Calendar
Sign up for the Bayou Land Conservancy newsletter to receive an email with a link to watch 3 different, curated film programs from the Wild and Scenic collection. This year’s festival includes programs for grades K – 4, 5 – 8 and 9 – 12.
The week of May 11-16th, 2020, the festival will be celebrated via Facebook.
Every day, the shared content pertains to a different aspect of how nature benefits health.
The content will consist of daily posts, reading recommendations, live yoga, videos by exhibitors, and more! Some of the exhibitors who’ve submitted video content include Cypress Creek Greenway Project Chair-Jim Robertson, Naturalist- Lauren Hollenbeck from Lake Houston, and Certified Nature Therapy Guide Cindy Scott from Jones State Forest.
Join in daily for live streaming of Holistic Yoga sessions by SVyasa Trained instructor, Latha Kuruvanka starting at 5:30 p.m..
THEMES
Monday 5/11: The impact of nature on physical health.
Tuesday 5/12: Nature Connection &Mental Wellness
Wednesday 5/13: Recreation in Nature
Thursday 5/14 Holistic Nature
Friday 5/15: Art in Nature
Saturday 5/16: Unseen Nature (wildlife and more)
The Kemah Boardwalk will be transformed into a fun, educational, environmental atmosphere complete with all things wet, furry, scaly, feathery, muddy and more that define Galveston Bay. The Bay Day Festival is free to attend!
Visitors to the Galveston Bay Foundation’s annual Bay Day Festival learn all about Galveston Bay, the largest bay in Texas and one of the most productive estuaries in the country. Festival highlights include bay-themed arts and crafts, live animal demonstrations and touch tanks, a Galveston Bay Explorer game, science and marine exhibits and more. Children and adults learn about the importance of Galveston Bay in our everyday lives as they engage with a variety of local educational exhibits.
Join Galveston Bay Foundation for a virtual event, with exhibitors providing educational videos of their exhibits.
Landscape Photography WorkshopÂ
Saturday, February 22
12:00 – 2:00 p.m.
Co-presented by Houston Center for Photography
16 years and older (adults and teens)
Class fee: $20
Explore the landscape of Houston Botanic Garden through the lens of a camera. Learn about basic composition guidelines, such as framing, perspective, leading lines, Rule of Thirds, and more and how you can incorporate these into your own photographs of the environment.
Participate in the City Nature Challenge on April 30 – May 2. Be part of an international project, support outdoor learning and exploration, and even integrate technology into the classroom.
Find an Educator Toolkit here: https://
Find a student-friendly explanation video here: https://youtu.be/
Visit the Houston project page on iNaturalist here: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/city-nature-challenge-2021-houston-galveston.
Join in a fun challenge to observe and record wild species. It is easy to participate by making observations on your own using the iNaturalist app. Just take a picture of a plant or animal, and the community will help identify which species it is. Any observation in the greater metropolitan area of Houston will count during the four-day challenge. You can participate by exploring the life in your backyard (and use the hashtag #backyardchallenge on social media), in your neighborhood park, or from an apartment balcony or courtyard. You can also help with IDs for other people’s observations to increase our species count.
Pollinator migration season is nearly here! Show your love of these beneficial insects by attending the Fourth Annual Pollinator Festival and Plant Sale on Saturday, Oct. 2, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Mercer Botanic Gardens, 22306 Aldine Westfield Road in Humble.
What to Buy
Shop plants that attract bees, butterflies, and other pollinators to your garden. The Mercer Society’s (TMS) Pollinator Plant Sale features host and nectar plants, including blue mistflower, purple coneflower, cardinal flower, Texas lantana, and scarlet tropical sage. Create a stunning home habitat for monarch butterflies by planting a wide variety of Texas native milkweed, including zizotes milkweed, green milkweed, aquatic milkweed, swamp milkweed, and antelope horns. Bring other local and migrating species to your yard by adding Texas native host plants. False nettle attracts red admirals and queens, spicebush lures spicebush swallowtails, and maypop brings gulf fritillaries.
Activities
This free, outdoor community event also features a scarecrow contest, lawn games, educational displays, and a book sale hosted by the Baldwin Boettcher Branch Library and Friends of the Library. Visit local exhibitors and vendors and participate in pollinator-themed activities, including the Pollinator Partners Promenade, a self-guided garden tour. If you need advice on pollinator plant selection or garden maintenance, visit a Harris County master gardener at the Ask a Master Gardener tent or connect with knowledgeable TMS plant growers.
Live performances will occur throughout the day, including an eclectic mix of Appalachian fiddle tunes and Celtic music by the Dulcimer Doin’s, Native American flute music by the Spring Cypress Flute Circle, and popular songs from the 1920s to today by the Houkulele Strummers. To add to the fun, visitors are invited to dress in bee, butterfly, bat, hummingbird, or flower attire.
What to Bring
Plant sale attendees are encouraged to bring something to transport their purchases, as wagons are limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. Proceeds from the Pollinator Plant Sale benefit Mercer Botanic Gardens. The festival is held outdoors at Mercer’s East Side Main Garden. Event parking is at the West Side Arboretum. Parking for those with disabilities is at the East Side Main Garden. Shuttles are available to transport visitors between the garden and arboretum on the east and west sides. A parent or guardian must accompany children younger than 16. Volunteer opportunities are also available. Email jhartwell@hcp4.net for details.
The Wild & Scenic Film Festival On Tour is returning to Houston on January 29, 2022. Hosted by the Citizens’ Environmental Coalition, this year’s film fest will be a hybrid event, taking place both online and in person at MATCH to accommodate everyone’s COVID safety preferences.
SPONSORS
Thank you to our 2022 Sponsors:
Chapter Meeting: Photographing Texas Prairies
Join the Native Plant Society of Texas for their chapter meeting on Zoom! Register
Monday, February 14 • 6:30 p.m.
Good photography can change hearts and minds. Join professional photographer Sean Fitzgerald for a presentation on how to photograph prairies for maximum impact, with a particular focus on often overlooked Texas prairie ecosystems. Learn valuable tips to take better photos using a variety of techniques to help you tell the stories you want to tell.