Trace residents--under Community Info. Joan also made printed versions of the book, placing them in common areas around the community for residents to reference at their leisure.  

"A lot of people didn't know much about butterflies," Joan says. "I am dedicated to letting people in on more information about whatever we're talking about--butterflies, dragonflies, ducks, geese, birds, fish, or turtles. When people see a turtle, what do they know? Do turtles sleep? Hibernate? That's why I created Visions of Nature at Eagle's Trace."

Out and about

Like many Eagle's Trace residents, Joan is busy with other activities as well--also related to her love of nature.

"I'm also a member of the bird club, pollinators club, and garden club. I also love shuffleboard, and I teach water aerobics. I think that's about it!" she says, with a laugh.

To learn more about affordable, independent senior living at Eagle's Trace, request your free brochure to get the scoop on amenities, floor plans, and so much more.