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This is why Houston floods so much. Watch the water next time it rains. Does it
disappear faster on the natural ground or on the concrete on your street?
Discuss:
What can you do to protect Houston’s natural habitats?
3, Nonnative, Invasive Plants
Nonnative plants are plants that were brought in by people from other far away
places. These plants come from places like China, Africa and South America. They are
called “invasive” because they invade the homes of our native plants, and take away
the sunlight and soil that our native plants need to grow. (Native plants are plants that
occur naturally in a local region.)
On Buffalo Bayou, nonnative, invasive plants crowd out the native plants and destroy
the bayou’s natural habitats for plants and animals. To fight these invasive plants, we
all should plant only native plants in our gardens and we should remove any nonnative
plants we find. This is what the staff and volunteers of Buffalo Bayou Partnership do
to protect Buffalo Bayou, and we need your help!
Discuss:
Bayou Definitions
What can you do to protect our city’s native plants from being invaded by
nonnative plants? What kind of plants should you plant at your home or
school?
bayou: a large stream or creek, or a small river, characterized by a slow or
imperceptible current
downstream: in the direction of or nearer to the mouth of a stream
upstream: in the direction nearer to the source, or beginning, of a river or
stream
habitat: a plant or animal’s home (made up of food, water, shelter and space)
fresh water: water that isn’t salty
mouth: the place where a river or stream enters a larger body of water
source: the beginning of a river (also called headwaters)
tributary: a smaller stream or river that joins a larger stream or main river
watershed: a tract of land drained by a river and its tributaries (also called
drainage basin)
native: animals and plants that occur naturally in a given area