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Native Plant Society of Texas

Prairie Rose Chapter

Saturday May 21, 2022 Special Event/Meeting

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Our temperature Saturday will be the best in a long time, so it’s the perfect chance to walk around Chuck Snakard and Dorothy Pringle’s ranch for 1-2 hours. 

MAY 2022 EVENT/MEETING

SATURDAY, MAY 21, 9 A.M.
SNAKARD RANCH
5176 CR 2013

Our May meeting is a fun walk/tour activity.  Please join us as we walk around this fabulous ranch and identify plants.  Whether you’re new to native plants or a veteran, there is always something interesting to see and learn.  It’s a great opportunity to bring friends and relatives out as well. 

This fabulous 341-acre ranch has been permanently protected by the Texas Land Conservancy with a conservation easement for the past 20 years. It has been managed by a number of methods including prescribed burns. This is a great opportunity to walk around land in the Lampasas Cut Plain. Chuck and Dorothy have graciously said that anyone may stay longer than our planned tour. 

Aaron Lincoln, will be leading our activities on the ranch and helping us to identify what we’re seeing.  Be sure to bring a hat, sunscreen, bug spray and good shoes.

Directions:  From Hwy. 67 turn on to CR 2013.  This is at the top of what we locals call Chalk Mountain (even though it really isn’t).  You’ll turn where you see the sign to Rough Creek Lodge.  The Snakard ranch gate is directly across the main entrance to Rough Creek Lodge.  Follow the road up to the house where we’ll meet before we tour.

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**ARCHIVED POST AUTHOR: prairierose

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