Buffalo Bayou Partnership

Did you know that historic Freedmen's Town is just steps away from Buffalo Bayou Park?

After June 19, 1865, many newly freed people established communities along Buffalo Bayou, including Freedmen's Town. These residents built the very neighborhoods – the streets, houses, and infrastructure – they inhabited. Freedmen's Town residents created a thriving community, making and laying the distinctive red bricks that still line parts of the neighborhood today, constructing homes, and establishing Black-owned businesses that flourished for decades. Many monuments and institutions remain, standing as lasting testaments to resilience, self-determination, and freedom.

BBP staff recently took a walking tour of historic Freedmen’s Town. The experience offered a deeper understanding of the neighborhood’s rich history and its enduring connection to Buffalo Bayou.

This Juneteenth, we honor the history of Freedmen's Town and the generations whose vision, labor, and determination helped shape Houston.

Happy Juneteenth, Houston.

🚲🦇 Join us this Saturday for Bikes & Bats!

Pedal over to the Waugh Drive Bridge Bat Colony with BikeHouston and witness an unforgettable sight—more than 300,000 Mexican free-tailed bats taking flight at sunset.

Along the way, bat expert DeAndra Ramsey will share fascinating facts about these important nighttime neighbors, affectionately known as "sky puppies."

📅 Saturday, June 20 | 7 PM
📍 Meet at The Water Works
🚲 Ride departs at 7:15 PM
🦇 Spots are limited—purchase your tickets: https://buffalobayou.org/event/2026-bikes-and-bats-2/

🌼 Happy National Pollinator Week!

Got milk(weed)? 🦋 Over the past few months, BBP's Conservation Team and students from The Post Oak Middle School have been growing Butterfly Milkweed from seed. This Texas native plant is a vital food source for pollinators, especially Monarch butterflies.

This month, more than 750 milkweed seedlings will be planted throughout Buffalo Bayou Park, helping create stronger habitat for bees, butterflies, moths, and other pollinators along the bayou.

💡 Fun fact: Milkweed's milky sap helps protect it from hungry animals—but Monarch caterpillars can safely eat it and even use its toxins as their own defense!

🦇 : Meet the Northern Yellow Bat (Lasiurus intermedius), one of Houston's tree-loving residents!

These bats love palm trees with a "beard" of dead, hanging fronds, where they can tuck themselves away and sleep the day away. While those old fronds may look messy, they're important habitat for Northern Yellow Bats. By leaving them in place and reducing pesticide use, you can help support these nighttime insect hunters.

The best part? Bats help keep pest populations in check, making it a win-win for both people and wildlife.

Thanks to DeAndra Cardenas Ramsey for sharing this week's Bat of the Week as part of our annual programming, this year, celebrating Houston's favorite nighttime flyers.

📸: Northern Yellow Bat photo by Merlin D. Tuttle

🦇 Holy bats, Houston!

Grab your cape and join us for Batman on the Bayou, a FREE summer evening celebrating one of Houston's most fascinating nighttime residents.

As part of BBP's Summer Species series, you'll enjoy:
🎬 A screening of Batman Returns (costumes encouraged!)
🦇 Bat-themed activities and educational experiences with the Houston Area Bat Team
🌮 Food trucks, music, and frozen margaritas (because no bats = no tequila 😉)
❓ Bat trivia and more!

Discover why bats play such an important role in our urban ecosystem, then settle in under the stars for a movie along the bayou.

📅 Saturday, July 25
⏰ 7–10:30 PM | Movie begins at 8:15 PM
📍 The Water Works, Buffalo Bayou Park
🎟️ Registration appreciated: https://buffalobayou.org/event/2026-batman-on-the-bayou/

Cape optional. Bat enthusiasm required.

Our social media manager is out... so... come visit the Cistern and The Water Works Visitor Center!