The Woodlands Texas Parks

Exceptional wildflower viewing in Southeast Texas

noreply@blogger.com (indianspringsguy) — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 04:17:00 +0000

Austin area - typical Bluebonnet field on this trip

It as been a bumper crop along our highways and in our fields this year. In the middle of Spring, we always get a show, but this year is much better than most. Our highways turn into colorful parks for Texas residents. When there is no fence and no sign, properties are often used for photographs. I recently took a trip to observe what it is like out there on our "highway parks". The route I chose was dual purpose. I wanted primarily to see the back roads and at the same time, find a route that would be convenient to those living near The Woodlands. So first I will share the photos and then show you the route. It is highly recommended that you view at least some of these fully by clicking on them.

Fields of yellow for a Texas fellow

Field of Indian Paintbrush

Taking farm to market roads in Texas is part of the story. Back roads is the rest. Most of the photos seen in these photographs were taken on FM roads, but some of them are on county, local or state roads. I like the county roads, but it is often a gamble on them. You may find wildflowers and you might not!

We find Bluebonnets and their companions along fence lines, in open pasture, along roads and just about anywhere there is sun. Texas has lots of barbed wire where the bonnets flourish.

Horses will be seen grazing among wildflowers all over the state.

I could not resist stopping at this location between The Woodlands and Brenham to watch the horses grazing. They were so peaceful and the flowers gave off a great scent.

A dirt county road in the hills close to Brenham

Butterflies are incredible among the wildflowers.

One question people may have is - since there is so much nectar, are all local species out in the wildflowers? The answer is a definitive "no". Butterflies have their specific native host plants that they must have for their eggs and caterpillars to feed. Therefore, many are not out there at this time of the year. Some plants are not even available at this time of the year and those butterflies will not be found in the wildflowers. In fact, most species will not be found in road side wildflowers. Some however are tremendously common.

One of my favorite places between Brenham and The Woodlands

I discovered this property along the road. Two old barns were nestled in the brush with a beautiful field of wildflower mix in front of them. I got only a glimpse of this from the road and had to be cut up by briars, stung by ants and risked a snake bite to be able to take this photo. The gold blooms on some of the trees created such a contrast in the image that I had to compose some photos with them included.

Ponds added to the feast of my eyes in this journey

Finding fields of predominant wildflower species next to water was not easy, but I did find three locations, such as this one having the Indian Paintbrush as the predominant wildflower.

In Texas, we have several yellow wildflowers.

Usually we see yellow wildflowers in the month of May in Central Texas, earlier here, after the Bluebonnets have bloomed out. This year, we are seeing a variety of wildflowers with the Bluebonnets, more than normal because of the mild winter, early Spring and rightly timed rains.

Indian Paintbrush for the ladies

Near Hempstead, Texas on state highway 290

Off the beaten path, east of Brenham off of H 290

The gentleman who lives in this house (and in this photo) was kind enough to discuss these flowers with me. They have been there for as long as he can recall, before he purchased the land to build. He lets the plants seed every year. That is the down side as he explained it. He cannot mow or groom the yard until all the wildflowers have finished their seeding in May or early June. However, the up-side is all worth it. He gets to soak all this in every day when he arrives from work and the aroma of "country" is extremely soothing and refreshing every day. He has to do absolutely no reseeding at all.

More Paintbrush

Child's playground - straight out of a dream

Nothing like Texas Bluebonnets!

So what was the route? I started my plan with the basic Brenham wildflower trail. There is an East and West part. From The Woodlands, I traveled on FM 1488 to Fields Store, then up FM 362, at which I found my first Bluebonnets. It must have taken me 3 hours to get to the park on the Brazos River. To me, I had found the perfect place to start my journey. As I encountered county and local roads, I turned off on some to search for wildflowers. CR 325 was one I enjoyed. Then I followed FM 2 to highway 6 and then on to Navasota and then to Washington on the Brazos Park via FM 105, were I ate a sack lunch. Then on to FM 390 N. I also traveled the west loop of the trail, but I do not recommend that section of the trail. I also stopped at a couple of places on H 290 from Brenham as I traveled to Austin. Why not take the family out on a Sunday afternoon drive? It is only 30-40 minutes away from The Woodlands.

Enjoy Texas! Enjoy our native wildflowers!

Parks nearby The Woodlands for Rainbow Trout Fishing

noreply@blogger.com (indianspringsguy) — Sat, 15 Jan 2011 01:40:00 +0000

Would you like to take your child fishing for fresh water Trout? Or maybe you would like to grab your fly fishing equipment and fish for them yourself. Unfortunately, The Woodlands does not have an agreement with the state to stock them, but two other nearby parks are stocked annually! This year, the schedule you might want to make note of.:

Burroughs Park near Tomball - January 14, 2011. That is today folks! On Huffsmith Road near FM 2978.
Carl Barton Jr. Park Pond in Conroe - January 11, 2011. Off Loop 336 east of I-45; on right east of 1314.

Both locations can be fished now! For adult fishing, these are community lakes and you must abide by state regulations requiring a fishing license and a trout stamp. Read the documentation fully in the link below.

Full list of stocked ponds for Rainbow Trout (and rules)

Cranebrook Park in The Woodlands Texas

noreply@blogger.com (indianspringsguy) — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 23:26:00 +0000

Deep in the west of The Woodlands lies a fairly new village park which is quite different and quite compact. This is closer to a traditional park, lacking the customary feel of a heavily wooded and natural park of The Woodlands. Nevertheless it is convenient, first class and very worth frequenting.

Sterling Ridge Village Swimming Pool

Tennis

Parking area

Children's play area

Soccer field

BMX Bicycle track

This is a nice bicycle track mainly for recreational cycling by our youth. It is a place where one could work to improve competitive skills right here in The Woodlands. Step up to one of the AMA tracks such as the nearby Armadillo BMX race at I45 and FM 1488.¹

Pavilion

^{The pavilion here can be rented by calling in advance of your function, like other parks in The Woodlands.}

Arbor

^{This unique spot in the park is great to sit down and relax. I saw some moms with their babies here on a weekday morning.}

^Map
^{On Cranebrook Dr. When traveling west on Woodlands Pkwy, take a left. It is located just south of The Woodlands Parkway.}

Town Green Park The Woodlands Texas

noreply@blogger.com (indianspringsguy) — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 21:57:00 +0000

Flags on lake Woodlands Dr in front

This is an important park visited by many people but mostly for events along the Woodlands Waterway. It is rather simple but a pretty grass park that connects Lake Robbins Drive frontage to the waterway. It is located adjacent to the Cynthia Ann Pavilion. Parking is simply anywhere you can find it. The Waterway can be crossed from the pavilion parking lots, so the Green or Orange parking lots are close by, as well as nearby street parking. The closest place to park near the entrance on Lake Robbins Dr is the library parking lot. Runners in Town Center frequent this park along with the waterway pathways.

Entrance sign

Children's hands at entrance

Bathrooms

Grass park with waterway taxis in back

Walking the pathway into the park, one finds the restrooms on the west or right side of the entrance. When inside the park, there will be plenty of grass.

Outdoor amphitheater

water fountain next to amphitheater

You can arrive and leave via the trolley which stops right behind the park on the waterway path.

Like all Woodlands parks, visitors may walk their dogs in the park but must follow the rules for pets. Two years ago, this park had special rules. Now those rules are in place at all Woodlands parks. Please! Honor the rule for no "park poop".

There is also a seating view overlooking the waterway, a children's garden and a sculpture garden.

Map

Woodlands Park Rules and Guidelines

noreply@blogger.com (indianspringsguy) — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 14:33:00 +0000

Every Woodlands Texas park has rules posted. Some are particular to a special type of park and others are generalized for the park system here. There is good reason to have these rules. Let's say for example, you want to take your dog to a dog park. There are alpha dogs and highly protective dogs - for their master and for their toys. No one wants to step in dog waste. So there are consistent rules for dogs in all the parks. If you use the park, you must clean up behind yourself. Some people say "this is just common sense". I would agree, but some people don't seem to have that sense or if they do, they lack respect for other people rights to enjoy the park as found by the disrespectful person.

A few key items to note
1. Dusk is not dark. It is before dark. If you have to use a flashlight to see, you should not be in the park period! People live adjacent to parks and ponds. Keep them in mind. They will likely be the ones reporting you to the authorities should you be in viewing distance of their home or making noise. Privacy of residents is important. Please respect that.
2. Trash in our ponds kill fish. Please do not leave plastic bags or other trash on the banks. They often get into the water and kill fish. Trash in our parks is also an an unsightly and health hazard nuisance. Our community does not appreciate your trash. In fact, often it is a resident that has to pick up after you, not a paid contractor. This community is rich in assets but not is spending power, so it does not spend a lot of money on maintenance. That is the responsibility of the visitors to our parks. Please pick up after yourself and carry out everything that you carried into the park. I admire those people who pick after others in addition to themselves. They don't particularly want to do it, but they have an appreciation of beauty and cleanliness. If your want to distribute your trash into our park, you are not welcome in the park.
3. Rowdiness to the point of aggravating other visitors in the park is also not appreciated. Just be courteous to others and understand they came to appreciate the outdoors and nature the park affords. Sounds of creatures such as birds and the tranquility of nature are reasons people are in the parks. Excessive noise is not appreciated.If you play music on some electronic device, play it for yourself, not the park.
4. People appreciate seeing children and families in the parks. They also appreciate pets as long as the owner takes responsibility for cleaning up behind the pet and the pet is not a threat to their family or pet. Leashes are required! Doggie bags are required. There are biodegradable bags that can be purchased from various sources. The Parks department here provides bags from Dogipot. Website
5. Dog parks have a different set of rules. Your dog should have its shots. There are serious diseases that can be passed from one dog to another. Protect your dog by keeping its shots up to date. Keep aggressive dogs on a leash until they get to know the other dogs. Sometimes a dog is not suited socially to mix with others and should never be released to mix with other dogs. Do not let your aggressive dog harm another person's dog. You are liable for what your dog does, not the park system. That dog is part of their family.
6. If you are a vendor, you must have a permit to sell your goods on public property in The Woodlands. This particularly applies to food and drink vendors.
7. Honor designated parking locations. Do not park on the grass! Do not park on prohibited locations on streets. Chances are that you will be reported by local residents. If you don't know where to park, ask anyone you may see or call the parks department.
8. Ponds have special rules. You can fish the ponds, but must return the fish back to the water to live. This is enforced. Fishing is defined as placing bait on a hook attached to a line for the exclusive purpose of hooking a fish and bringing it to shore. Net fishing is generally not allowed, although the park rangers allow nets for catching bait fish. Ponds are small and the community expects to not have to repopulate the ponds at a cost to the community. A Texas fishing license is required on all public ponds and lakes.¹ Please be aware that Texas Game Wardens are not generally enforcing this on The Woodlands bodies of water, so there are differing statements regarding this regulation, but the regulation is clear. I advise conforming to the regulation rather than depending on local and possibly temporal interpretation of law. State fines are fairly stiff. Fishing for keepers is allowed in Lake Woodlands and the reservoir; these rules are enforced by the Woodlands Park Rangers. Keeping fish is also allowed when extracting fish from private stocking for events such as the catfish stocking of Creekwood Park for children twice a year. Fishing from non-motorized boats in Lake Woodlands and the reservoir is allowed. Trolling motors are not considered a motor for this purpose. Keep the wake of your boat non-existent. Kayak fishing is encouraged on Lake Woodlands and the reservoir. Kayaks are rented by The Township for recreation that includes fishing. Refer to the related article. ² Also, it is a good idea to honor the little known state regulations on turtles and frogs. Taking turtles from the ponds is regulated by state hunting laws. A hunting license is required to take turtles or frogs from public waters, even on private property.¹
9. Alcoholic beverages are allowed in the major parks, but keep in mind that drunkenness on public property is not allowed and violators will likely be prosecuted. In little neighborhood parks, alcohol is not allowed.
10. Vegetation in public parks is the property of The Woodlands Township. Unless you have permission to do so, do not cut or change the vegetation for any reason. For those who want to help care for pathways or parks, you can contact the township for what you may or may not do.
11. Pavilions may be rented but you must make reservations in advance. Park facilities are also available for use by small businesses but you must have a permit or contract to do so.

Park Rules published by The Woodlands Township(click here)
Park Regulations and legal authority of The Woodlands Township(click here)
¹Texas Parks and Wildlife Website Summary of Fishing and Hunting Regulations
²Riva Row Boat House Commentary article

Marsh Experience in The Woodlands Texas

noreply@blogger.com (indianspringsguy) — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 23:00:00 +0000

There is one amenity in Cochran's Crossing that is very unique in The Woodlands. It is part of Shadowbend Park but is isolated from the rest of the park by Lake Woodlands Dr. This sits on a pond and was designed to retain the marsh that is prevalent in the Southeast Texas piney woods.

On this particular morning, there were mothers strolling with their babies, young parents out with a child, elderly people walking for exercise and others running or walking their dogs. After crossing the street, one finds this bridge at the nearest point from Shadowbend Park. Stop at the bridge to find turtles and an occasional snake. This is a bog of the marsh. Keep going and you will find the entrance to the Marsh Experience.

The boardwalk will take you over the marsh adjoining the pond. On a hot summer day, this was dry but after rains, this area typically contains a wetland. As you walk along the boardwalk, you will follow a self instructional tour of the marsh.

There is an attempt to have several plants of the same species behind each sign. I noticed this in several cases but it was not consistent.

It may be difficult to sort out some of the material since part of it is seasonally dependent.

I think you would agree that this is a tranquil and beautiful place. Sometimes I find fishermen out on the boardwalk but not on this day. In the Fall this can be spectacular.

There was one gentleman on the boardwalk with me, getting his morning exercise.

There were no creature except a turtle to behold on the warm day. It was too late in the morning, but the forest does yield small animals in the night and very early morning.

On one side of the boardwalk is the pond. You can find bass and blue gill perch in this water.

Then from the pond to the north, the marsh is sometimes wet and other times dry. Bogs remain all year long.

Unfortunately we have an unwanted species in some of our parks and as far as that goes, this tree exists in private yards as well. This highly invasive tree species is the biggest threat to out prairies and forests. It was introduced to the United States in the early 1900's and is quickly consuming our lands. The Chinese Tallow is banned from being sold at nurseries now, but the harm has already been done. One mature tree produces 500,000 seeds a year and also propagates by its roots. A root serves as a propagating "runner" just below the soil surface. It's seeds are not useful to birds' nutrition and in fact displace nutritious food, possibly making weaker seed-eating birds in the ecosystems of the western world. This tree needs to be eradicated from the ecological systems of our public forests and private lands.

Getting there:
Simply go to Shadowbend Park and park your automobile. It is also accessed from the pathway system. Then cross Lake Woodlands Dr and you are there.

Shadowbend Park in The Woodlands Texas

noreply@blogger.com (indianspringsguy) — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 02:07:00 +0000

Shadowbend Park in Cochran's Crossing of The Woodlands Texas is one of the cornerstones of the park system in south Montgomery County. It has two major components - the park itself with normal Woodlands amenities and the Marsh Experience, across the street from the village amenity park. This is a major park of The Woodlands, characterized as a village park. You will notice the sign above on Lake Woodlands Dr that leads one to the parking areas. If you wish to use the tennis courts, parking would be closest where the sign points. Otherwise, there is considerably more parking spaces in the next parking lot which is general parking for the swimmin area and recreational areas of the park.

Two pairs of tennis courts are separated by a small pavilion for snacking and personal belongings. As other parks, this has one court for an individual to practice.

In the main section, the remainder of the amenities are located.

Swimming Pool at Shadowbend

Kiddie pool

Pavilion at Shadowbend Park

Children play area

This park is middle aged, and it has a great deal of vegetation, including nice tall trees of various species. The pool and the pavilion are equivalent to the other village parks. Personally, I do like the trees here, so it has a special place in my priorities.

Children play area

In 1991, funding from the Texas Parks and Wildlife helped create this park. This is is the primary reason that our parks are generally public parks. Note the tax entity involved in this project. Other parks were funded by state or federal grants as well.

This time capsule is an interesting point of history in The Woodlands.

Soccer

Basketball

Click any photo to see a full screen view.

Summertime flowers

We will walk across Lake Woodlands Dr in the next article to see the pond and the swamp vegetation.

Getting there:

Windvale Park

noreply@blogger.com (indianspringsguy) — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 18:54:00 +0000

A significant Alden Bridge village park found on the north side of SH 242 in The Woodlands Texas is Windvale Park. It is one step down from a Village Park due to its size, but it is a nice park! There are some interesting aspects of this park that makes it special.

Special picnic area

This spacious green area next to the park gives the visitor a sense of openness. It is a very good area for a jog along pathways integrated with the park itself.

There is water here with associated wildlife.

Pathway between park and green area

Pavilion

The pavilion here is large.

Swimming pool

Children's play area

More children equipment

Tennis courts - 2

Alden Bridge Park

noreply@blogger.com (indianspringsguy) — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 16:54:00 +0000

A major park in The Woodlands Texas, Alden Bridge deserves your visit. It is a beautiful park with an abundance of water. I've been told it is not the best fishing place around, but one can fish there. I saw teenagers net fishing. That can never be good for the fish population!The swimming amentity is placed next to the large pond that spans Alden Bridge Rd, the main artery in the Village of Alden Bridge.

The tranquil feel of the scenic views around the lake, even though the park is so very close to the main road, provides the visitor a calming early morning place to relax with a cup of java and/or a walk in the park. Notice the twin pavilions and their location. This is facing southwest from behind the swimming pools facility.

Twin pavilions

Abundant parking is available through three entries from the main road. Parking spaces are shared with a church next door.

Like almost all of The Woodlands parks, a creek passes through it. The parks are generally located on land that is unsuitable for commercial locations or residences due to flooding risk. This creek is dammed up to create the pond or really it is a lake.

This view of the creek is on the east side of the road passing from the lake onward.

Walking back from the east side of the road, you can see part of the park and the beauty of the bridge built from masonry bricks. One of the things I noticed about this park is an excellent integration of the pathways that blend in with the park. Notice the pathway bridge in this photo.

Similar to all major parks, this swimming facility is beautiful, clean and has a great pool house. On this hot Sunday afternoon in August, several families were getting their respite from the heat.

Volleyball court

Soccer field

On this day, the volleyball court was open for someone to play, as well as the soccer field.

Tennis courts - 4 of them

Bathrooms

Getting there:

GPS coords:
30.210163, -95.514708
Located on Alden Bridge Rd near Green Gables Cr. If coming from Research Forest Dr, turn left (west) into the park, not right.

Sundance Park in The Woodlands

noreply@blogger.com (indianspringsguy) — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 16:18:00 +0000

This medium sized park in the Village of Alden Bridge is one for a family who lives nearby. It is easily located and is frequently accessed by residents in the local neighborhoods.

The four table pavilion is useful for small group events.

Picnic tables are available and basketball courts provide the neighborhood youth a competitive energy outlet.

Getting there:

GPS coords: 30.210358, -95.552222 Alden Bridge at Sorrel Tree Pl

Terramont Park

noreply@blogger.com (indianspringsguy) — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 21:45:00 +0000

This beautiful place is one of my favorites. It has a rather large hill for these parts, covered in grass. This hill is the outstanding feature of this park, great for a picnic. Another special feature of the park is it's nine hole disc golf course. That course is listed with photos in DG Court Review. The small pavilion would be perfect for small group events such as a birthday party or a multi-family picnic. Like all Woodlands parks, to use the pavilion, it should be reserved in advance.

To me, this is a classic family park for an adhoc spontaneous visit on a nice Texas day (and they are all nice, right?).

I got to wondering about Disc Golf when I visited this park. For one, how do you play it? For another, why do we have such a sport here? I cannot answer the second question or really the first. For the life of me, I do not know if anyone uses this facility or not. I have never seen anyone there, but I have been there only three times, so what do I know? Basically, this is a form of Frisbee and golf but don't take that lightly. This is a professional sport and it is available in many communities. Click here for simple some advice on holding and throwing the disc . If you want, you can Google the sport and learn how it is played - fairly simple.

I saw some evidence of wildlife here and sure enough encountered a couple of deer on the perimeter of the park. With the soccer field, the bathrooms, the tennis courts, and the dog park, I rate this park high on my list for diversity and just a good place for the family. By the way, I saw a children American football team there on a Saturday morning with their parents for a practice on that hill. They rented the pavilion and consumed all the parking.

GPS coords: 30.201730, -95.556706
Branch Crossing at Terramont

Small town USA July 4th

noreply@blogger.com (indianspringsguy) — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 23:25:00 +0000

July 4th in a small neighborhood in Spring, Texas, was like thousands of small towns throughout the United States on this occasion. Starting with a bicycle parade ending at the local community park, a hundred or so residents gathered to have a picnic and watch fireworks.

Lovely people of all ages munched on something cold or something spicy in the heat of the Houston area. It is always hot on July 4th, and this year was no different.

Whoever wanted to get sweaty in the heat were welcome to join in a game of volleyball using a makeshift "net" but without the net. All that was important were the people and the ball. From there, we had a volleyball game! Amazingly, after such rains over the past week, there were no mosquitoes to bother people.

Some young people were driving a mule around just to enjoy the social aspect afforded by the event. They were dressed in red, white and blue. Even the mule four-wheeler was dressed out in national colors.

The fun goes beyond the people. You need to bring your pet to such an event. This boxer was seen to almost endlessly wag his tail as he greeted each person or dog that came along. People dressed the way they wanted for the event. Some came in colorful shirts, shorts, hats or whatever. This dog wore a red white and blue band bandanna.

For sure, July 4th provides many photo opportunities for families and friends. This pretty lady got in my lens when she was using her lens.

Over the loud speaker you could hear the announcement throughout the park: " we will have fireworks at dusk. This is a reminder that we are raising money to replace a Live Oak Tree that was destroyed by winds last year. Come get some lemonade or other item to help us raise the finds we need, as exhibited by the fund raising sign. Remember - to have fireworks, we need your contributions each year for the fireworks display. The association cannot pay for it because of the risk. The association dues are not for that purpose."

The voluntary fire department was of course there as a first responder for any problems associated with fireworks. The announcer made sure she got the point across why the community fireworks display is a good idea. It is to displace the personal use of fireworks. They are dangerous and create a risk to people and property. Little did she know that this night would underscore her words with an exhibit of what can happen. While families gathered in the evening, the fire department provided children with the opportunity to hear and see the sirens and lights and water spraying from the truck. That is always a hit and a very good tradition at about every small town fireworks display.

Friends found each other here and some out-of-towners had not seen each other or seen old time friends for a long time.

People caught up on one another, including the teens and even in this modern Facebook instant real time era where the exchange of life's events occur daily.

And then the guys prepared to shoot the fireworks.

As the sun began to set and move behind the horizon, the time was approaching to celebrate America's independence by tune and by fireworks. Now the music began.

Suddenly, here came the fireworks.

The skies were filled with explosions and color.

Spectators were fairly close to the source but far enough away where the remnants of the burning display would not fall on clothes or start a fire. The materials fell harmlessly on the grass reserved for that purpose. There was hardly any wind, helping to mitigate any fire risk.

Then everything seemed to go wrong! Oh no!!! Cried some spectators. What has happened? The entire source area turned into a burning inferno. One misfired cracker started a a chain reaction that was frightening! Suddenly a beautiful fireworks display turned sour. The crowd gasped in horror, holding their breath, praying that no one was hurt. Fortunately on this night, the technicians putting on the event were not hurt. They departed the area immediately when the first cracker went awry. These people were trained to react to the incident, and the fire department was trained to respond. Within 20 minutes, the technicians recovered the remaining explosives and announced that the display would go on, and it did. If a private untrained person had been conducting this display, it might not have had such a good ending. But this story ended with more fireworks, a resumed effort and determined crew wished to remember the event, not by the incident, but by the very much appreciated recovery from the incident.

Happy birthday America! : from Hometown America.

Lakeside Park in The Woodlands

noreply@blogger.com (indianspringsguy) — Sun, 30 May 2010 13:39:00 +0000

Lakeside Park is a large village recreation area in Alden Bridge Village next to the Bear Branch Reservoir and Bear Branch Creek.

Behind the sign above is a commemorative marker where the 1000th mile of Woodlands pathways was laid.

This swimming pool is standard for The Woodlands and very modern. It was sure inviting on this hot Memorial Day weekend!

Entrance to swimming area

There are two pairs of courts making a total of four courts. This village park has several "twin" amenities.

In the back of the park, there is a kayak and canoe launch for those interested in an outing on the reservoir. These two fishermen left the dock just as I positioned myself for taking some photographs of the reservoir.

A soccer field, baseball diamond, and lacrosse field are available here.

Normal playground equipment for children

Wheels friendly area for skateboarding

Down this pathway are two identical twin pavilions, named "A" and "B". They can be reserved separately.

Unit "A" with four tables

There are several areas for picnics, some have twin tables and all have a grill. These are special in that they overlook the reservoir.

The kayak launch. There is often large amounts of vegetation on this reservoir, making it difficult to fish near the launch. If you plan to fish, you should be aware that the reservoir is not managed by the township, but by the state and therefore, you must have a fishing license. Perch, bass and crappie are regularly caught by fishermen in this body of water. The Texas Game and Fish Commission does enforce their laws here. They occasionally check for licenses and safety of boats, so if you plan to fish, bring your license!

Getting there:
GPS coords: 30.204512, -95.542807
Near Alden Bridge at Benton Woods Dr

Social Life of our dogs - a Saturday at the Dog Park

noreply@blogger.com (indianspringsguy) — Sat, 29 May 2010 22:05:00 +0000

In The Woodlands, Texas, we have some awesome dog parks. They are spread out over the community for easy access on a Saturday morning, or after one gets home from work. It was hot today and the animals really appreciated the dog pool. I did too actually. Splashing me felt refreshing.

Yes, the dog needs his exercise, but what the dog looks for and appreciates the most is the social aspect. That includes its human family as well as meeting other dogs. It even includes meeting strange humans!

It is not unusual for there to be conflicts among individuals. Some are "puppy social", others are "alpha social". In this particular case, the white dog is an alpha female which just arrived at the park. She was accompanied by both human family caretakers. She had her toys and her caretakers were throwing her toys for her to chase and fetch. She did not want to share. When she arrived at her caretakers to give them the toy, the brown dog tried to take it. The brown dog wanted to play with her. She responded with a growl and jumped on the brown dog, biting her in the leg. The brown dog yelped as the white dog continued to attack. There were tooth gashes on the leg and in the skin on the brown dog that I saw after the dogs were separated. It happened again with a second dog, two of three large brown dogs that a young lady had brought to the park. The young lady left with one dog slightly injured, another one possibly injured and the third unscathed. It was my opinion that he owner of the white dog should have put a leash on the white dog but never did. The owners tried instead to calm the dog and later released her to run free again, only to repeat the attack. I have heard of similar situations from various other people over the past few months.

All remaining dogs had no problems whatsoever. Most of the animals I saw were very puppy-like. They wanted to romp and play with other dogs, and sometimes they wanted me to play with them. I had two or more of them jump into my arms wanting my full attention, even though I had the camera and equipment on me. That was OK. I am used to it, and I would not have belonged there if I was not willing to be their playful friend.

Many of the dogs simply loved this little swimming pool. Some would totally immerse their head and body under the water to cool off. This one kept his head out of it. The dogs would often bring their toy and place it where they could an eye on it.

Here I am about to be enthusiastically bathed and loved by a wet dog.

While the white and brown dogs remained together, there was an acrobatic attempt to catch a toy in mid-air. The white dog was a human-oriented dog, not really interested in the other dogs.

This dog was much prettier when she was dry. After getting soaked in the swimming pool, she was a bit more wiry looking.

Despite her behavior and the heat, this dog was a good subject to photograph. She chased her toys with lightening speed.

This smaller dog played in the small dog pen. There are two separate pens, one to protect the small breed dogs and puppies.

This Beagle was fairly docile. He played and socialized but not recklessly, like some of the others.

This is something us humans can't do, run at their speed and go nose to nose in a race.

To cool off in this scorching sun!

Then it is time to go home. Where's mama? Carry me back home!

Tamarac Dog Park

noreply@blogger.com (indianspringsguy) — Sat, 29 May 2010 20:09:00 +0000

The Woodlands, Texas newest dog park is in one of its oldest - Tamarac, in Grogan's Mill. On my first visit in the mid-morning of a hot Saturday on Memorial weekend, I was surprised to find it totally empty. There were no dogs or people there. I discovered later that everyone was at Bear Branch Dog Park. This is a nice park and I would certainly come here if my dogs were larger.

It was a hot summer day and the tree shade offered a welcome reprieve from the sun.

This dog park is not easy to find. It is nestled in the forest next to the wheels friendly area. From the parking lot, one must follow the sidewalk to the right in order to reach the dog park. It is a beautiful and roomy place with benches and water. Small and large dogs are not separated here.

There are poop bags and a garbage can where one disposes any and all litter.

The ground is covered with mulch to keep it from being muddy and makes a nice crunch under your feet. Dogs would not have as stable a footing as natural soil however. The pattern of shadows cast by the trees on the mulch makes for an interesting color feast for our eyes.

You might find your dog chasing a squirrel here. At this quiet time, there were several inside the dog park

The dog park entrance is protected as are other dog parks in The Woodlands by a double gate.

Tamarac Park is found off of Grogan's Mill Rd, on North Millbend.

Refer to the separate article on Tamarac Park.

Tupelo Park in the Village of Creekside Park

noreply@blogger.com (indianspringsguy) — Mon, 24 May 2010 00:08:00 +0000

Tupelo Park in the Village of Creekside Park of The Woodlands is open and available. One of the striking features of this park is the bathroom made of stone. This carries the feel of its big sister park's (Fleming Park) pavilion.

It's pavilion also has stone but only in the columns, since the style is completely open. As with other parks, the pavilion can be rented in advance by calling the parks department.

There is a great view of the fountain and cascade from Lake Paloma. There is actually a pond built on a second level tier above the lake. Water is pumped up into the pond from the lake and allowed to cascade back into the lake over this artificial waterfall below the bridge. One is looking at the pavilion to the left in this photo.

There are two locations for picnics, both nestled in the forest and both having clear views and within hearing of the water fountain in the pond. As with all parks of The Woodlands, the grill and tables are first come/first serve.

This is the view from inside the pavilion.

A nice amenity is this canoe/kayak launch below the pond on the lake. There are three tie-offs. One can paddle the entire lake from a launch here.

Playground equipment includes a variety of slides, climbs and swings.

Lighted tennis courts are ready for action.

Getting there: from Gosling - west at main entrance, pass the circle keeping to the right, go past the YMCA on the right and take a left at Lake Paloma Dr. Cross the bridge and take a right. You are at the park. From Kuykendahl - enter by turning on Creekside Forest Dr. Go east until reaching Lake Paloma Dr and turn right. Cross the bridge and the park is on your right. Map

Tupelo Park Grand Opening coming to Village of Creekside Park

noreply@blogger.com (indianspringsguy) — Sun, 23 May 2010 14:18:00 +0000

For some time now, one would notice a new large park being developed in the Village of Creekside Park in The Woodlands. On June 12th, there will be a grand opening ceremony at a time to be announced. This is a different park in that it is constructed on the lake as part of the vision for a long narrow park that cuts through the entire village. Therefore it is stretched along the bank where one will pass through it when walking the thin stretch of green space through the village. Put the 12th on your calendar if you want to experience the park on its grand opening day.

Pathways still on agenda of The Woodlands Township

noreply@blogger.com (indianspringsguy) — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:13:00 +0000

Two projects carried over incomplete into this year. The pathway from Indian Springs to Creekside Park did not begin as anticipated and remains under construction. A large section now has concrete but will not be opened until later. A small bridge will be required to pass over a leg of Spring Creek on the north side of the bridge. I am uncertain at this moment if there will be a traffic light put on Gosling, or we will depend on traffic stopping to let pedestrians pass from the east side of Gosling to the west side at the entrance to Creekside Park. The volume of traffic probably does not yet warrant a traffic light there. Our weather has slowed down the project tremendously! It will be another six weeks before the pathway will be completed even if the weather permits the work! Little chance of that, so I will stretch that out to about 10 weeks (maybe late April).

A contract work crew has been scheduled to begin construction of the final leg of the Flintridge pathway after the crew completes its work with the Gosling pathway to Creekside Park.

Financially, the funds for these two projects were moved from the associations to the Township before cessation of the associations' operation at the end of last year.

I am not complaining. How about you? We need rain. I hope this summer's dry spell will not be as bad as last year. The dry weather revealed itself in January last year. This year we received a decent amount, but it was still significantly below the normal rainfall for January.

Woodlands Community Association Capital Projects marking an end to an era

noreply@blogger.com (indianspringsguy) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 23:19:00 +0000

Year-end capital projects will wind down the WCA's program to build new and renewed amenities during the last year of WCA operation. All of these projects are on track to be completed by year end.

1. Additional plots in the Community garden at Bear Branch Sports Park.
2. Added pathway to connect the western side of Flintridge to the eastern side, providing a continuous hike and bike pathway along Flintridge.
3. New pathway to connect Indian Springs Village to Creekside Park. The pathway will be constructed from the pathway at Flintridge and Gosling, proceeding south on the eastern side of Gosling, utilizing the existing walkway on the bridge over Spring Creek and then proceeding to a marked crossing over Gosling to the entrance of the Village of Creekside Park.
4. Dog park to be added to Sawmill Park in Grogan's Mill, providing residents on the eastern side of The Woodlands with play space for their pets.

The Village of Creekside Park will be connected for pedestrians and bike riders via this new pathway, helping to integrate all villages into amenities enjoyed by residents in both counties. This will also provide easier pedestrian access from Montgomery County villages to the new YMCA, which will be completed next year in Creekside Park.

Trinity River National Wildlife Refuge - Butterfly Count

noreply@blogger.com (indianspringsguy) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 16:51:00 +0000

A nice day trip from The woodlands Texas for the nature lover is Trinity River Wildlife Refuge. It is one of fourteen priority-one bottom-land refuges identified for protection in the Texas Bottom-land Protection Plan.¹ This particular protected site has great diversity of birds, butterflies, vegetation and wildlife. This annual event is focused on counting butterflies, as part of the National Wildlife Refuge Week., October 11-17 2009. This year was a good one statistically. There were 44 species and 1368 bugs identified.

Butterfly enthusiasts from the general Houston area participate in the event. Only a few people volunteer each year to help. The Butterfly Enthusiasts of Southeast Texas (BEST)⁴, local chapter of the North American Butterfly Association (NABA), sponsors the event. Stuart Marcus, Refuge Manager ² organizes and leads it. Those who assisted him are at various skill levels. All were enthusiastic about participating. Stuart Marcus has been with the Fish and Wildlife Commission for 30 years. He has been assigned to 5 locations, with this being his longest stay - 15 years. This guy knows the refuge very well, including its neighbors. I was impressed with his butterfly expertise and awareness of the preserve's ecology.

From The Woodlands, it took a little less than an hour to reach the town of Dolen, traveling 242 to H59, taking 105 from Cleveland.

All 25000 acres are located in Liberty County, about equidistant between Houston and Beaumont. There are five public tracts available to the public³, but our little adventure was not a public one. We visited places in the preserve specifically suitable for identifying the diversity and quantity of butterfly species, serving as a comparable benchmark from year to year. These count expeditions also help to measure the relative health of the preserve itself from year to year.

The first stop was in a tall mostly yellow field, full of blooming Golden Rod plants with Ruellas acting as a host for the Buckeye. This field was only our start. I believe we identified some 8 species of butterflies here alone and several species in large abundance!

This blooming plant is I believe is called a Ruellia, the host for the Buckeye caterpillar, larval stage of the Buckeye butterfly shown below.

The Pearl Crescent was common to see. It added to the delight of spotting traditional well-known butterflies amidst varied other, less familiar species.

On this day, I never saw one single Monarch, and only two were spotted by the group. Maybe they had already migrated or had left to the coast in preparation for migration.

The Common Buckeye was everywhere in the field. We saw many of its caterpillars consuming the Ruellas. We sighted 232 individuals, the largest number of any one species. A better appreciation of the colors on the caterpillar can be derived from the next photo.

In this photo, one can see the beginnings of the colors of the Buckeye which will be evident when it morphs into a butterfly.

Next we went into the deep forest to a long clearing adjacent to the forest edge, where one butterfly species was first spotted in southeast Texas last year. This time we did not find that butterfly, but chances are, it is close by and hopefully thriving in and on the edge of the forest. maybe next year ...

One of my favorites is this gorgeous species, the Red-spotted Purple which we first observed a few yards into the forest at this location.

Everywhere we went the Gulf Fritillary appeared. This male was typical of the newly morphed butterflies in abundance there. The male is much more striking than the female, but both are readily identified in flight. We counted 201 unique sightings this day, second highest count for one species.

We also observed the caterpillar of this Fritillary on its native host, the Passion Flower.

You've seen the Golden Rod plant here in The Woodlands. It is just beginning to bloom on the pond behind my home. In the refuge, these plants are everywhere in open spaces - along the roads and in fields where trees are sparse or not present at all. The butterflies use it as a food source.

This unusual beauty was the only one I saw, but he was a showoff.

Of significance to this preserve, is its rare bat population.⁵ The Rafinesque’s Big-eared Bat is quite special, so the preserve has taken extraordinary measures to protect its small but now thriving population. These bats typically live in cavities within large tree trunks but took up residence in an old broken down house on the preserve. To protect them from harm, two bat houses were built as shown in this photograph. One is placed in the shade and the other in the sun to ensure success with this endeavor. Since these bats do not migrate, we were able to view them, because the houses are located near one of our count areas. The refuge is host to many other bats as well.

At the end of the day, we tallied our observations and parted our ways, to gather again year to repeat the counting process. Additional photographs of this adventure is placed on the this website for your viewing. Some species may not be identified since I have not had time to finish editing the photo captions. I have to do verifications since I am not nearly an expert in the field of butterflies. Nevertheless, I felt this article was a worthwhile presentation to share some remarkable work and care of our natural resources.

I recommend you visit the web page of the refuge (below) for a more detailed account of what is available there for a day trip from the Houston, Beaumont, Conroe, and surrounding areas. You will not be disappointed.

References and Links
¹. Trinity River National Wildlife Refuge
^2. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services
^3. Directions to the five public areas
⁴ BEST (Butterfly) Website
⁵Mammals of the Trinity River Wildlife Refuge

Sawmill Park in The Woodlands Texas

noreply@blogger.com (indianspringsguy) — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 23:44:00 +0000

This is a relatively small park nestled in tall trees and has some nice amenities including a swimming pool, volleyball sand court, basketball court, tennis court, soccer/softball field, large pavilion with eight tables plus a grill, childrens' play areas and very few picnic tables with grills. I particularly like the volleyball court.

Map

Hike through Mercer Botanical Gardens and Arboretum

noreply@blogger.com (indianspringsguy) — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 16:00:00 +0000

This is a terrific 300 acre park located within easy and quick reach of The Woodlands Texas. It is situated along the southern bank of Cypress Creek in Precinct 4 of Harris County. The Mercers first planted their 13.8 acre garden in the late 1940's. It was expanded in size by three purchases in the 1980's and 1990's and developed by Precinct 4. Click here for additional history. It took me less than 30 minutes to get there, going south on I-45 to Louetta, turning left on to Louetta, then right on Aldine Westfield Rd and traveling a few minutes to Cypress Creek bridge. After passing over the bridge you can turn left into the botanical gardens for parking or to the right for the picnic, playground and arboretum parking areas. Just follow the signs. There are plenty of trails on both sides of the road for hiking. Map.

My hike was very slow since I decided to do some photography in the gardens first. My first task was to photograph butterflies, then some flowers and finally some of the gardens. It was a gorgeous day with a little sun and a lot of moisture from the rain the night before as you will notice on many of the photographs. I will provide many additional photographs in a link below but for now will lead you on a short tour of the facility and explain what I saw.

On passing through the entrance, immediately to the right is the Mercer Center. To your left will be the Water Lilies pond and the main entrance garden. It is here you will sign the visitor's book and if appropriate, the professional photographer's book. Reference books are available to purchase if you need a field guide; bottled drinks can be also purchased, and a map of the premises is provided free (you may need one). Click here for their online brochure. It is a nice place to stop for a rest - air conditioning! In the immediate area, you will be able to observe water plants and various other plants where butterflies, bees and birds hang out.

Briskly walk the paths in the area and you will observe all sorts of creatures and plants. Most people stop along the way and take a close look. At this time of the year, the water lilies are in full bloom in the pond near the entrance to the Central Gardens. The Central Gardens is the large area in front of the center and gets lots of sunlight. It is kept planted with the varieties of the season, season by season.

I found bumble bees very interesting in the striking colors of the various flowers. With the great variety of blooming flowers, one also sees a variety of bees. And they are busy!!

Then the butterflies - Sulfurs, Swallowtails, Skippers and more are easily viewed among the assorted species of plants. A Ruby Throated Hummingbird expressed an interest in what I was doing as he hovered less than three feet from my eyes in one garden on one occasion.

Here is a familiar butterfly to everyone - the Monarch. It is easy to get the Monarch confused with a few others in the Arboretum, but at this time of the year, this is the dominant species among about three similar butterflies. A checklist of butterflies normally seen at Mercer is provided by Mercer Arboretum. Click here. Take the list and a butterfly field guide with you (or purchase one there) and you will be able identify many species.

The Sulfur Butterfly family is a special favorite of mine. If you have ever handled one of these, their outer covering comes off in your hands and looks like yellow sulfur, thus the name.

Or you might prefer to search out the Pipevine Swallowtail.

Or the male Pipevine Swallowtail may be your choice. You can feast your eyes on these beautiful creatures on beautiful plants until your eyes become tired of brilliance. For me, after a few more varieties, I was ready for the trail again.

The botanical gardens are great, so as I trekked out towards the east to find the Bamboo Gardens and its pond, stopping when finding some unusual flowers like this one, moist from the earlier rains and looking like wet paper.

And this plant. The "flower" of the various Ginger plant species has two types of blooms.

There is a Volunteer Center for those who help with various projects and maintenance of the grounds. Click here for more information.

As I continue to hike to the right side of the gardens, following the brick path, I come to a place where I can veer off onto a gravel road. This will lead me to the Bamboo Gardens. I pass by the Salvia and the Endangered Species Gardens, and through the Perennial and Rock Gardens - lots of butterflies and hummingbirds.

Finally we arrive at the Bamboo Gardens. This is truly a beautiful place with the Lily Pond, which was renovated after the storm, next to it. The Botanical Gardens is still recovering from the storm Ike, but hopefully the Japanese Tea room will be reconstructed soon to complete the renovation.

Now we proceed into the primitive loop. There are several routes to enjoy. On this day, there is only one person on the path, jogging. I see many animal tracks in the wet earth - deer and raccoon, as well as a White Tailed Rabbit. A weary person like myself can sit down on one of the many benches for a short breather all along these trails and walkways.

There are benches in several small gardens where one can sit and meditate or just read.

I pass by the pond again on the way back towards the center and on through the Lily Garden. This takes me through the Prehistoric Garden, passing by a bog and through the Shade Bog Garden and Boardwalk (photo right).

Now we leave the botanical gardens and go to the arboretum, picnic grounds and nature trails across the street on the west side of the main road. This area also follows Cypress Creek but towards the west. Here I realize how big this place really is! There is no way to cover it all in one day - not for me on this day. I am carrying a backpack and heavy camera with the temperature about 92 degrees.

I park in the arboretum parking lot and start the trek along the creek. The path takes me through the Jake Roberts Maple Collection. Since I love trees, this area strikes me as especially great! Maple trees lined both sides of the pathway!

Now we head into the trail loops to see a variety of bogs, a swamp and various natural forest areas. An impressive dried up swamp of Cypress trees are in the Bald Cypress Pond (right).

A large pavilion can be rented for Bar-B-Ques.This is located of course in the picnic area, near the children playground equipment. There is parking here also.

There are picnic tables close to the playground equipment with nearby grills. This family park is well equipped and well kept.

Additional Photos click here - I recommend viewing them as a slide show using the full screen option

Mercer Gardens website

Festering problem with Invasive trees and vines

noreply@blogger.com (indianspringsguy) — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 18:43:00 +0000

For decades, a creep of invasive plants has been drifting north from the coastal prairies. I have observed this occurring my entire lifetime. When I was young, there were not many invasive trees, notably the Chinese Tallow. Now, there are forests in marsh areas, once inhabited by marsh creatures. The coastal marshes are however not in scope of this article. They are only examples of what can and will happen when invasive plants go unchecked. The Woodlands parks and paths have these trees, some in abundance. I am blessed by living next to one such park which demonstrates what can happen. We have a beautiful invasive tree population in this park. People like to see them in the Fall. They produce a lot of color. As the trees are allowed to grow unabated, birds spread their millions of seeds throughout The Woodlands. New trees are also propagated through their long root systems. An example of this propagation is shown in the leading photograph of this article. The little trees are on the edge of the pond and on this peninsula where residents sometimes picnic and fish. The tree is also very difficult to kill, and it propagates even when stressed. Some residents see this tree as a friend and actually take measures to protect and encourage its growth. If unchecked, in five years, the trees will be "small adults", about 8-10 feet tall. In 10 years, they will be full sized, reproducing prolifically. I have lived here more than 10 years now and watched as the population of this tree has grown. If we let it, it will eventually displace our forest, and we will be just like the prairie.

We do have an irradiation program, but it was designed for very visible spots, like entries into neighborhoods. The program replaces those trees removed with native trees. Perhaps we should prioritize this program and place more funds on it to get the job done. The other issue being brought forward here is the vine growth. We have a program to mitigate this issue as well. Mitigating the destruction of our trees by vines that grow well in the sunlight has been difficult. We have a contractor working on the program. It appears that the program is simply under funded, or just lacking sufficient resources to get the job done.

In short there are certain critical issues that must be resolved. Status quo in government transition may not be acceptable. We need our leaders to question these programs and make sure we have sufficient budget and emphasis to protect the natural environment which serves to make out community an exceptional place to live - in the forest.

Other resources ¹Number 1 Enemy Chinese Tallow

Gardening on community property

noreply@blogger.com (indianspringsguy) — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 22:08:00 +0000

Do you know that The Woodlands Texas has a resident's gardening location and possibly will have a second one soon? Residents have gardened for years here. They wait in line for someone to relinquish a plot in the "garden" at the Bear Branch Sportsfields. The gardening plots are sectioned off and marked clearly to enable residents to have a vegetable or flower garden out in the sun. In the older parts of The Woodlands, some homes have practically no sun in their yards. Even now in August, some of the gardeners are working their little gardens. Some have trellises for vines; others have stakes, coverings and other tools to help them deal with the heat. Water delivered by hose is available close to all the plots. Sign-up is with the association, so you can access their pages there to see what the current process is to get a plot.

Bear Branch Sportsfields

noreply@blogger.com (indianspringsguy) — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 15:55:00 +0000

Here in The Woodlands Texas, we have an excellent, beautiful and popular sports complex nestled in the forest. It is across the road from Bear Branch Park, next to Bear Branch Creek, a thin reserve of forest which serves as a wildlife sanctuary. This park is used primarily for soccer matches. These tables are handy for many people who use the park for soccer or play (example: Frisbee throwing). Golf is prohibited in this complex. There are seven adult size soccer fields. During soccer season, one will find many smaller fields carved out of the large ones to accommodate the needs of sports clubs for children.

A concession stand with restrooms is new. The grass on the fields is lush and exceptional. Chick-Fil-A manages the concession stand which opens at 8am on weekend mornings. Unfortunately for the writer, on this particular morning, they did not serve coffee.

Park rules are clearly explained on this sign near the parking lots.
There is plenty if parking, some 236 spaces. Getting there: From I45 heading north, take exit 76 to Research Forest Drive. Follow this road until you pass the light at Shadowbend (Montgomery College is located on the right) and proceed over the bridge at Bear Branch Creek. Click here for a Google map locating the complex.