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City Cast Austin

Let us help you find Mother Nature in this concrete jungle.

Kelsey Bradshaw

Austin’s 1.5 million Mexican free-tailed bats are a sight to see. The small creatures fly out from underneath the Ann W. Richards Congress Avenue Bridge nightly during the summer, impressing the hundreds of Austinites and tourists who gather on and below the bridge to take in the flight. It’s one of Austin’s best attractions.

But let’s say you’re looking for more. You need more bats. You need more spectacle! Let me introduce you to Bracken Cave.

Bracken Cave Preserve is just a quick drive away in San Antonio and is home to a whopping 15 million Mexican free-tailed bats. Fifteen million! The cave is home to 

Watching them leave the cave in search of food is breathtaking. As the sun sets, the bats flit out of the cave one by one until you’re not sure what you’re looking at — is it actually bats or a small, dark tornado?

The bats swirl up and up and out of the cave. It is beautiful and stunning and so much fun. And the best news? You can visit Bracken Cave Preserve during the summer! Trust me when I say this is an activity for everyone. Kids and adults will marvel and the people in your life who don’t really care about bats will become their most fervent fans.

Bat Conservation International has a calendar for bat flights through September. Nighttime flights run 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. and morning flights run 5:30 a.m. to 8 a.m. When picking a date to visit, keep in mind that the cave is roughly 70 miles away.

Tickets are $32.55 per person and every person must have a ticket to attend. You can 

. If you want to schedule a group visit or private event for your organization, you can email: 

Bracken Cave is really popular, which means you need to buy your tickets as soon as you can. If a date you want to attend is sold out, you can join a waitlist in case someone drops out.

Bracken Cave Preserve is a must-visit this summer!

Can’t Get Enough of Austin’s Bats? Here’s Where To See 13.5 Million More

Get to know the natural side of Austin: the plants, animals, weather and more that make our city unique.

Austin Urban Almanac

Urban Almanac

It’s no secret that Austin is full of out-of-state transplants — we 

, making the city the 12th biggest in the country. Don’t worry, City Cast Austin is a safe space for you! We’re not about to tell you to stop moving here, and instead, we come bearing tips on how to deal with your first or 10th Austin summer.

First thing to know: June is actually the best it’s going to be all summer. Savor the rainy weather we’ve been having and bask in temperatures while they remain under 100 degrees. OK, once you’ve faced that reality, here’s what else you need to know:

Whether you’re a born-and-raised Texan or you just got here from the East Coast, packing for the weather is essential. Before heading out, we suggest taking a full water bottle and some sort of cooling device for wherever you’re going. Get a 

 to throw in your bag or car and pull out when it gets too hot. You’ll be thankful you have ‘em! Also, water is a no-brainer. Please drink your water!

The thing about living here is that you have to become one with Austin’s pools. Springfed waters abound and if you’re not taking advantage, what are you doing? Get to 

 for a free, cool swim to wake you up. Make a habit of visiting your 

, too. You won’t even notice the heat once you become a regular!

If you have plans to exercise, garden, sit outside with an iced coffee, or literally anything else, do it in the morning. It’s the coolest part of the day during summer and well worth waking up for. Just don’t forget to still apply your sunscreen, wear a hat, and drink lots of water.

Listen, you live here now. Just lean into it. Are you sweating through your clothes? Whatever! Would you rather wait for a table inside? Obviously! Keeping your shades closed for three months isn’t weird. It’s all part of being an Austinite. 

Let's get ready for your first Austin summer.

How To Deal With Austin’s Summer Heat for Newbies

Starting Saturday, Austinites will have a new way to traverse downtown and it couldn’t be better.

The Confluence is a half-mile trail along Waller Creek that runs from Fourth Street to the Ann and Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail on Lady Bird Lake. A total of 1,600 trees, including a couple hundred bald cypresses, and 200,000 native plants were planted on the new trail. The project has been in the works since 2023 and cost $91.5 million, 

funded through city and private donations

On a recent morning, I got to take a tour of the trail and the phrases “wow, awesome” and “it’s gorgeous” came out of my mouth more times than I care to admit. It is a marvelous addition to downtown and meets the moment Austin is currently in: continued population growth in a city trying to keep up. The Confluence keeps up.

Whether you want to extend your walk around Lady Bird Lake by half a mile (or a whole mile if you do an out-and-back), or you need a better way to maneuver parts of downtown, the Confluence offers up a new way to experience Waller Creek.

The creek was previously the most eroded and damaged creek in downtown, said Jon Rigdon, Waterloo Greenway Conservancy’s chief planning and design officer. But with an infusion of plants, wildflowers, trees, and upcycled limestone, the creek has been transformed into a green space animals are already calling home.

Four types of herons, including snowy egrets, a beaver, a pair of red-shouldered hawks, and turtles have been spotted using the creek since its makeover.

“Nature came right back before we were done,” Rigdon said.

You’ll forget you’re in a congested part of downtown Austin when you’re on the Confluence. It’s surprisingly quiet, ripples of water whip by, and no cars are in sight. The trail is also great on the feet — parts of it are made with grippy, permeable pavement to allow water to flow through it instead of creating runoff during a rain event.

Now, this might be the best part. Temperatures are 5 to 7 degrees cooler on the Confluence due to its trees and proximity to water. While it was 81 degrees and sticky when I walked the trail, and it felt nice and breezy down there.

With the Waterline building opening in August, Rigdon hopes the trail will become a destination spot that tourists and locals want to visit. The bottom floor of the Waterline will eventually have boutiques and restaurants where trail users can stop off and shop at, grab a cup of coffee, or pop in to for a meal.

It will not be surprising when the Confluence becomes an honest-to-goodness destination. The lush greenery and wildflower patches it provides are wonderful and the addition of so many trees is a significant investment in the area’s future.

When asked what he wants the public to experience with the Confluence, Rigdon said: “That there’s this beautiful space of nature that is theirs.”

The new, half-mile trail runs along Waller Creek downtown.

Austin’s New Downtown Trail Is a Transportive Wonder

It’s officially summer, temperatures are rising, and that means it’s blue-green algae season here in Austin.

Blue-green algae, or cyanobacteria, has been detected in Austin waterways 

 after swimming in Lady Bird Lake. Algae thrives in warm water and it’s best to take precautions.

It’s best to believe harmful algae and other dangers like bacteria and parasites are always present in Austin waterways. The city suggests treating all algae as though it’s toxic.

“Although we keep an eye on the condition of our lakes and creeks, there is no amount of testing that could be done to assure them safe from all risk,” 

Stagnant water with scum, film, or algae mats on the surface are all signs that harmful algae may be present. Blue-green algae can show up as slimy blobs, 

typically dark green or dark blue with green

How To Keep Your Dog Safe in the Austin Heat

🚨 The City Tested a Prevention Program

Over the course of five years, city watershed officials applied 

clay to areas of Lady Bird Lake meant to starve blue-green algae

 and prevent it from growing. Areas included: Red Bud Isle, the boat ramp on the north shore of the lake west of Interstate 35, and the north shore of the lake between Interstate 35 and the lagoon behind the Festival Beach Boat ramp.

The program started in 2021 and involved workers spraying the clay from a barge into the water. This year, the city plans to observe the treated areas and evaluate the effectiveness of the program.

Keep your animal out of algae-infested waters.

If your animal does end up in the water, make sure you rinse their fur afterward and keep them from licking their fur.

Symptoms your dog has ingested harmful algae can occur anywhere from 15 minutes to days after they’ve been exposed, 

Neurologic signs such as weakness, disorientation/confusion, collapse or unconsciousness, and seizures

If you see any of these symptoms, contact your dog’s vet as soon as possible to avoid injury or death.

Blue-green algae is harmful to dogs and people. 

What To Know About Austin’s Blue-Green Algae This Summer

In just a couple of weeks, a new section of 

, complete with three bridges, a boardwalk, and hundreds of added trees, will open to the public.

The Confluence is the second phase of Waterloo Greenway. The first phase was the opening of Waterloo Park and Moody Amphitheater in August 2021. Construction on the second phase started in May 2023 and will open on June 6 with a public celebration.

“Waterloo Greenway has always been about gathering the community, and with The Confluence, we are continuing to bring that vision to life as a welcoming and inclusive gathering place for all,” said Colette Pierce Burnette, Waterloo Greenway Conservancy CEO, in a news release.

The Confluence section of Waterloo Greenway spans 13 acres along Waller Creek between Fourth Street and Lady Bird Lake. It’s 

, was funded through city and private donations, officials say.

Roughly 1,600 new trees, 200,000 native plants, and 10 acres of seed mixes were added to the trail, and a biofiltration pond was built.

Lots of structures and walking paths were added, including:

Three lattice bridges over Waller Creek for east-west connection

A half-mile of new trail connecting the Lance Armstrong Bikeway, Rainey Street, and the hike-and-bike trail

ADA-accessible trail connections to the Mexican American Cultural Center and the hike-and-bike trail

A bridge connection to Waller Creek at Fourth Street

A grand opening celebration kicks off at 10 a.m. on June 6 at The Confluence.

, and includes a ribbon-cutting ceremony, park tours, scavenger hunts, face painting, live music, art, and more.

What To Know About Waterloo Greenway’s Confluence Project

We all have a lumpy bag full of unwanted clothes for donation living in our cars or in the corner of a room. I’ve got great news if getting to a donation center has been last on your to-do list for too long: The city will pick up those clothes for you.

can now schedule appointments for clothing and textile pick-up

. You can make an appointment by calling 311, in the Austin Recycles app, or 

. You’ll be required to put your items in one, 13-gallon bag and set them outside by 5:30 a.m. on pick-up day.

“This program helps keep clothing out of the landfill,” the city said.

You can put almost anything in your donation pile:

After your donation is picked up, it is taken to the city’s Recycle and Reuse Center. From there, Goodwill picks the items up for reuse or recycling, officials say.

“Usable items may be resold in stores, while others may be repurposed into materials like cleaning rags,” the city said.

Austin Resource Recovery customers can also schedule pick-ups for 

bulk items, brush, and hazardous waste materials

Austin Is Now Offering On-Demand Clothing Pickup

Spring is the best. It’s the last stop before summer, flowers are blooming, and you’ve still got plenty of time to get your vegetable garden in tip-top shape.

With all the rain we’ve been having lately, it’s just cool enough to spend a morning outside in the garden. April is actually a great time to plant a whole bunch of summer produce favorites. 

According to Texas A&M AgriLife Extension

, April is the ideal time to plant the following in Travis County:

A transplant is a seed that has been grown inside and germinated for three to four weeks. This helps the roots withstand the move from inside to outside.

“The other reason to recommend transplants is the number of days it takes to harvest. Central Texas has two very short growing seasons. A crop like brussels sprouts just doesn’t have enough time in their ideal growing temperatures to amount to anything unless started as a transplant,” 

. (Brussels sprouts are best planted in January or February.)

One could really spend a whole day on the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension website learning about gardening and planting vegetables. But thankfully, they’ve got a 

 if you don’t have that kind of free time.

Apply preplant fertilizer to your garden.

Keep a record of what’s going on in your garden — things like when you plant, and when you water.

Water as needed and use mulch to conserve moisture.

Which Vegetables To Plant in April in Austin

Despite recent rainfall, drought conditions in the Austin area won’t be changing any time soon.

A total of 2.37 inches of rainfall have been recorded in Austin so far this month, which is a jump from what’s normal during the first 13 days of April. The area usually sees just 0.92 inches of rainfall by this time, National Weather Service data shows. While rain is in the forecast this week, it likely won’t be significant, said Mack Morris, a National Weather Service Meteorologist.

“This rain probably won’t put much of a dent in the drought,” he said. “We basically need another year’s worth of additional rain to completely break out of the drought. It would take significant rainfall.”

 shows the majority of Travis County is in an extreme drought and some western parts are in the lesser severe drought. Part of the problem is that the area has been stuck in a La Niña pattern since the fall.

A La Niña pattern happens when the eastern Pacific Ocean near the equator cools, which can lead to warmer and drier conditions across the southern U.S., 

the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says

Austin is down about 2-4 inches of rainfall in the last three months in an area that has seen a lack of rainfall over the last five years, Morris said.

“The constant La Niñas have been a problem,” Morris explained.

But relief from the La Niña is finally on its way — a neutral weather pattern is expected to kick in within the next few weeks, Morris said. The neutral pattern is expected to last through the summer months before an El Niño pattern moves into the area, making conditions cooler and wetter.

“We’ll take it,” Morris said. “Literally anything is better for this area than a La Niña.”

A steadier steam of rain would help the area’s drought conditions, and lucky for us, Austin should get 

Rain is possible on Wednesday, with showers and thunderstorms after 1 p.m. More storms are expected on Saturday and Morris said a decent amount of rainfall is possible.

Travis County is experiencing severe drought conditions. 

Travis County Needs a Year’s Worth of Rain To Break Out of Drought, Meteorologists Say

Travis County Needs a Year’s Worth of Rain To Break Out of  Drought, Meteorologists Say

It’s that time of year again, y’all! Birds are migrating through Texas and need our help traveling.

 building owners, businesses, developers, and homeowners to turn off all non-essential nighttime lighting on buildings and other structures from 11 p.m. to 6 p.m. during bird migration season.

Migration season started March 1 and runs through June 15, according to Audubon Texas. Peak migration happens between April 22 and May 12. During these times, 

 where temperatures are more mild, daylight hours are longer, and food is more abundant.

Most North American birds do their traveling at nighttime. That’s where we come in. Lights from buildings, your porch, or even your living room, can confuse birds.

“In fact, between 100 million and 1 billion birds die every year in collisions with manmade structures – one of the biggest killers of migratory birds,” Audubon Texas says.

So, what can you do? Turn off all your outside lights between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m., close your curtains and blinds, turn off exterior floodlights, and avoid using overhead lighting when working late, 

. Use warm lightbulbs when possible, and direct the light you use to fall only where needed.

You can also help the birds’ cause by getting a free “Lights Out Texas” sign! Signs are currently available 

for free at the following Austin libraries

Spicewood Springs: Pick up on Tuesdays 9-11:30 a.m., and Thursdays 4:30-7:30 p.m.

John Gillum: Pick up on Wednesdays 2-5 p.m.

Hampton Branch at Oak Hill: Pick up on Saturdays 2-5 p.m.

Windsor Park: Pick up on Fridays 1-4 p.m.

Why Birds in Texas Need You To Turn Off Your Lights Right Now

Why Texas Birds Need You To Turn Off Your Lights Right Now

It’s My Park Day, a twice-a-year volunteer event at Austin’s many parks, is on Saturday. You can volunteer to help beautify, restore, clean up, and more. Here’s what you need to know:

It’s My Park Day kicks off at 9 a.m. on Saturday and runs until noon. 

 and make sure you RSVP. Volunteers receive a free T-shirt, sticker, and access to discounts at spots like Zilker Brewing Co. and Rosen’s Bagel Co.

Volunteer opportunities are located all over the city, so finding a park to help should be easy! You can spread mulch at the 

, or fill holes and do other beautifying tasks at 

. The options are endless! Restore a trail at 

, or promote responsible pet ownership in 

 to help care for trees, fence lines, and shared park spaces at 

. If you’re interested in being part of a group that is community-engaged, learn more about 

It’s My Park Day generates roughly $650,000 in volunteer labor for park improvements every year, officials say. In the fall, volunteers completed 177 projects and collected more than 25,000 pounds of trash.

“Every volunteer who spreads mulch, collects trash, or maintains and restores our greenbelts is helping to shape Austin’s green spaces for the better. The energy and care Austinites bring to this day ripple across our neighborhoods all year long,” said Colin Wallis, Austin Parks Foundation CEO.