Howard Nemerov is a Texas Certified Master Gardener with Advanced Entomology certification. When he’s not researching, he’s out gardening; his yard is his laboratory. Through research, Howard has built a list of county-level native plants for Master Gardener and NPSOT plant sales and teaches people how to create a low-maintenance haven for humans, plants, and pollinators.
Learn this step-by-step process using science-based online resources to create lists of county-level native plants suitable for your lighting and water conditions. County-level plants are most likely to perform well […]
This one-hour PowerPoint discusses Monarch health and migration, and translates recent peer-review research into plain English to explain why planting only native milkweeds is vital. As part of his entomology […]
This one-hour PowerPoint discusses Monarch health and migration, and translates recent peer-review research into plain English to explain why planting only native milkweeds is vital. As part of his entomology […]
Learn this step-by-step process using science-based online resources to create lists of county-level native plants suitable for your lighting and water conditions. County-level plants are most likely to perform well […]
This low-elevations region of Texas extends inland from the barrier islands, about 60 or so miles, and stretches from Brownsville to Louisiana. In total, it covers about 9.5 million acres, with a high point of 150 feet in elevation. More than 1000 species of plants can be found in this region. On the southern end, species more common in Mexico (such as Sabal mexicana) and Central America occur.
The barrier islands provide us with dune systems, and clay flats to the inland side, which have species found in these areas alone. Many plants here, such as Ipomoea pes-caprae (beach morning glory), can be found throughout tropical regions of the globe. I’ve encountered the same species on the beaches of Guam.
Once inland, vast marshes and wet prairies occur. Occasionally, oak (Quercus fusiformis) groves can be found. Common grasses include species of Bothriochloa, Paspalum, and Sporobolus; eastern gamagrass (Tripsacum dactyloides); and switchgrass (Panicum species). Many rivers and creeks cut through the Gulf Prairies, and along these riparian areas various species of trees, Sabal minor, and other plants adapted to clay soils can be found. Due to overgrazing, farming, and fire suppression, woody species such as mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa) and huisache (Acacia farnesiana), and invasive species such as chinaberry (Melia azedarach), Brazilian pepper (Schinus terebinthifolius), and Chinese tallow (Sapium sebiferum) have increased and displaced our native flora.
Source: Wildflowers of Texas by Michael Eason
