• Become a member
  • Volunteer
  • Host an Event
  • Give
  • Plan Your Visit
        • Plan Your Visit

          • Trail Map
          • Visitor Policies
          • Accessibility
          • Private Group Tours
          • Private Rentals
          • Calendar of Events
        • Hours & Parking

          Grounds & Trails 7 am – 7:30 pm, daily
          Nature Shop 9 am – 4 pm, daily

          Admission is free! Parking is $6.50, free on Thursdays for all guests and year-round for Arboretum Members

          More Info

  • Discover
        • McGovern Education Campus

          • Discovery Room
          • Nature Shop
          • Nature Playscape
        • Trails & More

          • Trails
          • Habitat Hikes
          • Field Stations
          • Gardens & Spaces
  • Programs
        • Children

          • Preschool
          • Home School
          • Girl Scouts & Boy Scouts
          • Nature Camps
          • Other Programs
        • Families

          • Learn More
        • Adults

          • Art & Photography
          • Food & Drink
          • Health & Wellness
          • Nature & Wildlife
          • Plants & Gardening
        • Educators

          • Field Trips
          • Acorn Academy
          • Summer Discovery Program
          • Professional Development
          • Book a Speaker
  • Events
          • Arbor Day Celebration
          • Plant Sales
          • Earth Day Celebration
          • Alfresco Gala
          • ArBOOretum
          • Arbor Cup Golf Tournament
          • Volunteer
          • Adults
          • Children
          • Families
          • Educators
          • View All
  • Conservation
          • Ecological Restoration & Land Stewardship
          • Landscaping with Native Plants
          • Community Science
          • Research
  • Plan Your Visit
    • Arboretum Trail Map
    • Visitor Policies
    • Accessibility
    • Private Group Tours
    • Private Rentals
    • Calendar of Events
  • Discover
    • Discovery Room
    • Nature Shop
    • Nature Playscape
    • Trails
    • Habitat Hikes
    • Field Stations
    • Gardens & Spaces
  • Programs
    • Children’s Programs
    • Family Programs
    • Adult Programs
    • Educator Programs
    • Special Events
  • Events
    • Volunteer
    • Adults
    • Children
    • Families
    • Educators
    • View All
  • Conservation
    • Ecological Restoration & Land Stewardship
    • Landscaping with Native Plants
    • Community Science
    • Research
  • Become a Member
  • Volunteer
  • Host an Event
  • Give

News & Blog

loblolly pinecone

May 17, 2022

Continue Reading

View All

Houston Monarch Story arrives at the Arboretum

Houston Arboretum & Nature Center is excited to announce the opening of the Houston Monarch Story, an interactive art installation celebrating Monarch butterflies and their vital habitat.

Read More

A Beginner’s Guide to Composting

If you’d like to do your part for the planet and begin composting, here are some simple steps to get you started. 

Read More

Board Spotlight: Dr. Cullen Geiselman Muse

As her Board service draws to a close, it is with deep gratitude that we acknowledge the unparalleled leadership of Dr. Cullen Geiselman Muse.

Read More

Inside a Prescribed Fire

Prescribed fire is vital for ecosystem health and community safety. Find out what is it like to be on the ground for one.

Read More

The Great Owl Rescue

On a cool February morning, a visitor spotted three white puffballs. They were Great Horned Owl chicks, and they were in trouble!

Read More

Experiencing Fall Migration

Happy Fall Migration! It may have just started to feel like autumn, but for birds, the subtle change in daylight hours at the end of August was enough to trigger their urge to travel.

Read More

The Dog Days of Summer

We’re entering the Dog Days of Summer in a much more literal way this year – with multiple coyote and fox sightings!

Read More

Birding as Citizen Science

The Global Big Day is a challenge to bird watchers everywhere: see as many bird species as possible in 24 hours. Will you join the challenge?

Read More

Earth Month Wrap-up

Thank you all for joining us during Earth Month! Just because April is almost over doesn’t mean that you have to stop helping the Earth. There are tons of great environmentally-friendly things for you to do all year.

Read More

Earth Week

Get ready to go outside (even if it’s just in your backyard) and celebrate nature with us this week! In honor of the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, we’re getting ready for two fabulous events – a virtual Earth Day celebration and the City Nature Challenge!

Read More

What Nature Means to You

Nature isn’t just a place to find animals and plants. Nature is relaxing, refreshing, comforting, and inspiring. Do you capture nature’s beauty with a camera or sketchbook? Do you jot down poems or creative writing in a nature journal? Use your art to show us how us how important nature is to you!

Read More

The Art of Recycling

Reducing, reusing, and recycling are some of the most important things we can do to help the earth, but they can also be really fun!

Read More

Get Social With Us!

#HoustonArboretum

Wishing everyone a happy and safe Independence Day Wishing everyone a happy and safe Independence Day! If you’re not a fan of fireworks ( we’re solidly team flowers instead of fireworks over here), stop by to enjoy some stunning summer blooms like this American Basketflower. Other than looking lovely, here are some of the other reasons we’re team flowers!

✅ Quiet
✅ Visible for more than a few seconds
✅ On display day and night 
✅ Good for the environment 
✅ Won’t scare wildlife…or your fur baby 

The Nature Center building is closed today, July 4, for the holiday, however the trails,  Nature Playscape, and outdoor restrooms remain open for your comfort and enjoyment. 

📸 Nova Morales
The munias are multiplying! Scaly-breasted Munias The munias are multiplying! Scaly-breasted Munias – also called Spice Finches – are small birds originally from Southeast Asia. Popular pets, they’ve escaped from captivity to form feral populations in Houston. While they were very rare at the Arboretum before 2020, in the last few years their population has increased. We now see a flock of about 30 munias every morning in front of the Nature Center building. Keep an eye out for them as you pass through the wetland garden on your way to the front door! #BeakOfTheWeek #WildlifeWednesday
As you make your holiday weekend plans, please not As you make your holiday weekend plans, please note that the Nature Center building, including the Nature Shop and Discovery Room will be closed this Friday, July 4 for Independence Day, but there's still plenty to do at the Arboretum! 

🥾 Explore one of our 13 trails
🐸 Search for wildlife in and around one of our 8 ponds and wetland areas
📍 Visit one of our 6 educational Field Stations
🌱 Discover new spots with one of our 5 Habitat Hikes
👶 Play your heart out at the one and only Nature Playscape

The trails, Nature Playscape, and outdoor restrooms will be open from 7 am - 7:30 pm so you can start the long weekend off with some time in nature!
No, our Great Egret did not shrink – you’re se No, our Great Egret did not shrink – you’re seeing a juvenile Little Blue Heron! Little Blue Herons are white when they hatch and slowly turn a deep purply-blue over the course of their first year. Thankfully you can tell young Little Blues apart from other white herons by their greenish legs and green-blue beak with a black tip. Our resident Great Egret is also white, but it has black legs and a yellow beak. Look for herons in all of our ponds, especially the Woodway Ponds. #BeakOfTheWeek #WildlifeWednesday 

📸 Rosemary Brooks
Yellow-crowned Night Herons show up at the Arboret Yellow-crowned Night Herons show up at the Arboretum in the summer for two things: crawfish and chill! Our sheltered wetlands provide rich hunting grounds and a safe place to relax. You may even spot one doing “yoga poses” to expose their feathers to the sun. It helps keep them clean and probably feels nice! #BeakOfTheWeek #WildlifeWednesday

Connect with us

Stay up to date with the latest from the Houston Arboretum

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
  • About Us
  • Our Staff
  • Employment Opportunities
  • Visitor & Photography Policies
  • Contact Us
  • Health & Safety
  • Blog

4501 Woodway Drive
Houston, TX 77024
Directions

713.681.8433

© 2025 Houston Arboretum & Nature Center. All rights reserved
  • Privacy Policy