By Brandt Mannchen

Recently, I visited Mercer Arboretum (Mercer), which is a Harris County Precinct 3 Park in North Harris County next to Cypress Creek. There are two parts of Mercer: the Botanic Gardens, that are on the east side of Aldine-Westfield Road, and the wilder part which is on the west side of this road.

I visited the wilder part of Mercer, although the Botanic Garden is beautiful and not to be missed.  There are several miles of walking trails in the wilder part. It was a cool, cloudy day, and as I drove to a parking area, Gray Squirrels and Northern Cardinals met me on the mowed grassed roadside and ditches.

The trails are asphalt and wide enough that a Boy or Girl Scout Pack could walk comfortably on them.  Trails are kept clean by a utility vehicle that tows a blower motor that scatters leaves and other plant-fall off the trails.  In other words, they are easy to move along. 

There are numerous sites to see when you walk this part of Mercer.  My favorite places to walk include Post Oak Uplands, Hickory Bog, the Oxbow, and Bald Cypress Swamp.  I like wet, swampy places because where there is water there is diversity of plant life. Some of the plants that I saw included:

Loblolly Pine, Shortleaf Pine, Post Oak, American Hornbeam, Eastern Hop Hornbeam, Black Cherry, Water Oak, Hackberry, Yaupon Holly, Sweetgum, Winged Elm, Black Hickory, White or Green Ash, Southern Magnolia, American Elm, American Sycamore, American Beautyberry, Dwarf Palmetto, Water Hickory, American Holly, Trumpet Vine, greenbriar species, Red Mulberry, Cherry Laurel, grape species, Bald Cypress, blackberry species, Devil’s Walking Stick, Black Gum, Poison Ivy, Boxelder, Cottonwood, Switchcane, Knot-root Bristle Grass, Virginia Creeper, Black Walnut, Southern Red Oak, Sugar Maple, Swamp Chestnut Oak, Red Maple, Pecan, Western Soapberry, Live Oak, Parsley Hawthorn, Carolina Snail or Moonseed, and many more. 

The red berries of Yaupon Holly stood out against the rest of the green forest.  A real Winter/Christmas treat.  Lichens also were colorful with white, green, gray, and yellow lichens mottling bark on Hackberry and American Hornbeam trees.  I love looking at tree bark because it’s just as different as the many trees, and reminds me of art that hasn’t been duplicated via the human hand.

I was surprised to see a large bird flying over the soaring pine trees.  I used my binoculars and finally was able to see clearly that a Brown Pelican was overhead. I usually see Brown Pelicans on the coast, so this amazed me and added to my enjoyment of the day.

There are some changes that I’d like to see in the wild part of Mercer.  These changes include fewer non-native invasive plant species (NNIPS).  I saw many NNIPS including Chinese Tallow, Japanese Climbing Fern, Glossy Privet, Chinaberry, Trifoliate Orange, Lantana species, and Chinese Privet.  NNIPS compete with native plants and reduce the diversity of forest, riparian, and prairie habitats.   If NNIPS are removed and native trees are allowed to seed in and grow large enough to provide shade, this will reduce density of shrubs like Yaupon Holly and will benefit the forest that Mercer protects.   

Some of the culverts that were installed to connect natural overland water flow channels aren’t located on the ground and thus inhibit water flow when it rains.  This can reduce the water that should go to certain habitats and can help dry them out.

There is a 20-50 foot grass-mowed area along most trails.  This allows for a great view of canopy trees but reduces the amount of habitat and increases the fragmentation that the asphalt trails have.  Less grass-mowed area means more room for trees and shrubs to grow.

I enjoyed Mercer Arboretum and urge you to visit soon.  It’s a peaceful place to spend time and refreshes your soul.

Photo by Brandt Mannchen