Prairie Rose Chapter

Meeting Monday August 22, Citizen Center in Glen Rose

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TEXAS HORNED LIZARD REINTRODUCTION

BY NATHAN RAINS
AUGUST 22, 6 p.m.
Glen Rose Citizen’s Center
209 SW Barnard St., Glen Rose

Remember playing with Texas Horned Lizards growing up? Perhaps you
remember them as β€œHorny Toads” which is what we all called them.
Unfortunately, they are now in serious trouble and are no longer found in their
former habitats.

A Texas horned lizard waits for prey in Southern New Mexico. (Photo by Nicole Harings)

Nathan Rains, Wildlife Diversity BiologistΒ with Texas Parks andΒ Wildlife, will give a presentation on the Texas Horned Lizard and the research andΒ reintroduction efforts from the lastΒ 15 years. He’ll cover the path this researchΒ took into the genetics,
translocation (moving lizards from one area to anotherΒ distant one) and the breeding programs throughout the state.

NATHAN RAINS: Nathan Rains is a Wildlife Diversity Biologist with Texas Parks
and Wildlife department. He received a B.S. from Texas A&M in 1994 in Wildlife
biology and an M.S. from LSU in 1994. He then worked for the Louisiana
Department of Wildlife and Fisheries for 2 years after grad school. He started
working with TPWD in 2000 and worked from 2000-2008 as a Wildlife biologist.
From 2008 to present he is working as a Wildlife Diversity Biologist

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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 TexasΒ by Michael Eason