Prairie Rose Chapter

February Newsletter 2021

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FEBRUARY MEETINGS

BLACKLAND PRAIRIE – THEN AND NOW

BY CAROL CLARK

VIRTUAL MEETING, FEBRUARY 22, 7 P.M.

For anyone who’s heard one of Carol’s previous presentations, you know what a great speaker she is.  We’re happy to welcome her back to talk about the Blackland Prairie.  Blackland Prairie remnants are some of the rarest and most endangered ecosystems on Earth.  This program will explore the kind of interdependent plant and animal communities the settlers found when they first arrived on the Blackland Prairie, and unique challenges they faced due to the unusual soils.  We’ll contrast that historic scene with what is left here now.

Carol Clark is an amateur botany enthusiast, a Monarch Watch Conservation Specialist, a Texas Master Naturalist and longtime member of the Native Plant Society of Texas.  She and her husband own and operate Clark Haven, a wildlife reserve and custom wildflower seed business in Cooke County.  Carol grew up with a nature photographer father and wildlife artist brother, and has spent much of her life looking around in the great outdoors.  Her favorite things to do are leading discovery walks in local natural areas, and finding and photographing interesting plants.

This will be a Zoom meeting, and you must pre-register before the event.  Our last event exceeded our limit of 100 attendees so I apologize that some of you couldn’t attend.  There’s no way to tell if this meeting will have the large number of last-minute registrations, but I’ve added a question of what county the registrants are from in an attempt to let me allow you into the meeting first.  

Several things are recommended.  Sign up as soon as possible.  You’ll receive an automatic Zoom notice with your own personal log-in.  You might want to flag that email so you can easily find it several weeks later.  My request is that you check into the waiting room 10 minutes before the meeting is set to start.  I will begin to let our people into the meeting about 5 minutes before the start time of 7 p.m. when everyone else will be allowed in.  

 

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About the Region

Fall Symposium 2025 Logo - Teach for the Future

Salado, the location of our Fall 2025 Symposium, lies at the intersection of two ecoregions: the Edwards Plateau (Limestone Cut Plain) and Blackland Prairie (Northern Blackland Prairie).

The Edwards Plateau area is also called the Hill Country; however, this general term covers a much larger area extending farther north. Spring-fed creeks are found throughout the region; deep limestone canyons, rivers, and lakes (reservoirs) are common. Ashe juniper is perhaps the most common woody species found throughout the region. Additional woody species include various species of oak, with live oak (Quercus fusiformis) being the most common. Sycamores (Platanus occidentalis) and bald cypress (Taxodium distichum) border waterways. This area is well known for its spring wildflower displays, though they may be viewed in spring, late summer, and fall, as well. According to Texas Parks and Wildlife, average annual rainfall in the Edwards Plateau ranges from 15 to 34 inches.

The Blackland Prairie extends from the Red River south to San Antonio, bordered on the west by the Edwards Plateau and the Cross Timbers, and on the east by the Post Oak Savannah. Annual rainfall averages 30 to 40 inches, with higher averages to the east. This region is dominated by prairie species. The most common grass species include little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) and Indian grass (Sorghastrum nutans) in the uplands and switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) in the riparian areas and drainages. Common herbaceous flowering plants include salvias, penstemons, and silphiums. This area has suffered greatly from overgrazing and agricultural use. Few intact areas remain, though many of the plants can be found along county roadsides throughout the region.

Our fall Symposium host chapter, the Tonkawa Chapter, includes both of these ecoregions.

Source: Wildflowers of Texas by Michael Eason