This evergreen shrub with glossy green leaves produces tiny white flowers in the spring, which in turn, produce bright red berries in the fall and winter. Birds eat the berries, and the leaves are fodder for native insects.

When Hurricane Ike passed through Houston in 2008, the park lost a lot of trees like this one.  These trees were not removed but were left to provide habitat for insects, amphibians and other creatures and to decompose, returning nutrients back to the soil.  But the cross-sawn trunk of the pine tree in front of you also provides a window into the past.

A tree fell here and a small pond was created where the root ball was.  When it rains, the pond will collect and hold water, but it will eventually dry up if we have a long, hot, dry spell, especially during the summer months. Since the pools are temporary, frogs and salamanders can lay their eggs without fear of aquatic predators.

DO NOT TOUCH!  All parts of poison ivy are toxic to humans. Remember the following sayings to protect yourself: “Leaves of three, let it be.” “If it’s hairy, it’s scary!” and “Berries white are a fright.” The rash that can result from those sensitive or allergic and exposed to poison ivy can be a nuisance.

As this small grove of young Loblolly Pines grows up, they create an environment that limits the growth of competing plants.  The thick carpet of pine needles underneath the trees serves to prevent light from hitting the ground around the trees. As the carpet of pine needles decomposes the acidity of the soil increases thus making it difficult for other plants to grow.

This plant is a Palmetto, a very hardy palm with mostly underground stems.  It is a native on the Gulf Coast from Florida to Texas. These palms like to grow in damp soil, so they are usually found on stream banks and in wetland areas.

The Winged Elm, also called Cork Elm, Wahoo Elm, or Witch Elm, is one of our native trees. It will grow 30-40 ft. high with spreading branches that form a round-topped, oblong head with opposite corky ridges which occur on the branches in one plane

An urban oasis such as ours offers a tremendous flood mitigation benefit. A big tree like each of these twin Water Oaks can soak up as much as 140 gallons of water a day through their roots! There are over 1,200 trees this size or larger in our nature preserve, which together absorb up to 168,000 gallons of water a day - not even considering the thousands of smaller trees, the water that’s absorbed into the ground, and the water that evaporates from leaves and branches.

Shelf fungi tend to grow out from the tree in woody shelves. These fungi provide a valuable service to the forest by helping to decompose dead trees, returning valuable nutrients back to the soil to support the growth of other plants and animals.

An essential and important component of healthy soil, decomposing leaf litter releases nutrients into the soil and also keeps it moist.  In a deciduous forest system such as this one, the leaf litter covers the soil so that other plants besides the trees can grow in the ecosystem.

Found all over North America from Canada to southeastern Texas, especially in the swampy bayou region around Houston, this fast-growing tree can grow to be 120 feet tall and its bright green leaves will turn purple or yellow in the fall.

This evergreen shrub blooms white flowers in the spring, which produce green, one-seeded fruits. The fruits eventually turn a rather glossy black, making them attractive to the various birds that enjoy eating these fruits, especially in late winter.

In addition to providing habitat for wildlife, these gardens help conserve water by growing native plants. When the gardens were created, we built healthy soil by using compost to incorporate organic matter. By allowing the leaf litter and dead perennial plant material to remain in the garden over the winter, the garden produces its own compost yearly.