Red-vented Bulbuls are native to tropical southern Asia and are also common in Dubai. Houston has small established populations which derived from escaped cage birds. Primarily they are spotted in the Heights area, although the one pictured above was photographed here in Idylwood.

(thanks to Brandon Young for the photo)

We recently received a query regarding hours the Dog Park is open to the public. City of Houston has posted hours from Dawn to Dusk.

Click on the image below to watch a fun video from Houston Parks & Rec about the Dog Park opening.

Thank you to all the Idylwood residents who have been calling the Constables and HPD to report discharge of a firearm (that's what HPD calls gunshots when it's not an assault/homicide). Recently, Citizen Patrol team members reported some gunshots and the dispatcher said six other residents had already called it in! Thanks, that's good teamwork. You can call Precinct 6 Constables at 713-274-3400 and HPD at 713-884-3131. Some of our neighbors have a few more cameras up along N. MacGregor, and we're communicating when we see/hear anything then passing the info along to law enforcement.

We have also been in touch with the management company at Brookdale Village. The apartment complex on Maxwell is owned by Representative Gary Gates and his company Gatesco. We asked them to consider adding security cameras, gates, on site security or on site management, but they declined. They also did not allow us to place our own security camera on their property to help prevent the gunshots. They did agree to allow the management company, but not the owners, to meet with us and HPD, and we'll work to set up that meeting. 

If you hear gunshots and think they came from the vicinity of Brookdale Village and want to call it in, here's the info that may help HPD. The address is 6113 Gulf Freeway and HPD uses the cross street of Griggs. Building 13 is closest to Sylvan and MacGregor. Building 26 is closest to the motel and the location where we find shells most frequently.

Stay safe,

Jake Goldstein and Steve Palmer, Citizen Patrol

In our updates with HPD and the Constable, we received several pieces of good news: overall crime, violent and non-violent, continues to go down year over year in our HPD district, Eastside. Precinct 6 Constable and HPD worked together with East End Management District to clear out a large homeless encampment by the golf course. They took out 3 truck's worth of debris. This is good, as it was suspected that some of the break-ins over the last few months could have come from individuals in those encampments between Lawndale and Harrisburg.

Houston Police Department posts monthly Crime Data by Police Beat (our Beat is 11H10). There have been 7 incident reports for Idylwood in 2026 (thru end of April): 6 in January and 1 in March (4 related to theft, 2 weapon violations, 1 vandalism).

We asked you to give us your favorite neighborhood spots, reliable contractors and other services. Since we've seen numerous email requests on the Idylwood Neighborhood Exchange for recommendations, we thought this might be a fun way to share our favorites.

The ballots have been cast and the votes are counted.

🥇 Did yours win? 🥇

Don’t see your “fave?” Voting polls will stay open until the end of the year, so submit your candidates today! 🗳️

(thanks to Jeremy Siebenmann-Lucas on Rockbridge for putting this together)

We are gathering Idylwood’s favorite summer cook-out recipes. Are you a Hamburger Hero (or just a Hamburger Helper?) or are you a Dessert Queen? Are there any Grill Masters in the neighborhood? For us Texans, nothing beats a low-and-slow smoked brisket. After a heavy brisket, nothing hits the spot like a cool refreshing pie. Let’s not forget those delicious cool potato, cucumber and pasta salads! Don’t be shy - send us your recipes for the Idylwood Centennial Cookbook!

E-mail your recipes to: idylwoodcookbook@gmail.com or contact Amy Lawson @ 281-250-5001.

Thanks for supporting our Centennial Cookbook!

Click on the tiles for more info and exciting updates!

Solid Waste Management Department has announced the launch of its new Customer Service Line to better support residents with questions and concerns and assist with inquiries related to collection services, cart concerns, recycling and other issues. This line is intended for follow-up on existing 311 Service Requests.

Solid Waste Management Customer Service Line: 📞 832-394-1453

Agents available Monday–Friday, 7:30 AM to 4:30 PM

Located across Harrisburg Blvd from Greyhound next to PNC Bank.

Idylwood resident John Paul Segovia will be hosting an art show this month at his gallery with a special showing for Idylwood neighbors on Friday, July 24th (details below).

• Jul 01: OH! Canada
• Jul 03: Independence Day (observed)
• Jul 06: Recycling
• Jul 10: WALK30
• Jul 14: Le Quatorze Juillet
• Jul 15: National Hot Dog Day (aka dachshund sausages)
• Jul 17: WALK30
• Jul 19: 2pm CST
• Jul 20: Recycling
• Jul 21: Civic Club Meeting @ 7pm, 6900 Lawndale St
• Jul 22: Super Neighborhood Meeting @ 6:30pm, 7037 Capitol St
• Jul 24: WALK 30
• Jul 25: Barrios Dogs Rad Benefit - 4-7pm!
• Jul 26: Happy B’day Jumpin’ Jack Flash
• Jul 29: Happy B’day Wesley Crusher
• Jul 31: WALK30
• Aug 03: Recycling
• Aug 04: Heavy Trash / Yard Waste pickup (we believe this to be true!)

It's the countdown to a cacophony! Wait...Who? What??

I received some scratchy messages that mentioned a

City of Houston Ordinance (12.4.1)

regarding a ban on fireworks in the city !

However, it appears that Idylwood dogs and cats are beginning to hunker down and stay low in case the Fourth of July celebrating creeps inside the city limits. They will just wait until the cleanup is over.

It's just too scary with all the noise and that debris smells really weird!

Besides, something might catch fire or come through their roof!

August will be a better time to be out and about!

Friendly Reminder From The Pets



For the health and safety of all neighborhood pets and people,

please keep us on a leash and scoop our poop -

even along the bayou trails !

Nature News

Baby oysters take flight!

A drone distributes 1.1 million baby seed oysters in East Galveston Bay in the first-of-its-kind effort to restore oyster reefs! Read all about this fantastic effort by several partners who have made this possible!! To learn more, click the link below:

Baby oysters take flight

Sustainable soccer field at Mason Park!

Houston's World Cup host committee unveiled improvements to a Mason Park soccer pitch that it hope will serve as a model for future fields. To learn more, click the link below:

Sustainable soccer field at Mason Park

Gardening tips from Neil Sperry

In the June 27 Chronicle article, Neil shares gardening tips on several topics: yellowing tree leaves, a houseplant called 'rabbit tracks'; raised bed gardening; drip irrigation; sick geraniums; and vacation watering. To learn more, click the link below:

Tips from Neil Sperry

More tips from Neil Sperry

In the June 6 Chronicle article, Neil shares information on the following gardening questions: holes in the leaves of Nellie R. Stevens Holly; a young pecan tree with sprouting mushrooms; yuccas not blooming; smilax briars overtaking Indian hawthorns; magnolia trees with 'dead spot' at the top;

leggy hydrangeas; and azaleas with iron deficiencies.

To learn more, click the link below:

More tips from Neil

____________________________

Nature In The Neighborhood



Goooaaal !

It's a Yellow-crowned Night Heron prepping for FIFA !

Submitted by Sally Harris

Neighbors: If you have a photo(s) of nature in action in Idylwood (animal or plant),send it to me with a comment to: phattenbach@gmail.com.

__________________________

Going Native !!

Tips from Buchanan's Native Plants

Incorporate Texas Natives into Your Landscape!

Native plants. The term has different meanings for different gardeners. There are Texas natives, US natives and those plants that act like natives. All in all, what most of us want in our garden are low maintenance plants that are attractive and functional. Plants that are not invasive and are a benefit to wildlife.

Click here to learn more: Buchanan's Top Ten Native Plants.

Moving to Idylwood has been a study in patience for us. Our roots are different- one from Bellaire and the other from Cut and Shoot. We have been living on the East Side since 2017 and wished to find a home in this area. Luck was on our side when we discovered this home and bought it in November 2023. Transitioning from our former home, weathering the Derecho and Hurricane Beryl in 2024, and then all the remodeling led to the final move in May 2025!

We were attracted to Idylwood because of its walkability, neighbors, and the small quiet size of the neighborhood. And, it meant that we could stay on the Eastside! Having a great high porch with a spectacular view of the bayou and beyond is a real plus for us! From here we get to wave and easily visit with neighbors (and pets) as they pass by.

Annie is the main gardener of the household and does most of the digging, pruning, and watering. Right now, the beds are a mix of native and non-native plants specifically chosen to attract all the creatures. The bees and butterflies are particularly excited about this new 24 hour cafe! There are plans to add to the collection of plants over time. We are super excited about the new growth on the olive tree that Justin's aunt recently gave us for the front yard!

Finally, the sidewalk was a big step (pun intended) in how we wanted to transform the front yard. Beryl did some damage to it which led to the great welcoming design- a curving stone path that leads the way to the finishing touches. Y'all stop on by!

Story submitted by Ann and Justin

If going out of town, alert your neighbors and request a Vacation Watch from Precinct 6 Constables. Click HERE to access the form.

Please keep an eye out for unusual activity and report to HPD (713) 884-3131 and the Constable's office (713) 274-3400. Please keep your home and cars locked at all times. Report any incidents to ALL authorities; 

more reports = more patrols.

To view crimes reported to HPD from through Feb 2026, download the HPD Excel file here and sort by zip code or beat. Our beat is 11H10, which includes several zip codes. 

Click here to view the Community Crime Map. Enter 77023 in the search window and filter by date range.

Jake Goldstein and Steve Palmer co-chair our patrol group and report the group’s collective hours per month to HPD. Please contact Jake if you are interested in volunteering with our citizens patrol group.

Having a patrol presence in the neighborhood is a crime deterrent and a great way to give back to our community.

Please join us! More information on HPD's Volunteer Citizen Patrol is available here.

president@idylwood.org