• 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 and on the Second Sunday of each month 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
          • Professional Development
          • Book a Speaker
  • Events
          • Arbor Day Celebration
          • Tapas on the Trails
          • Plant Sales
          • 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

Water Features

April 17, 2021

Continue Reading

View All

2026 Alfresco Gala raises $500,000

Houston Arboretum’s 2026 Alfresco Gala, honoring Main Street Capital, raised $500,000 to fund conservation and education programs.

Read More

Arboretum receives $50,000 grant from The John M. O’Quinn Foundation for free parking

The first Sunday of free parking is April 12, in honor of Earth Month. After that, free parking will be available on the second Sunday of every month through March 14, 2027.

Read More

Houston Arboretum & Nature Center awarded Level 1 Accreditation by ArbNet Accreditation Program

The Houston Arboretum has been awarded a Level 1 Accreditation by The ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program and The Morton Arboretum.

Read More

Richard King Mellon Foundation Awards $90,000 Grant for Fall 2025 Conservation Project

The grant will fund the removal of invasive plant species and support hiring Student Conservation Association program participants, who will help restore the Arboretum’s woodland habitats.

Read More

Reflecting on 20 Years at the Arboretum

20 years ago, I stepped into my role at the Arboretum with a deep love for nature and a desire to help more people experience its beauty.

Read More

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

Get Social With Us!

#HoustonArboretum

Daylight hours are getting shorter and so are our Daylight hours are getting shorter and so are our trail hours! Starting, November 1, we will be switching to our Fall & Winter Hours which are 7 am - 6 pm, daily. These shortened trail hours will run from November through the end of February. We will switch back to our later closures in March as the days get longer once again.

The Nature Center building hours will remain the same, and the building will be open from 9 am - 4 pm for your enjoyment!

📸 Brandon Huttenlocher
It’s a not-so-spooky surprise for Halloween! A sha It’s a not-so-spooky surprise for Halloween! A sharp-eyed volunteer spotted a Buff-bellied Hummingbird on the Display Walk visiting a patch of Turk’s Cap flowers. This beautiful hummingbird normally lives in Mexico and south Texas, so we were very surprised to see it here at the Arboretum. Not much is known about these secretive hummingbirds. Some migrate south in the winter, but quite a few of them migrate NORTH instead – which is very odd! Thankfully the Arboretum has plenty of nectar-rich native plants like Red Sage, Turk’s Cap, and Trumpet Creeper where the Buff-bellied Hummingbird can get the fuel it needs. #BeakOfTheWeek #WildlifeWednesday

📸 Christine Mansfield
Ok, hear us out - what if your Friendsgiving or Th Ok, hear us out - what if your Friendsgiving or Thanksgiving staple this year was homemade, plant-infused pasta crafted with wild greens you foraged yourself? If that sounds right up your alley, join us Sunday, November 22 for Cooking Wild: Homemade Pasta! @merriwetherforager will spend the afternoon walking you through foraging for greens, making the dough, and cooking the pasta. You'll get to try some in class and take the rest home. Meal prep: complete!

Learn more at https://houstonarboretum.org/event/cooking-wild-homemade-pasta/
Happy Halloween week! If you're still looking for Happy Halloween week! If you're still looking for something fun to do during the day this Saturday, October 31, head to the Arboretum to make your very own Pumpkin Planter! Learn how to plan, plant, and care for three species of native plants in a cute artificial pumpkin container. You'll even get to decorate your mini-gardens with ribbons, glass pebbles, and more.

Learn more at https://houstonarboretum.org/event/pumpkin-planters/
Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are still passing throu Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are still passing through on their way to wintering grounds in southern Mexico, but did you know that there’s another hummingbird that spends the whole winter in Houston? It’s the Rufous Hummingbird! These rusty beauties breed as far northwest as Alaska, and while most travel south to winter on the Pacific coast of Mexico, a small population travels east and winters along the Texas Gulf Coast. No one is sure exactly why, but we’re happy to see them! Rufous Hummingbirds need to eat plenty of nectar and insects in order to survive the winter cold, so they rely on native flowers which provide both sugary nectar and good habitat for tiny bugs. If you’d like to support pollinators like Rufous Hummingbirds in your garden, join us for Pumpkin Planters on Saturday, October 31 from 1:00-2:30 pm! We’ll use beautiful fall-blooming native flowers that attract hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees. #BeakOfTheWeek #WildlifeWednesday 

📸 Oregon Department of Transportation

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

© 2026 Houston Arboretum & Nature Center. All rights reserved
  • Privacy Policy