Into the Woods

If you want to go on a stroll in the woods, the Houston Arboretum and Nature Center is the place for you. Located at the western edge of Memorial Park, the Arboretum has over 5 miles of walking trails traversing the 155 acres of pine forests. The Observation deck at the meadow is my favorite spot in the Arboretum. The deck overlooks an acre-wide pond covered with dense water lilies and is an ideal place to take a pause in your hike; if you stay still long enough, you might be able to watch the sunbathing turtles and the swooping multicolored dragonflies.

Observation Deck at Meadow Pond

Lily-pads at Meadow Pond 

Wooden platforms wind through the pines

The Arboretum is home to over 33 kinds of Butterflies 

Swamp Rabbit blending into his surroundings

Hibiscus flowers surrounding the Swamp 

Turtles sunbathing at the Swamp 

Yellow Crowned Night Heron

The Outdoor Classroom is a wonderful place for children to learn about Nature

Indoor Display of Wildflowers in the Discovery Room

Trail Map: link on HA website: http://houstonarboretum.org/visit/plan-your-visit/map/#

The Arboretum has an extraordinary offering of classes and events:

for July: 

6-10 Summer Camp

10 Photographic Bird Safari with Kathy Adams Clark

11 Nature Revealed: Wetland Ecology 

13-17 Summer Camp

18 Edible Wild Plants

18 Wine, Cheese, and Frogs!

20-24 Summer Camp

26 Cheeses of the World 

27-31 Summer Camp

Arboretum grounds open daily dawn to dusk. Dogs on leashes are welcome.  The Nature Center Building is open daily from 9am-5pm except major holidays.  The Discovery Room is open daily from 10am - 4pm except Mondays.  

Keep Exploring!

xo,

The Bayou Botanist