Our Park is part of a prairie restoration project that aims to show off the native coastal prairie ecosystem that was present in this part of Texas for the last 23,000 years. The silt from Hurricane Harvey dealt this project a setback, but there is a stunning patch of prairie plants going strong just to… Read more »
When I was contemplating this blog, I knew there were a few topics that I would cover early and possibly often. One of the first was any lasting effect Harvey might have on the ecosystem of the Park. Another was one of my favorite flowers, Bidens alba. Funny thing – topic A, seems to have… Read more »
We have been taught to think of bees as European honey bees. I don’t have to tell you about them, you learned it in grade school. They make hives. They have a queen. They dance. But, not all bees are European honey bees. We have 600 species of native bees in Texas and not one… Read more »
Usually, things are red for a reason. It’s a color that really shows up. If you want to stand out, wear red. Of course, if you are small and surrounded by larger, hungry things, red might not be your color. So, what should we make of this friend that I ran into off the trail… Read more »
Buffalo Bayou Park is full of Common Sunflowers, and our Common Sunflowers are full of leaf-cutter bees. Common Sunflowers are just that, common. They are the tall ones (four to six feet) with flowers four to five inches in diameter. You can find them everywhere. They were an important food crop for native peoples. So… Read more »
When you take a really close look at butterflies, there’s a lot more going on than gossamer wings toting a straw from flower to flower. For example, what’s up with those eyes? Each of our eyes has a single lens and both rods and cones. Rods allow us to perceive light and dark. Cones are specialized… Read more »
Vast swathes of Buffalo Bayou Park are a banquet for butterflies. Wildflowers spread across sunny hillsides. Yet, when I visit the shady Greentree Nature Trail, I always see bunches of butterflies. This is odd because I cannot think of a good reason for them to be there. Butterflies do not waste time. Their job is… Read more »
This little butterfly is a Hairstreak, probably a Red-Banded Hairstreak. There is a Dusky-Blue Hairstreak that looks a lot like its cousin and it is possible that they are really one species. They both employ the same little trick, which isn’t really apparent in a still photo, so I have posted a video below. Imagine… Read more »
You might never have noticed the sign pointing to the Green Tree Nature Trail on the north side of the bayou just east of the bat bridge. Or, if you did, you might have thought twice because the trail is dark and isolated. But, if you summon your courage (it is, by the way, absolutely… Read more »
If you are in Buffalo Bayou Park looking for butterflies, find a stand of Bidens alba and stay there. Every butterfly in the park will stop by for a visit. Because of this, Bidens alba is one of my favorite plants. It’s no show-stopper. You’ve undoubtedly seen it; in summer months, it is ubiquitous. If… Read more »