This week, October 19-25, is Texas Native Plant Week! Native Texas plants can be used to attract and benefit wildlife, particularly birds and butterflies. If you are in the Dripping Springs area, Hays County Commissioner Karen Ford is hosting a Native Plant Walk and Talk at the Precinct 4 office in Dripping Springs, 195 Roger Hanks Parkway, on Friday, October 23 from 11:00AM to Noon-ish.
“We landscaped our new office building using all native and drought-tolerant plants in order to demonstrate the beauty and variety of our local, indigenous plants, and to attract wildlife for our viewing pleasure,” said Commissioner Ford, “With the recent rainfall our plants are just flourishing and ready to show off with butterflies galore.”
Indeed, to a large degree, wildlife management
is plant management (i.e. knowing your plants, their uses, and how to manipulate them). Wildlife have four basic requirements: space, cover, food, and water. The plant community on your property influences each of these requirements either directly or indirectly.
At one of Plateau's Wildlife Management Valuation seminars, an attendee brought a small forb (weed) to be identified. The Plateau biologist identified the plant as pigeonberry (Rivina humilis), a shade tolerant perennial whose berries were readily eaten by birds. The wildlife benefit was confirmed as she excitedly told the biologist about some of the animals she had been seeing on her property. Here are just a few more examples of wildlife-beneficial native Texas plants:
The upright growth form of little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), a perennial warm season grass, provides fantastic nesting cover for Bobwhite Quail. This grass decreases in abundance with moderate to heavy livestock grazing. Illinois bundleflower (Desmanthus illinoensis), a native, nitrogen-fixing legume for which seeds can be readily purchased, is a great food source for white-tailed deer and can also serves as an indicator of deer overabundance. The seeds of this plant are eaten by various birds. Antelope horns (Asclepias asperula), a sprawling perennial flower with milky sap, has leaves that are considered very poisonous but does a great job of attracting monarch butterflies. The ubiquitous cedar (Juniperus asheii) is very common in central Texas. This native shrub/tree can alter the hydrologic cycle by intercepting water in its thick canopy and litter layer, thus keeping water from entering the system (there are many benefits to this plant including erosion control, food and cover source, and providing nesting materials for Golden-cheeked Warblers – but we’ll leave the cedar argument for another day).
A better understanding of the plants on your property will lead to an increased appreciation of your land. During a consulting site visit or habitat assessment, Plateau biologists can help you identify the plants on your property and discuss their wildlife values. Plant identification will pave the way to understanding how particular plants contribute to your wildlife populations. If you commit yourself to learning all about the plants on your property, your wildlife will thank you for it.
Contact Plateau today to schedule your own "Native Plant Walk and Talk".
(512) 894-3479
(888) 289-9409 (Toll free)
plateau@plateauwildlife.com
Labels: native plant week, plateau land and wildlife, texas wildlife management, wildlife biologist, wildlife exemption, wildlife management valuation
