Katy Prairie landscape pics

George Bush Park near North-South Bike Trail (6/6/2013)

Iconic Texas Longhorn grazing

Where to see longhorns with really long horns: 
George Ranch near Richmond off 59.
There are some at Houston Farm and Ranch in Bear Creek Park too, but they are not as majestic.

Grazing black-and-white longhorn cattle with country church in the background

Longhorn cattle at Houston Farm and Ranch Club pasture near Bear Creek Community Center

Arrival of Spring as early as first week of March

Tree in bloom on shore of small lake North of Noble Rd Trail in Bush Park

All-yellow little flower - Five yellow petals, yellow center and stamina

Yellow dots in green grass at the edge of the woods in  George Bush Bark

Landscape in Barker Reservoir end of February

Pines at Bear Creek

Landscape at T103 flood canal in George Bush Park (end of February at dusk)

Some now orange-colored berries left over from last Fall's crop

Greenery and yellow blooms in early March

Silhouette of trees without foliage near Patterson Rd and Highway 6
Leafless trees casting long shawdows at sunset

Old trees near Houston Farm Ranch and Bear Creek Community Center - in the late afternoon sun

Scenic landscape shots from the edge of H-Town - Katy Prairie in January

Harris County Flood Control Channel T-103 (Barker Reservoir) Photos

T103 as seen from ped-bike bridg

This drainage ditch hardly sports an impressive name, but it is a great birding location, and a hike and bike trail runs alongside it and makes this part of Barker Reservoir very accessible to walkers and cyclists alike. The foot bridge over the man-made canal, which feeds into Buffalo Bayou downstream is quite picturesque in its setting, particularly in the summer, when the surrounding landscape is green and the sky is blue. But that does not mean the landscape lacks aesthetic appeal during the cold season, as these pictures taken on a dreary day early in January illustrate. 

Looking across Flood Channel T103 from ped-bike bridge head on the North end

Pedestrian Bridge over flood canal running West-East to Buffalo Bayou

Flood Channel T103 with mowed banks and treeline with cloudy sky

Puddle in meadow that is not so green any more in January along the trail

Satellite map from pre-Google Maps days posted at trailhead

West Houston landscapes' aesthetic appeal not to be underestimated

You just need to find the right spot at the right time to enjoy some awesome vistas ... even in January ... even if the weather is dreary. The clouds can greatly enhance the aesthetic appeal of the winter-time landscape that has lost much of its lush spring and summer-time greenery, and even leafless tress can provide great scenic appeal as silhouettes against a deep-blue sky at dusk.  

George Bush Park is a great place for awesome-view prospecting, not to mention local landscape photography. After all, it is one of the largest contiguous uninhabited nature zones in the Houston metropolitan area. The high-rises are few and distant, and don't clutter the horizon. Because of its elevation and because the reservoir is located to the West of it, Barker Dam is one of the best places to enjoy West Houston sunsets, but the pictures here were taken inside the Reservoir North of Rugby fields at and near Flood Control Channel T-103.  

Sundown in George Bush Park early in the year

Silhouette of tree against overcast sky with setting sun

Man-mad watercourse for drainage  in Bush Park - Looking West

Looking East from pedestrian bridge at Flood Control Channel T-103 

Silhouette of windmill at Barker evokes Katy area's ranching past

It's actually not a mill. The wind-energy was used to power a water pump

Erstwhile Barker General Store and Post Office seen across the fields

Gate at Marks LH7 Ranch (also written as _H7  to render the shape of the brand mark more accurately)
with church and farm buildings in back behind. Although the original meaning has fallen into disuse, brands
were used to mark ownership of cattle to allow for easier identification in the event of cattle theft, and thus deter it.

Texas Historical Commission marker  and interpretive poster at site of former LH7 Ranch at Barker Reservoir
located a bit South of Katy Freeway off stretch of Barker-Clodine Road (now a cul de sac because the section running down to Westheimer Parkway is closed to motor traffic.)

Annotated aerial view of _H7 Ranch Buildings with historical photographs of rancher and longhorn cattle

Addicks Reservoir in December - Some Visuals

Views from the lake on a late November afternoon