It's A Walk in the Park

Start the New Year off right: Take a walk in Houston's most distinctive new park

Finding places to hike around Houston continues to be a top interest for CultureMap readers, particularly at the beginning of the year, when the weather is cool and our resolution to exercise more kicks into high gear. But rather than travel to outlying areas, there's a wonderful park right in the center of the city, with hike and bike trails, a picnic pavilion, a magnificent underground cistern, a massive dog park and other places to escape.

A multi-million dollar renovation of Buffalo Bayou Park, wedged between Alley Parkway and Memorial Drive from downtown Houston to Shepherd Drive, offers one of the best urban parks in the nation, with more than 160 acres of enhanced hike and bike trails offering spectacular views of the downtown skyline — and so much more.

It's now easier to get to the park since Allen Parkway was recently revamped, with landscaped medians and stoplights at Dunlavy, Taft, Gillette, and Park Vista Drive, so pedestrians can cross the busy thoroughfare without feeling like they're taking their life in their hands. The $14 million project, overseen by the Downtown Redevelopment Authority and the City of Houston, also includes 132 new diagonal parking spaces along Buffalo Bayou between Taft and Sabine, so finding a spot to park is a lot easier. (Parking costs $1 for 3 hours.)

There is also a small free parking lot near the Wortham Insurance Visitor Center on Sabine, where you can obtain a map of the park (the center is open Wednesdays through Sundays from 8 am to 7 pm) and start exploring. That's what we did on a recent weekday afternoon, when the park was filled with joggers, walkers, bikers and families at play.

Heading west from the visitors center, there are wide bike trails along Memorial Drive and Allen Parkway, but walkers or joggers can follow along their own trail, known as the Kinder Footpath, located a little closer to the bayou. The Kinder Foundation contributed $30 million dollars toward the Buffalo Bayou project as Nancy and Rich Kinder have been big proponents of upgrading the parks along Houston waterways in an initiative known as Bayou Greenways 2020. (They contributed another $50 million to to the Bayou Greenways initiative.)

Welcomed improvements

Among the most welcomed improvements are two pedestrian bridges that allow parkgoers to cross over Buffalo Bayou at key points. For years, Houstonians could only admire Jose Morales' magnificent Police Officer Memorial from afar as it was virtually impossible to access it. But now a striking pedestrian bridge of ribboned steel allows up-close views of the sculpture, which resembles a Mayan temple and it has become one of the park's most distinctive and popular attractions.

Other popular attractions are the two-acre Johnny Steel Dog Park, located near Montrose Boulevard, with ponds, washing areas and a large expanse of land for pooches and their owners to frolic: the Waugh Bat Colony, where thousands of the mysterious creatures alight at dusk amid a pungent odor ; and Lost Lake, which houses another visitors center and The Dunlavy, a glittery glass house with dozens of chandeliers that serves breakfast and lunch and is available for private parties at night. (The popular Lee & Joe Jamail Skatepark is closed for renovation.)

Park planners struck a bonanza upon discovering an underground cistern that provided Houston's drinking water in the the early 20th century but has gone unused for years. Rather than bulldoze the area, as often happens in Houston, they turned it into the park's newest attraction, currently featuring a striking and spooky video art installation by Magdalena Fernández. (The Cistern is open Wednesday through Friday from 3 pm to 7 pm and Saturday and Sunday from 10 am to 7 pm. Reservations are required at buffalobayou.org or 713-752-0314, ext. 301.)

For the adverturesome, there are also opportunities to rent boats or kayaks, with guided tours or the opportunity to head out on your own. B-cycle stations are also located around the park, so a bike can be rented for a hour or two for those who want to explore the park through downtown and beyond.

While these and other attractions make the park a magnet for visitors, it can be appreciated on its own as a place to wander amid a setting that is so pristine and natural, you forget you're in the middle of the the nation's fourth largest city. On days when it seems imperative to get away from the stresses of urban life, a walk in the park can do wonders.

Even the artwork at Buffalo Bayou Park encourages visitors to Explore.

Photo by Clifford Pugh

Even the artwork at Buffalo Bayou Park encourages visitors to Explore.

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Pestilence News

New invasive pest threatens farms and pastures in greater Houston

TAMU

Mealyworm is small but damaging.

Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller has issued an urgent alert to farmers to inspect their pastures for a newly detected and highly damaging pest: the pasture mealybug (Helicococcus summervillei).

According to a release from the Department of Agriculture (TDA), this invasive species, never before reported in North America, has been confirmed in multiple Texas counties and is already causing significant damage to pasture acreage across the southeast portion of the state.

The pasture mealybug causes “pasture dieback,” leaving expanding patches of yellowing, weakened, and ultimately dead turf.

This pest was first detected in Australia in 1928; its first detection in the Western Hemisphere occurred in the Caribbean between 2019 and 2020.

The TDA is working with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension and USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) to coordinate a rapid response and protect Texas producers.

Mealybug history
Although the mealybug is just now being spotted, researchers suspect it may have been introduced before 2022.

Since mid-April 2025, southern Texas pasture and hay producers have been reporting problems in their fields. These fields show grass patches becoming brown or necrotic, or patches that are completely dead. Originally, it was presumed that symptoms were caused by another mealybug called the Rhodes grass mealybug, which has been reported in the U.S. since 1942. However, further investigations confirm that it's this new pasture mealybug (Heliococcus summervillei).

It has devastated millions of acres of grazing land in Australia and has since spread globally. Its rapid reproduction, hidden soil-level feeding, and broad host range make it a significant threat to pasture health and livestock operations.

MealybugTAMU

Adult females are approximately 2-5 mm long, covered in a white, waxy coating. They are capable of producing nearly 100 offspring within 24 hours, resulting in several generations per season. While adult females can live for up to 100 days, most damage is inflicted by the youngest nymphs, which feed on plant sap and inject toxic saliva that causes grass to yellow, weaken, and die.

“This is a completely new pest to our continent, and Texas is once again on the front lines,” Commissioner Miller says. “If the pasture mealybug spreads across Texas grazing lands like it has in eastern Australia, it could cost Texas agriculture dearly in lost productivity and reduced livestock capacity. TDA is working hand-in-hand with federal and university partners to respond swiftly and protect our producers from this unprecedented threat.”

A problem for Houston
The estimated impact area currently covers 20 counties, primarily in the Houston area, including: Cameron, Hidalgo, Willacy, Refugio, Calhoun, Victoria, Goliad, Dewitt, Lavaca, Fayette, Jackson, Matagorda, Brazoria, Galveston, Wharton, Colorado, Austin, Washington, Burleson, Brazos, and Robertson. AgriLife entomologists have submitted a formal Pest Incident Worksheet documenting significant damage to pastures and hayfields in Victoria County.

Research trials are underway to determine the best integrated pest management options. Currently, there is no known effective labeled insecticide for pasture mealybug.

Affected plants include: Bermudagrass, Bahia grass, Johnsongrass, hay grazer (sorghum–sudangrass), St. Augustine grass, various bluestem species, and other tropical or subtropical grasses. Damage can occur in leaves, stems, and roots.

Symptoms:

Yellowing and discoloration of leaves within a week of infestation
Purpling or reddening of foliage
Stunted growth and drought stress despite rainfall
Poorly developed root systems
Dieback starting at leaf tips and progressing downward
Premature aging, making plants more vulnerable to pathogens

How to spot it

Scout regularly for mealybugs on grass leaves, stems, soil surface, leaf litter, and under cow patties
Focus on unmanaged areas such as fence lines, ungrazed patches, and roadsides
Look for fluffy, white, waxy, or “fuzzy” insects on blades and stems
If plants appear unhealthy and insects match this description, investigate further

“Early identification is critical, and we need every producer’s eyes on the ground,” Commissioner Miller added. “We are working diligently with our federal and state partners to determine how to best combat this novel threat and stop it in its tracks.”

If you observe suspicious symptoms or insects matching the descriptions above, contact TDA at 1-800-TELL-TDA immediately.

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