A UTILITY EASEMENT, TRAIL, AND WILDLIFE HABITAT
 |
 |
| Silver-leaved nightshade, white horsenettle, Solanum eleagnaefolium |
While walking along our local trail, I photographed several endemic natives and a few non-native plants that make-up a restored blackland prairie ecosystem. You can observe birds fly into grassy areas and insects pollinating flowers. The etymology of the word "prairie," is French from Latin and the English equivalent is meadow. A meadow or prairie is populated with grasses and shrubby plants.The Texas Blackland Prairies are named after the dark, rich soil.This grassland ecoregion is found running about 300 miles from the Red River in North Texas south to San Antonio.
Grasses and Forbs Growing in the Texas Blackland Prairie
The horse nettles are members of the nightshade family. A distinguishing characteristic of all horse nettles are prominent, bright yellow stamens. Confused with horse nettle sometimes, are purple ground-cherry (Quincula lobata). It is a purple flowered Nightshade member and very similar in appearance.
 |
Silver-leaved nightshade, white horsenettle, Solanum eleagnaefolium
 |
Silver-leaved nightshade, white horsenettle, (Solanum eleagnaefolium) fruit |
 |
A member of the Gentian family, I believe this is Lady Bird's Centaury, Centaurium texense |
 |
Purple Prairie Verbena |
 |
| Rudbeckia |
 |
Indian Blanket (Gaillardia pulchella) |
 |
Sneezeweed |
 |
| Plantain plantago sp. |
 |
| Monarda |
 |
Pincushion Flower
Similar flower in appearance, native Dalea feayi
Feay's prairie clover, Globe-headed Prairie Clover |
 |
| Sneezeweed, a skipper on cudweed |
 |
| Plantain plantago sp. |
 |
| Curly dock |
 |
Texas frogfruit |
 |
Indian Paintbrush |
 |
Bluebonnet |
Prairies throughout Texas
Preserved Prairie Locations by County in Texas
| Bowie County | Mary Talbot Prairie |
| Collin County | Peters Prairie |
| Falls County | Drews Prairie |
| Falls County | Lehmann Prairie |
| Falls County | Mezynski Prairie |
| Falls County | Nelson L. Wieting Prairie |
| Falls County | Riesel Prairie |
| Franklin County | Daphne Prairie |
| Harris County | Deer Park Prairie |
| Hunt County | Clymer Meadows |
| Lee County | Tanglewood Prairie |
| McLennan County | Simpson Prairie |
| Mitchell County | Maddin Prairie Preserve |
| San Jacinto County | Russell Grasslands and Forest Preserves |
| Wood County | Edmoore Creek |
 |
| Little bluestem grass (Schizachyrium scoparium) |
Prairies evolve over time with pioneer species and later successional species, like little blue stem grass, coming in as the soils mature. That’s why prairie restorations have to occur over time.
Two of my "go to" books for Texas native plants
Grassroots Horticulture
2018__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
