Discover what the Houston Arboretum has to offer this Fall with ArBOOretum, nature classes and more!
HOUSTON, Texas (September 12, 2017) —Celebrate the return of cooler fall weather by exploring the 155-acre nature sanctuary at the Houston Arboretum & Nature Center. With five miles of walking trails accessible free of charge, observation decks, and an indoor Discovery Room, this urban oasis is the perfect place to relax and recharge.
Bird-lovers can take a 20 minute hike to the Charlotte Couch Birding Platform overlooking Buffalo Bayou for a scenic view. With towering Sycamores, Oaks, and Pines the secluded spot is an ideal place to see birds and other wild creatures. If you’re looking for a shorter walk to watch wildlife, take a stroll to the Meadow, Pond & Observation Decks where the landscape transitions between East Texas Pineywoods and the Gulf Coast Prairie. For families with strollers or visitors in wheelchairs, the Biomimicry Trail is a short trail that is easily accessible to all. Encircling the Nature Center, the trail passes a small pond and features five interpretive signs that showcase local species.
The Houston Arboretum offers these free trails in addition to fun nature events and classes for people of all ages. This fall go trick-or-treating atArBOOretum, go on a birdwatching hike and learn about common fall migrants with Beginner Birdwatching, or celebrate the winter night sky with the Houston Astronomical Society at the Trees & Stars Winter Celebration.
For more information about the trails click here. For a complete list of classes, happenings, and prices this season see below or visitwww.houstonarboretum.org. Pictures can be shared on social media by tagging @HoustonArboretum on Facebook and Instagram or @HoustonArboretu on Twitter!
Special Events
Fall Plant Sale
Saturday and Sunday, September 16-17
9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Join us for our Fall Plant Sale! We will be offering native grasses, flowers, shrubs, and trees – perfect for attracting butterflies, bees, and other pollinators to your yard or garden. Proceeds benefit the Arboretum’s conservation and education efforts. Members receive discounts on all plant sale purchases.
ArBOOretum
Saturday, October 21
10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Admission is free for members
General admission is $15 for ages 3 and up. No pets, please.
Happy Halloween! The Arboretum invites you to our annual ArBOOretum fall festival. At ArBOOretum all the little ghouls and goblins and their parents come to play, learn, and have an enchanting day. Activities include pumpkin decorating, train rides, live owls & reptiles, pony rides and more!
Everyone is encouraged to wear their spookiest or coolest costumes along with comfortable walking shoes. Time of last entry is 3:15 pm. This event is rain or shine.
Annual Arbor Cup Tournament
A Round in the Woods
Co-chaired by Lawson Gow and Ben Griffin
Tuesday, October 17
1:00 – 6:00 pm
Memorial Park Golf Course
Benefitting Houston Arboretum & Nature Center
Get together a team of friends, co-workers or clients and join us for an enjoyable game of golf! Registration for a single team of four players includes a golf cart, green fees, player gifts, snacks, and lunch provided by Beck’s Prime.
Trees & Stars Winter Celebration
Saturday, December 9
6:30 – 9:30 pm
$30 member / $45 nonmember / $15 children ages 5-12
Instructor: Houston Astronomical Society
Ages 5 and up
Join the Arboretum and the Houston Astronomical Society for a winter celebration! Enjoy festive food, Saint Arnold beer, Katz Coffee, and a hot chocolate bar inside. Outside, hike through the winter woods and look through telescopes to see the moon and stars.
Adult Programs
Arboretum at Night
Bats
Saturday, September 23
6:00 – 8:00 pm
$30 member / $45 nonmember
Instructor: Dr. Cullen Geiselman
Ages 16 and up
Do you like cucumbers, guava, and tequila? Then you love bats! Join Dr. Cullen Geiselman for a fun and relaxed talk about these wonderful but misunderstood creatures. In particular, you’ll learn why bats are crucial for pest control, seed dispersal, and pollination. While you learn, you’ll enjoy a selection of beers from Saint Arnold Brewing Company, light snacks, and Katz Coffee. Weather permitting, we’ll go on a night hike to look for bats.
Wild Bounty
Saturday, October 14
6:30 – 8:30 pm
$40 member / $65 nonmember
Instructor: Dr. Mark Vorderbruggen
Ages 16 and up
Grapes, pecans, chiles, and more – Texas produces a fabulous fall bounty. Join local expert Dr. Mark Vorderbruggen for a talk about the wonderful wild edibles you can find in your own backyard. You’ll get to sample a selection of foods made from native Texas plants while you also enjoy local Saint Arnold beer, Katz Coffee, and tea made from native yaupon holly. This is a unique chance to celebrate the wilder side of local food!
A Taste of Honey
Saturday, November 11
6:00 – 8:00 pm
$40 member / $65 nonmember
Instructor: Nicole Buergers
Ages 16 and up
Celebrate the fall harvest with the sweet taste of honey. Join local beekeeper Nicole Buergers for a guided honey tasting while she answers your questions about bees and honey. You’ll enjoy a sample of mead – also called honey wine – and a selection of fruits and cheeses, along with Saint Arnold beer and Katz Coffee. It’s the most delicious way to support local honey producers and pollinator conservation!
Nature & Wildlife
Series: Nature Revealed
$20 member / $30 nonmember
Monarchs
Saturday, October 7
9:30 – 11:30 am
Instructor: Kelsey Low
Ages 13 and up
Monarch butterflies captivate us with their beauty and incredible endurance, but despite their popularity, monarch populations are in serious decline. In this class, you’ll learn about their complex relationship to milkweed, their multi-generational migration, and what you can do to help monarchs at home and on a global scale. We’ll even give you some native wildflower seeds to plant at home.
The Secret Life of Squirrels
Saturday, November 4
9:30 – 11:30 am
Instructor: Kelsey Low
Ages 13 and up
Squirrels are so common that we take them for granted, but they really live fascinating lives. For example, did you know that Eastern Gray Squirrels are one of the few animal species known to lie to deceive others? These adaptable creatures can be found worldwide in many habitats, from rainforests to deserts. In this class we’ll focus on the anatomy, ecology, and behavior of our three Houston species. We’ll also send you home with a squirrel feeder so you can study these amazing creatures up close.
Bones
Saturday, December 2
9:30 – 11:30 am
Instructor: Kelsey Low
Ages 13 and up
An animal’s bones can tell you a lot about how it lives. From teeth and jaws to shells, plates, and claws – bones reflect how animals eat, hunt, and defend themselves. In this class, you’ll learn about what bones are, the major groups of bones, and their most important functions. We’ll use local examples to discuss how to determine an animal’s lifestyle by looking at their bones. Finally, we’ll put our knowledge into practice by identifying and assembling animal bones from owl pellets.
Series: Birds
Second Saturday Bird Walks
2nd Saturday of the month
8:00 – 10:00 am
FREE
Instructor: Kelsey Low
Work on your bird watching skills while helping the Arboretum monitor bird populations on a fun, relaxed morning walk. Join us on the second Saturday of each month at the front door of the building for a two-hour bird walk led by Kelsey Low, resident bird enthusiast. We welcome all levels of bird watching skill and all ages (as long as you’re quiet) – but no dogs, please! If you have binoculars of your own, please bring them. We do have some binoculars available to borrow.
Beginner Birdwatching
Saturday, September 30
9:30 – 11:30 am
$20 member / $35 nonmember
Instructor: Kelsey Low
Ages 13 and up
Do you want to be a birdwatcher, but don’t know where to start? This is the class for you! You’ll learn how to find the perfect pair of binoculars, how to use them, what to look for in a field guide, and the basics of identifying birds. Weather permitting, we’ll go on a short bird walk to practice binocular skills and finding birds.
Field Trip: Laffite’s Cove
Saturday, October 28
7:30 am – 1:00 pm
$40 member / $55 nonmember
Instructor: Kelsey Low
Ages 13 and up
Laffite’s Cove on Galveston Island is a treasure trove of birds during migration. Roseate Spoonbill, Crested Caracara, Black-and-white Warbler, and Indigo Bunting are all possibilities. While you observe the amazing waders, seabirds, and fall migrants, your guide will also talk about migration and what you can do to help spring migrants.
Winter Birdwatching Workshop
Saturday, December 16
8:00 – 11:00 am
$30 member / $45 nonmember
Instructor: Kelsey Low
Ages 12 and up
Want to take your birdwatching skills to the next level? In this workshop, you’ll work on refining your bird ID skills by sight and sound. Enjoy bird-friendly Katz Coffee while we talk about how a more “holistic” approach to field marks (GISS) can help speed identification, and how to break down bird sounds into simpler parts. We’ll also discuss binoculars and their care. Finally, weather permitting, we’ll go on a bird walk to practice these new skills.
Plants & Gardening
Hummingbird Container Garden
Saturday, September 16
11:00 am – 12:30 pm
1:00 – 2:30 pm
$40 member / $65 nonmember (per container; max 4 people per container)
Instructor: Arboretum staff
Ages 5 and up
Ruby-throated Hummingbirds migrate south through Houston in the fall. If you would like to attract these flying jewels to your yard, plant a hummingbird garden! In this class you’ll get all the supplies and instruction you need to create a beautiful native container garden for your yard or deck. You’ll also learn other ways you can help migrating hummingbirds. Up to four people may work on one container; this is a great activity for families and friends.
Art & Photography
DIY Paper
Saturday, November 18
1:00 – 3:00 pm
$20 member / $35 nonmember
Instructor: Kelsey Low
Ages 16 and up
Add a personal touch to your holiday gifts with beautiful, homemade paper. Learn how easy it is to make your own recycled paper for cards, ornaments, and more. You can even make special seed paper to plant in the garden! We’ll provide everything you need to make paper, including the option to make special paper shapes for cards, gift tags, or ornaments.
Edible Arboretum
Edible Wild Plants
Sunday, October 8
Sunday, December 3
1:00 – 5:00 pm
$40 member / $70 nonmember
Instructor: Dr. Mark Vorderbruggen
Ages 12 and up
Discover the delicious side of nature. Texas provides an abundance of wild edible leaves, seeds, flowers, roots, and shoots – if you know where to look. Learn where to find, how to identify, and how to properly prepare a seasonal selection of local edible plant species. As our landscape changes throughout the year, the selection of plants will change, so you can repeat the class each season to experience new content.
DIY Wild Tea
Saturday, September 30
2:00 – 4:00 pm
$20 member / $35 nonmember
Instructor: Kelsey Low
Ages 16 and up
Do you enjoy drinking herbal tea? Discover how simple it is to prepare using wild plants and garden herbs from your own backyard! In this class you’ll learn to identify a few safe native and garden plants to use for tea, how to harvest them, and how to prepare the tea. We will make at least three kinds of tea, including yaupon holly – but the other selections will depend on what’s in season.
Pecan Celebration
Saturday, November 18
10:00 am – 12:00 pm
$20 member / $35 nonmember
Instructor: Kelsey Low
Ages 13 and up
We don’t need to tell Texans that pecans are the best nuts around! The rich, buttery flavor is perfect in a multitude of recipes. Learn three easy pecan recipes in this fun class: pecan persimmon cookies, quick pecan pralines, and maple-apple-pecan salad. While we’re cooking, we’ll also talk about the benefits of pecan trees for wildlife.
Family Programs
Series: Naturally Wild Families
Canepole Fishing
Saturday, November 4
1 pm, 2 pm, or 3 pm
$25 member / $50 nonmember (per adult/child pair)
Enjoy this rare opportunity for catch-and-release fishing at the Arboretum! First you’ll learn the basics of baiting a hook and using a traditional cane pole. We’ll have fun trying to catch one of our many freshwater fish species, identifying turtles, and learning how much fun it is to be an angler. Come enjoy an afternoon at the pond with us!
Homemade Holidays
Saturday, December 2
1:00 – 3:00 pm
$25 member / $50 nonmember (per family)
Notes: Price includes up to 4 family members; $5 per additional family member.
Natural elements can really spruce up your holiday decorations and gifts! With hands-on guidance and materials like grapevine, branches, berries, and pinecones, you will create a wreath, ornaments, and handmade gifts. There’s something so special and fun about creating something with your own two hands and making memories with your friends and family.