Dragonflies come in many colors - Houston area wetlands

Little blue dragonflies out in force in George Bush Park after heavy rains (11/1/2013 pic)

This dragonfly  is special, featuring two colors: green and blue. Monochromatic ones are more common.
Spotted in Bear Creek Pioneers Park, which is currently partially flooded as a result of heavy rains in the watershed, is heavily frequented by dragonflies (and ibises).

The pics below show a variety of dragonflies, in different colors, that are common in the West Houston area.

 

 

Tall prairie grasses silhouetted against the sky

 

Alligators - Where to see them in their natural habitat

There are occasional reports of alligator sightings along Buffalo Bayou. There is even a warning sign in the Houston Arboretum at the boardwalk to the observation deck overlooking the bayou near the railroad trestle bridge.

But if you want to observe alligators in the wild, Houston-area bayous are not the best place to go on a reptilian safari. They are the main attraction of a nearby state park, where there are hundreds of them: Brazos Bend State Park off Highway 59 near George Ranch in the Richmond, Texas, area.

The alligators there are mostly passive, either floating in the water or basking on the shores in the sun. But that does not mean they are harmless. Alligator etiquette must be strictly observed. Obviously, you can't feed them. Nor are you allowed to approach them. For nature lovers and curious tourists alike the good thing is you don't have to go search for them, and don't have to take unnecessary risks. Adult and juvenile alligators populate multiple lakes in this huge park. They are easy to encounter both in the water on the shores, -- and to take pictures of (with zoom). You can even observe them from the fishing pier, or from the trail leading down to the fishing peer. Watch out! Sometimes they even come out to the trail. And don't fight an alligator for a fish you have on the line. Cut your line, and let him have it.

Brazos Bend State Park sign at access road to the park

Address: 21901 FM 762 Needville, TX 77461

Alligator warning sign at fishing pier in Brazos Bend State Park

Floating alligator's back exposed above the water surface in one of the lakes

Egret and alligator on lake shore

For more information on Brazos Bend State Park, check out the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department web site. 

Ducks in pairs and bevies - Black-bellied whistling ducks are plentiful and gregarious

A pair of black-bellied whistling ducks side by side in wetlands habitat

Silhouette of dead tree with whistling ducks sitting on tree limbs

Whistling Ducks taking off in the wetlands

Black-bellied whistling ducks perched at pond on Exxon Chemical corporate campus
next to Terry Hershey Park on Memorial Drive

Duck perched on a barbed wire

Managed environment appreciation: Flood control channel at dusk

Flood control canals, flood channels, drainage ditches, run-off conveyance trenches, etc. All are defined by their function, but that does not mean they are not a proper object of aesthetic appreciation, especially when they are part of an appealing landscape and populated with wildlife. 

Great white egret shaking its plumage at drainage canal in George Bush Park

Egrets and other large birds can regularly been seen at Harris County Flood Channel T-103, which flows into Buffalo Bayou in the Southern part of George Bush Park, and yet very accessible, because of the paved hike & bike trail that runs alongside it. Easiest way to get to it is from the Rugby / Soccer fields on Westheimer, which offer plenty of parking space. 

Pedestrian truss bridge over T-103, a tributary of Buffalo Bayou, with reflection 

A picturesque pedestrian truss bridge connects to the trail that runs East to the Equestrian area parking lot and includes a long wooden-plank boardwalk section where it crosses Buffalo Bayou, not just the typical rusty truss bridge. 

The area around the bridge and alongside the channel is open, which allows the sky and the treeline to be reflected in the water surface, creating a pleasant scenery, especially at sunsets with cloudy sky. Bush Park offers magnificent sunsets. (Click link(s) for more suburban sunsets vistas). 

Flood Canal T-103 in Barker Reservoir - Looking West from North Bank (Feb 2013 photo)

The water and shores of the canal are popular with large birds (egrets, herons, even ibises, which are much rarer than the ubiquitous great white egrets) and groups of deer can often been seen on the South side emerging from the edge of the woods at dusk. 

Wetlands Restoration Area in Barker Reservoir

Treeline and ditch on side of Noble Road Trail looking West
(Feb 2013 photo)

Palmetto in the wetlands

Palmetto sign in its typical habitat

Palmetto is an indicator plant found in wetlands areas, here at a ditch feeding into Buffalo Bayou inside George Bush Park

Palmetto bush on banks of a watercourse that periodically swells to  flood the surrounding wetlands area

The Houston Arboretum and Nature Center features an educational trail dubbed Palmetto Multi-sensory Trail. It explains the significance of the palmetto plant, and many other plants and trees.

Palmetto Trail  Information poster at wooden display with roof

Snakes in George Bush Park - Buffalo Bayou wetlands habitat inside the Barker Reservoir

Bayou wilderness seen from boardwalk in George Bush Park

Idyllic illumination

When the wetlands aren't wet: Drought in the Reservoir

Gallery of nature pics taken in Barker Reservoir in hot & dry conditions in mid and late Summer. Compared to the extreme drought last year (2011), which also saw large swaths of grassland and trees in Bush Park turned to ashes by wildfire, there is still a lot of greenery this year. The areas shown were under water several times already this year. Look at the last picture from mid-July for comparison.

Reservoir grounds that are periodically inundated, but totally dry
in this picture taken in September 2012

Dry creekbed turns into a trail

Mud tower

Wetlands area with a few green grass stalks

Snail digging in as the bottom of the reservoir dries up

Debris that prior floodings and water movement left in their wake

Soil at low elevation spot in the reservoir shows cracks after drying up

And this is how this part of the reservoir looked only a couple of months ago:

George Bush Park partially submerged in waters retained by Barker Dam after heavy rain (June 16, 2012)