Every spring and fall, billions of birds migrate through the US, mostly under the cover of darkness. This mass movement of birds must contend with a dramatically increasing but still largely unrecognized threat: light pollution.

What BirdCast needs you to do:

• Join BirdCast by committing to turn lights off from 11:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. during critical migration periods.
• Talk with friends, businesses, elected officials, schools, and other stakeholders and get them to join the movement, too!
• Share your support for the cause via social media and with local media.

Senior adults are invited to a variety of natural history programs, leisurely walks and fun nature activities every 1st Friday of the month. Meet at the nature center.

The Nature Discovery Center Naturalists offer weekend Meet the Animals sessions aimed to give you a more in depth introduction to Nature Discovery Center animals. Come learn about their behavior and ecology as well as the characteristics that make them unique in an interactive program with both live animals and natural history specimens.

Limit: 10 people to allow for better social distancing. Please bring and wear your masks as social distancing may not always be possible on the trails.

Days, Dates, Times & Topics:
Saturday, January 16 at 1:00 pm – Fuzzy Mammals
Saturday, March 20 at 1:00 pm – Reptiles
Saturday, May 15 at 1:00 pm – Insects and Inverts

Cost: $5 / person

Meet: Behind the Center at the Pavilions.

Advance registration is required. This is not a drop off program. All children must be registered and accompanied by registered adults.

Register Online Now: https://naturediscoverycentertexas.z2systems.com/eventReg.jsp?event=436&

Note: This program is subject to cancellation due to inclement weather or due to changes in the status of the pandemic and corresponding city, county and state regulations.

Join a women-only hiking program at the Jesse H. Jones Park & Nature Center for adults 18+, led by volunteer Ms. Texas Wadsworth. The program will meet monthly in the Spring and Fall. To register, please visit the online reservation platform here: https://www.hcp4.net/parks/jjp/events/

For more information about Texas Wadsworth, visit her Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/thehikingtexan

Senior adults are invited to a variety of natural history programs, leisurely walks and fun nature activities every 1st Friday of the month. Meet at the nature center.

Because Breathing is Living!

Gather your friends, family and coworkers and join American Lung Association of Texas at this year’s LUNG FORCE Walk. American Lung Association of Texas are  coming together to celebrate their power to make a difference in a people’s lives.

American Lung Association of Texas is getting ready for a morning of fresh air, healthy fun, and healthy lungs, and American Lung Association of Texas would love to see you there. It doesn’t matter whether you stroll, saunter or power-walk, everyone is welcome, regardless of age or athletic ability.

Register today and save your spot at the LUNG FORCE Walk – Texas on June 5, 2021 at 8:00 AM (CT). Help American Lung Association of Texas achieve their  vision of a world free of lung cancer and lung disease.

Time: 10:30 to 12:00 pm
Parking: City Lot H
Location: The Water Works at Buffalo Bayou Park (105 Sabine St.)

Enjoy a free walking tour in Buffalo Bayou Park highlighting the landscape and ecology of 19th century Texas that created Houston, as well as the importance of prairies in rebuilding this astonishing and all but vanished ecosystem.

Time: 10:30 to 12:00 pm
Parking: City Lot H
Location: The Water Works at Buffalo Bayou Park (105 Sabine St.)

Enjoy a free walking tour in Buffalo Bayou Park highlighting the landscape and ecology of 19th century Texas that created Houston, as well as the importance of prairies in rebuilding this astonishing and all but vanished ecosystem.

Time: 10:30 to 12:00 pm
Parking: City Lot H
Location: The Water Works at Buffalo Bayou Park (105 Sabine St.)

Enjoy a free walking tour in Buffalo Bayou Park highlighting the landscape and ecology of 19th century Texas that created Houston, as well as the importance of prairies in rebuilding this astonishing and all but vanished ecosystem.

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.