Prairie Preservation

Willow Waterhole’s 15-acre Prairie Management Area—now officially deemed a “Registered Texas Native Prairie” by the Native Prairie Association of Texas—will eventually open to the public. The Flood Control District will maintain access to the prairie dawn-flower sites for its protection and care. Visitors will find a prairie trail and raised platforms with telescopes to provide a magnified view of the rare plant without getting too near.

The Greenway’s pocket prairie

Installed in 2017, Willow Waterhole Greenway’s Native Prairie Garden—tiny land parcels bordered by walkways—is a demonstration garden designed to educate the public about native prairie grasses and wildflowers. The garden is located on S. Willow Dr. near the banks of Triangle Lake. Plants were provided by the Natural Resources Manager of the Houston Parks and Recreation Department and are maintained by volunteers from the community, local garden clubs, and the Houston Chapter of the Native Plant Society of Texas.

Restored patches of habitat provide a refuge for more than 500 plant species and attract hundreds of species of wildlife and birds. Houston Audubon holds monthly bird surveys at the Greenway, and in December 2023, their ongoing bird count had reached 236 species, the highest of any official park in Houston.

Conserving prairies for posterity

Other areas and organizations in Houston and Texas are also studying and preserving an evolving patchwork of reclaimed coastal prairie areas. Some include the Nash Prairie, 70 miles southwest of Houston, Attwater Prairie 65 miles west of Houston, Deer Park Prairie in east Houston, Armand Bayou Nature Reserve in Clear Lake, and the just discovered Almeda School Road prairie near Pearland.

Along with these, Willow Waterhole Greenway’s Prairie Management Area will help preserve the legacy of this native coastal prairie environment for generations to come.