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The northernmost area of Texas is called the Panhandle. It is straight and narrow like the handle of a pan with the broader area of the state below it, like the bottom of a pan.

This region has mostly flat, grassy land or plains. These plains are part of the same flat grassland that extends from the Great Plains of the Central United States. Sometimes this land is also called the Llano Estacado or "Staked Plains." The land is mostly treeless and is on a high, flat plateau. The eastern part of the Panhandle is not quite as flat. It is lower in elevation and called a rolling plain. There is more rainfall in this eastern half and it is brushy.

The western and eastern parts of the Panhandle region is strikingly divided by deep canyons carved by rivers and their tributaries that wind their way through this area.

Palo Duro Canyon and Caprock Canyons State Parks are in this region. The remarkable canyons were carved by rivers. They are sometimes called "inverterted mountains" since the land is relatively flat until you reach the long and steep canyons in the ground.

Learn about the wildlife and history of this area!

Topography and Characteristics

Major Rivers: Red, Pecos, Canadian, Colorado and Brazos.
Major Aquifer: Ogallala, Seymour, Nacotoch, Alluvium, Cenozoic, Pecos, Edwards-Trinity
Size: 81,500 sq. mi.

The Panhandle goes from gently rolling hills to rough and dissected with canyons. This area forms the southern end of the Great Plains. Soils vary from coarse sands along streams, to clays and shales. The soil is neutral to slightly alkaline. Caliche ( kah-lee-chee), soil mixed with chunks of calcium carbonate, generally is found two to five feet under surface soils.

Major Cities / Rainfall / Elevation

Regional Average Rainfall: 15-28 in./yr
Data source: National Climate Datat Center, U.S. Dept of Commerce.

Abilene - 23.78 in / 1,790 ft
Amarillo - 19.716 in / 3,586 ft
Borger - 21.984 in / 3,140 ft
Boys Ranch - 18.18 in / 3,191 ft
Brownwood - 28.32 in / 1,385 ft
Clarendon - 23.89 in / 2,700 ft
Lamesa - 19.07 in / 2,965 ft
Lubbock - 18.69 in / 3,254 ft
Memphis - 22.51 in / 2,090 ft
Midland - 14.80 in. / 2,862 ft
Muleshoe - 17.37 in / 3,825 ft
Paducah - 24.11 in / 1,900 ft
Perryton - -20.88 in / 2,942 ft

Common Vegetation

Sugarberry
Plains cottonwood
Honey mesquite
Bur oak
Peach-leaf willow
Western soapberry
Mtn. mahogany
Chokecherry
Prairie crabapple
Eastern red cedar

Saltbush
Silver agarita
Acacia
Fragrant sumac
Prickly-pear cactus
Narrow-leaf Yucca
Sideoats gramma
Coral honeysuckle
Teddy-bear cholla
Texas poppy-mallow

Learn more on our Wildscapes page: Plant Guidance for the High Plains and for the Rolling Plains

Common Wildlife

Roadrunner
Mule deer
Swift fox
Prairie dog
Badger
Pinyon mouse
Swainson's hawk
Black-capped vireo

Great horned owl
Burrowing owl
Interior least tern
Snowy plover
Pronghorn antelope
Thirteen-lined ground squirrel
Plains hognose snake
Western diamondback rattlesnake

Learn more about these animals on our Wildlife Fact Sheets.

Rare Animals & Habitats

Black-footed ferret
Palo Duro mouse
Texas kangaroo rat Concho water snake

Learn more about Endangered and Threatened Species.

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The northernmost area of Texas is called the Panhandle. It is straight and narrow like the handle of a pan with the broader area of the state below it, like the bottom of a pan. This region has mostly flat, grassy land or plains.

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The Panhandle is part of the Great Plains. It is home to animals that are depend on grasses and are adapted to live where water is less common and temperatures can be hot or cold.

Bison roamed this region grazing on grasses and were hunted by Native Americans. Because of too much hunting in the late 1800s by white market hunters, bison almost became extinct. Laws that regulated hunting and fees paid by hunters for management efforts helped restored the bison. Now bison number in the tens of thousands on protected lands such as national parks and private rangelands.

Bison are very large, powerful animals with big humps over their shoulders. They are adapted to live in the extreme temperatures of the Great Plains. Their thick fur keeps them warm. They use their horns to sweep away the snow to eat grasses. The shaggy hair on the top of their head protects their eyes from the snow.

An interesting fact about the bison is that it has four "stomachs" like a cow. Food is usually swallowed whole and stored in the first compartment. In the second compartment, stomach juices begin to break down the food. When the bison is resting, muscles in the second compartment push the partially digested food, known as "cud," back into the bison's mouth. There it is chewed and mixed with saliva. The "cud" is then swallowed and passed into the third compartment where it is digested even more. In the fourth and final compartment, it is mixed with stomach juices and passed into the intestines to be absorbed and used for energy. The type of food it eats is very tough and hard to break apart to digest, so it takes a long process using four stomachs to digest the food!

Prairie dogs are very social and live in groups called "prairie dog towns." One of these "towns" can cover as much as 1,000 acres of prairie land. The town consists of a series of connected underground burrows. The town is divided into "wards" and the wards are further divided into "coteries." A coterie consists of one adult male, up to four females, and offspring up to two years of age. Prairie dogs within a ward greet each other with bared teeth, which is a kind of a "kiss" and a form of recognition. These creatures have large eyes, brownish-tan fur, and short tails with a black tip. They feed on grass and herbs during the cool hours of the day. During this time, they also greet and groom each other. A "sentry " prairie dog always sits at the opening to a burrow keeping watch. A bark is sounded as a warning for all to dive into their burrows until the "all clear" signal is given. Prairie dogs are an important part of the ecosystem. Other creatures use their abandoned burrows.

Rattlesnakes live in the Panhandle. Snakes help control the rodent population. Too many rodents would ruin crops, so the snakes helps farmers! Rattlesnakes are venomous and usually rattle their tails before they bite. Contrary to popular belief, you cannot tell the age of a rattlesnake by the number of rattles on its tail! The rattles start to fall off after 10 rattles or segments have been formed. Their forked tongue enables the rattlesnake to smell.

Canyon land in the Panhandle is the home to the petite Palo Duro Mouse, which lives no other place but here. It has adapted to live in "crevices" or cracks in the steep canyon walls. By adapting to live in these crevices, the Palo Duro Mouse is more protected from its predators. It's body is at the most 4 inches long with a tail equally as long! It is reddish brown in color with white underneath. Primarily, it eats seeds.

Prickly pear cacti are common in this semi-arid region. The prickly pear is the state plant of Texas. It ranges from light to dark green and has pads, which are actually branches that provide photosynthesis, water storage, and produce flowers. They are covered with sharp needles, which are actually modified leaves. The flowers of these cacti are yellow, red, or purple. It also produces a fruit, which can be cooked and eaten, as can the "pads." These pads have been eaten as a vegetable in Mexico for hundreds of years.

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The Panhandle is part of the Great Plains. It is home to animals that are depend on grasses and are adapted to live where water is less common and temperatures can be hot or cold. Bison roamed this region grazing on grasses and were hunted by Native Americans.

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Native Americans, Spanish explorers, cowboys, Texas Rangers, Buffalo Soldiers, and pioneers all gave the Panhandle a colorful history.

The Comanche Indians lived in teepees on the grasslands and in the canyons of the Llano Estacado. They were nomads who rode horses and hunted bison. There were many conflicts between the Native Americans and the white settlers. In order to move the Native Americans from desirable lands, the white people killed bison, the Indians source of food and trade. Some Indians and white people wanted peace and agreed to live cooperatively, only to have others attack an Indian village or traveling whites and undo the peace. Sometimes the Indians kidnapped Mexican, African-American, or Caucasian women and children to take the place of their own loved ones who had died in a battle.

Cynthia Ann Parker was one person to be kidnapped and adopted by the Comanches. She lived on the rolling plains of the eastern Panhandle. Her home was near what is now Copper Breaks State Park. When she was a little girl, the Comanches took her from her home. She grew up in the tribe and lived with them for 24 years. Her relatives found her after she was grown and had married a Comanche chief. Her relatives took her back to live with them again. Cynthia Ann had grown to love the Comanches and was unhappy in her new life. She died about five years later. Her son, Quanah Parker, later became a famous Comanche chief. There is a town named after him near this state park.

The stone ruins of old Fort Griffin and Fort Richardson have been designated state parks. These forts were established after the Civil War to help police the frontier from Indian raids and provide supply points for settlers and travelers moving westward. Only structures made of stone remain today. They were abandoned around 1881 after the Comanche were defeated. The African-American Buffalo Soldiers were at one time stationed at Fort Griffin. Also, Texas Rangers Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday spent some time at this fort! They were later involved in the "shoot-out at the OK corral" with some outlaws in Arizona.

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Native Americans, Spanish explorers, cowboys, Texas Rangers, Buffalo Soldiers, and pioneers all gave the Panhandle a colorful history. The Comanche Indians lived in teepees on the grasslands and in the canyons of the Llano Estacado. They were nomads who rode horses and hunted bison. There were many conflicts between the Native Americans and the white settlers.

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Wetlands along the coast have more different kinds of plants and animals than other kinds of wetlands. Millions of migrating birds such as geese, ducks, and songbirds find a winter home on these coastal wetlands. The state shell, the lightning whelk, is found on the shorelines. Other wildlife found in this region includes alligators, fiddler crabs, spoonbills, and sea turtles.

The alligator is a large, leathery-skinned reptile. Alligators are fascinating animals. Their ancestors were around before dinosaurs even existed! These powerful reptiles are carnivorous, meaning that they eat other animals. Some of the animals they eat include fish, turtles, water birds, and other alligators. Alligators are very vocal. They communicate with each other using grunts, barks, or hisses. They often float with only their eyes and nostrils visible in the water. The alligator's short, strong legs allow it to travel on land. Its tail helps it swim. They are very quick on land and are excellent swimmers. Alligators used to be an endangered species. Laws were passed that protected them from being hunted too much, and scientists studied how to improve their habitat. Now alligators are recovered and they are no longer an endangered species.

Crabs burrow into muddy beaches or salty tidal lands. The crabs has a hard shell over its body and eight jointed legs, which puts it in the crustacean family. The Gulf Coast has blue crabs and fiddler crabs. The fiddler crab is very interesting. The male crab has an extra large front claw or "pincer" that is moved back and forth in the same way a violinist or "fiddler" moves their arm when playing a violin, hence its name. If the large claw breaks off, another small claw grows in its place and the other front claw then grows into a big claw. The extra large claw is used to fight other males and to court females. They eat algae and which are small aquatic plants.

Spoonbills are wading birds with long, flat, spoon-shaped bills. They find food by scooping up water in shallow areas and straining the mud and water through "gutters" on either side of their bill. Then they eat the small fish, frogs, and plants that are left trapped in their mouth. In the Gulf Coast region of Texas, it is very common to see roseate spoonbills. The feathers of roseate spoonbills are rosy pink with red on the edges of their wings, which is why they are described as "roseate" or "rosy." They return year after year to the same nesting places, called "colonies." There are many roseate spoonbill colonies in the barrier islands of the Gulf of Mexico.

Sea turtles live in warm coastal waters. The largest of all turtles are the sea turtles. Some sea turtles can grow as big as a car and weigh up to 850 pounds! Sea turtles have hard, bony shells. Unlike other turtles that live on the land, sea turtles can't hide in their shells for protection. Instead, they have to rely on their enormous size and swimming speed to escape predators. Male sea turtles spend their whole lives in the water. The females only leave the water to lay eggs. Females will sometimes migrate thousands of miles to get to their breeding beaches.

The lightning whelk is the official state shell and is only found on the Gulf Coast. A whelk is a large sea snail, or gastropod, with a heavy shell. Whelks are actually carnivores, or meat eaters! They eat clams, scallops, and oysters. The lightning whelk gets its name from the colored lines on its shell that look like "lightning lines." Most spiral shells open to the right, but the lightning whelk is one of the few shells that open on the left. Lightning whelks were very important to the Native Americans that lived here. They made tools from the heavy shells.

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Wetlands along the coast have more different kinds of plants and animals than other kinds of wetlands. Millions of migrating birds such as geese, ducks, and songbirds find a winter home on these coastal wetlands. The state shell, the lightning whelk, is found on the shorelines.

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Native Americans lived in the Gulf Coast region of Texas for thousands of years. They lived together in small groups of about 25-50 people. Each group had their own name and clothing styles and spoke slightly different languages. Today, we know that most of these Native Americans belonged to one of two cultures: the Atakapa or the Karankawa. The Atakapas lived in the northern part of the coast. The Karankawas lived on the southern part of the coast. Both Atakapas and Karankawas hunted ducks and geese and ate turtles. They moved around the countryside at different times of the year to live and find food. For instance, in the spring and summer, the Karankawa moved away from the coast to hunt deer and harvest pecans. In the fall and winter, they lived on the coast and ate oysters, fish and roots.

Over 450 years ago, several Spanish boats were shipwrecked on the Gulf Coast. It was the wintertime, and many of the Spanish sailors died. Some of them survived because they met the Karankawa Indians and lived with them for many years. These survivors were the first non-Indians that we know of to explore the Texas coast on land. Eventually, they left the Karankawa and traveled across Texas and Mexico to find other Spaniards. Cabeza de Vaca was one of the survivors, and he wrote a famous book about their life in Texas.

In 1685, French explorers came to the Gulf Coast region. The Spanish and the French both wanted to live there, but they were enemies. A Frenchman named La Salle (la-sal) explored the area with many other people. He and his companions built a small settlement called Fort St. Louis. It was destroyed. Several of the survivors went to live with the local Indian groups. A group of Spanish soldiers began looking for the ruins of Fort St. Louis after they captured one of the survivors. When they finally found it, they were very sad for the people who had died there. After Fort St. Louis was destroyed, the Spanish built missions and forts in the Gulf Coast Region to keep the French out. Fort St. Louis' location was forgotten for a long time, but archaeologists found it again and are investigating the remains to learn more about this site.

In 1836, Texans and Mexicans fought an important battle in the Gulf Coast region during the Texas War for Independence from Mexico. The battle was fought at San Jacinto, near what is now Houston. The Texans won the battle and the Mexicans surrendered. Afterwards, Texas became independent from Mexico. The battleground where they fought is now the San Jacinto State Historical Park near La Porte. A monument was put up in the park to remind visitors of how important the battle was. On the other side of the park, the Battleship Texas is anchored in Buffalo Bayou. It is the only surviving Navy ship to have served in both World War I and II.

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Native Americans lived in the Gulf Coast region of Texas for thousands of years. They lived together in small groups of about 25-50 people. Each group had their own name and clothing styles and spoke slightly different languages. Today, we know that most of these Native Americans belonged to one of two cultures: the Atakapa or the Karankawa.

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Big Bend is part of a dry desert. It also has mountains!

Roadrunners and tarantulas live here. Roadrunner are birds that run very fast. They are fast enough to catch
and eat a rattlesnake!

Tarantulas are big, hairy spiders.
They have 8 eyes!

Long ago, the Indians who lived here painted pictures on the walls of caves. They painted shapes, people, and animals.

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Big Bend is part of a dry desert. It also has mountains! Roadrunners and tarantulas live here. Roadrunner are birds that run very fast. They are fast enough to catch and eat a rattlesnake! Tarantulas are big, hairy spiders. They have 8 eyes! Long ago, the Indians who lived here painted pictures on the walls of caves.

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Most of the Big Bend area is a desert with less than 10 inches of rain annually! Only the hardiest of plants can grow in this dry climate. For protection and survival, many of the plants have spines, thorns, or poisonous leaves to keep animals from eating them. Animals have adapted to the hot, dry climate by seeking shade during the hottest parts of the day and coming out to eat and hunt only at dusk when it is relatively cool.

This region has an occasional spring called a cienega (see-en-eh-gah). A cienega creates an oasis of water and wildlife in this typically dry region.

The coyote is a nocturnal animal that howls at night. About the size of a small German shepherd dog, it is usually gray or buff in color, with yellow eyes, erect ears and a bushy, black-tipped tail. This intelligent animal has a keen sense of hearing, sight, and smell. Coyotes will eat almost anything, but they particularly like rabbits and rodents. They use abandoned dens or natural holes or "cavities" as their dens. They are very adaptable and have a strong survival instinct in any environment.

The mountain lion makes it home in the wide-open spaces of this sparsely populated area. Mountain lions are slender and tawny brown in color with a smallish head. The mountain lion is usually 3-4 feet in length with a tail almost as long as its body! Mountain lions live alone and eat meat, such as deer, wild hogs, rabbits, and rodents. They are found throughout the Big Bend Region. Mountain lions are also called cougars, pumas, and panthers.

Roadrunners are found in brushy desert areas. They can fly only for a few moments because their bodies are so large. Because of this, they prefer to stay on the ground and are known as very swift runners! The roadrunner is often seen racing ahead of cars traveling on a roadway and then suddenly darting into brush, hence their name. Their feathers are mostly brown with black streaks and white spots. The neck and chest is white with brown streaks and the belly is white. Brown feathers stick up on the top of its head. Mostly they eat insects and small animals, such as mice and gophers, but roadrunners are also fast enough to catch and eat rattlesnakes!

Tarantulas are hairy spiders and usually found in warm climates. Some tarantulas have lived 20 years. Although they look scary, a bite is rare and not harmful to humans. They are gray to dark brown in color and live under rocks or in burrows abandoned by other animals. Tarantulas are most active late in the day and evening when it is cooler, and mostly eat insects. Sometimes after mating, the female eats the male. An interesting fact is that tarantulas have eight eyes all grouped together! One pair of eyes is in the middle and three are on each side of its face!

Lechuguilla is a hardy desert plant. This shrub has yellow-green leaves with purplish to yellow flowers. Once it flowers, the plant dies. All of the plant's nutrients stored over the years are used in the process of creating a tall stem with blooms at the top, which causes it to die after blooming. The roots of the plant are eaten by deer and javelina but are poisonous to cattle. It lives in the Chihuahuan Desert. Native peoples long ago made twine, baskets, and sandals from the fibers of these plants. The center or "heart" of the plant was roasted and eaten. The plant has adapted to the dry environment by storing water in its thick "succulent" (juicy) leaves.

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Most of the Big Bend area is a desert with less than 10 inches of rain annually! Only the hardiest of plants can grow in this dry climate. For protection and survival, many of the plants have spines, thorns, or poisonous leaves to keep animals from eating them.

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The rich history of this area can be seen in its Native American rock art and early Spanish settlements.

Painted artwork is on canyon and cave walls created by ancient peoples of this region. Most of this rock art is found at Hueco Tanks and Seminole Canyon State Historical Parks. For thousands of years, different cultures of native peoples lived in the caves and rock shelters along the Pecos and Devils rivers. Their campfires from long ago blackened the ceilings of these places of shelter. The rock art or pictographs show geometric shapes, animals, and human-like figures.

The earliest people, known as the Folsom culture because of the type of stone points they made, hunted big game animals, such as the mammoth. There is no rock art from these earliest people.

About 7,000 years ago, people hunting smaller game adapted to life in the now dry, rocky land. These people were called hunter and gatherers because of the way lived. These people roamed the land hunting and gathering seeds and plants that were edible. These people were the first to create paintings on the walls of canyons, caves, and rock overhangs. The last of the pictographs were done by latter day Apaches, which often showed men on horseback, depicting their encounters with Spanish explorers and other Europeans.

Any rock art sighted should not be touched as it can damage these very old and delicate paintings.

The cliffs also protected artifacts from the rain and sun. Archaeologists have found baskets, sandals, leather clothing, arrows, nets, and other unique items. These artifacts are very valuable since very few things physically remain from early Native American culture except stone tools.

El Paso, one of the most important and oldest cities in Texas, sits on the far west border of the Big Bend region. El Paso means "the pass" in Spanish. In this mountainous region, the Rio Grande provides an easy passage between Mexico and Texas. The Spanish missionaries and conquistadors realized the importance of settling down near the pass, and many settlements were built along the Rio Grande near El Paso. In 1680, after the war between the Spanish and the Pueblo Indians in New Mexico, the Spanish and some of those Indians came to live in these settlements. The Tigua Indians, who came from New Mexico at that time, still live near El Paso in a settlement called Isleta.

The Big Bend region is a place where wildlife and people have not only adapted to the stark environmental conditions, they have managed to thrive. If those painted canyon walls could speak, imagine the stories they would tell! Ancient Native Americans and the Pueblo Indians, the Spanish, African-American, and Old World immigrants made their mark on the region in different ways, making it the unique cultural crossroads it is today.

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The rich history of this area can be seen in its Native American rock art and early Spanish settlements. Painted artwork is on canyon and cave walls created by ancient peoples of this region. Most of this rock art is found at Hueco Tanks and Seminole Canyon State Historical Parks.

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This part of Texas is flat land with grass and bushes that have thorns. The area that is in the Rio Grande River Valley is different. It is tropical like Hawaii and Florida, with palm trees.

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This part of Texas is flat land with grass and bushes that have thorns. The area that is in the Rio Grande River Valley is different. It is tropical like Hawaii and Florida, with palm trees.

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The South Texas plains and brush country stretches from the edges of the Hill Country into the subtropical regions of the Lower Rio Grande valley. Much of the area is dry and covered with grasses and thorny brush such as mesquite and prickly pear cacti.

There are some lakes dotting the region, as well as short-lived "resacas." A resaca is a former channel of the Rio Grande River that has been cut off, like an oxbow. (Floods along the Rio Grande River can change the way the river flows so that some of those twists and turns are cut off from the rest of the river, forming an "oxbow.") Resacas will occasionally fill with silt and water, creating marshes and ponds. The plants and wildlife around the resacas vary seasonally depending on the quantity and quality of the available water.

The Rio Grande is a very long river. Where it flows through South Texas is called the lower Rio Grande valley. The Rio Grande Valley is an ecosystem found nowhere else in the United States. It is a subtropical environment, which lies further south than any other part of the United States except Hawaii and part of Florida. It is very humid. Many tropical birds from South America can be found here. Palms, subtropical woodlands and even citrus trees grow here. The Rio Grande delta (the land at the mouth of the river, where it flows into the ocean) once had an extensive palm forest. The Spanish explorer Alonso Alvarez de Pineda first named the river the Rio de las Palmas, "River of Palms," in 1519. The fertile land along the Rio Grande River has given rise to many farms. Presently, there are only 37 acres of protected palm forest compared to approximately 40,000 acres that once covered the delta region.

Birdwatchers from across the world come to South Texas to view the many birds along the border and coastal areas. The World Birding Center is found here. Hunters also seek special hunts on private ranches here.

Learn about the wildlife and history of South Texas.

Topography and Characteristics

Major Rivers: Guadalupe, San Antonio, Nueces, Lavaca, Rio Grande.
Major Aquifer: Edwards, Trinity, Carrizo-Wilcox, Gulf Coast
Size: 28,000 square miles

The South Texas Brush Country is characterized by plains of thorny shrubs and trees and scattered patches of palms and subtropical woodlands in the Rio Grande Valley. The plains were once covered with open grasslands and a scattering of trees, and the valley woodlands once covered large areas. Today, the primary vegetation consists of thorny brush such as mesquite, acacia, and prickly pear mixed with areas of grassland.

Soils of the region are alkaline to slightly acidic clays and clay loams. The deeper soils support tall brush, such as mesquite and spiny hackberry, whereas short, dense brush grows in the shallow, caliche soils.

Major Cities / Rainfall / Elevation

Regional Average Rainfall: 20-32 inches per year
Regional Average Net Evaporation rate: 16-28 inches
The average annual rainfall is 20 to 32 inches with higher average rainfall as you go west to east. The average monthly rainfall is lowest during winter, and highest during spring (May or June) and fall (September). Summer temperatures are high, with very high evaporation rates. Data source: National Climate Datat Center, U.S. Dept of Commerce.

Alice - 27.52 in / 201 ft
Brownsville - 27.55 in / 19 ft
Crystal City - 20.70 in / 580 ft
Eagle Pass - 21.48 in / 808 ft
Falfurrias - 25.42 in / 120 ft
Goliad - 38.58 in / 142 ft
Laredo - 21.53 in / 430 ft

McAllen - 22.61 in / 100 ft
Pearsall - 25.73 in / 635 ft
Poteet - 29.00 in / 480 ft
Rio Grande City - 21.61 in/ 172 ft
San Antonio 32.92 in / 809 ft
Zapata - 19.72 in / 311 ft

Common Vegetation

Southern live oak
Saffron plum
Texas kidneywood
Honey mesquite
Texas wild olive
Desert yaupon
Fiddlewood

Duckweed
Saltmarsh spikerush
Common cattail
Smartweed
Live oak
Wax myrtle
Plantain
Silverleaf sunflower
Panic grass

Rare Plants & Habitats

Ashy dogweed: Mesquite grassland openings of thorny shrublands on deep, sandy soils
Black lace cactus: Grassy openings on rangeland
Runyon's cory cactus
Johnston's frankenia: Rocky hillsides or saline clay loam flats within openings of thorny shrublands
Star cactus: Openings of thorny shrublands on rocky clay loam soils
Texas ayenia: Subtropical woodlands on alluvial deposits on flood plains and terraces of the Rio Grande
Walkers manioc: Openings of thorny shrublands on sandy loam soils

Common Wildlife

Chachalaca
Caracara
Road runner
Ferruginous pygmy-owl
Green jay
Elf owl
Texas tortoise
Indigo snake
Texas longnose snake

Mexican Burrowing toad
Grooved-billed Anis
Redwing blackbird
Swallowtail butterfly
Leopard frog
Indigo snake
Catfish
Sunfish

Rare Animals & Habitats

Jaguarundi, Ocelot: Dense, thorny, low brush
White-nosed coati:

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The South Texas plains and brush country stretches from the edges of the Hill Country into the subtropical regions of the Lower Rio Grande valley. Much of the area is dry and covered with grasses and thorny brush such as mesquite and prickly pear cacti.

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Wildlife includes ocelots, the Texas tortoise, jackrabbits, javelinas, the horned lizard and green jays.

Spotted ocelots are rare, but small numbers of them still live in the thick brushy country and woodlands of the Rio Grande Valley. They slink quietly through the brush making them difficult to observe. The thick, dense brush provides protective cover for dens of young ocelot kittens. The number of ocelots has diminished due to the growth of cities and farms that have shrunk their natural habitat. Probably less than 100 ocelots remain in this region. They primarily eat rats, mice, rabbits, snakes, and birds. Fully-grown ocelots weigh between 16 to 25 pounds.

The Texas tortoise is a protected species. Their numbers have dwindled due to environmental factors and their popularity as pets. This reptile can live up to about 60 years of age and its shell length is normally 8 and a half inches as an adult. These gentle creatures are primarily vegetarians and particularly like the fruit of the prickly pear cactus. Their shells are covered by small yellowish-orange colored plates that have a peak or "horn." Their legs are straight and strong, like columns.

The jackrabbits is actually a member of the hare family. It has long ears, typical of a hare, and dark buff colored fur with a black stripe down its rump to the tip of its tail. Jackrabbits are always on the alert for predators, such as hawks, coyotes, and badgers. As far as eating habits go, it is strictly a vegetarian. Being active and hunting for food during the night, keeps the jackrabbit safe from predators. They can live as long as eight years in the wild. Compare a jackrabbit to a cottontail rabbit

The Texas Horned Lizard is a reptile that likes to bask in the sun during the morning hours but retreats to shady areas during the hottest hours of the afternoon. It is a fierce looking creature covered with horns or spikes, including two very prominent horns on its head. It is brownish in color. Contrary to its fierce look, this lizard actually has a gentle nature! They spend the day eating ants, sunbathing, and running from predators. One defensive reaction of this lizard is to puff out its body, hiss, and squirt blood from its eyes to scare away predators!

The javelina, or peccary, is related to the wild hog. The javelinas living in this south Texas region are the collared peccary species. They have a blackish-gray coat with a ring or "collar" of gray hair. When this animal is excited or disturbed, it gives off a strong musky odor from a special gland in front of its tail. This is why the animal is sometimes called a "musk hog." Javelinas travel in groups or bands. They grow to be about 21 inches high. They mostly eat small animals. An interesting fact is that female javelinas usually give birth to twins!

The green jay is smaller than a crow. Its scientific name is "yncas," an alternative spelling for "Incas," because the first recorded description of this bird was made in Peru, where the Incan people live. The lower Rio Grande Valley is the only place in the United States where this beautiful bird can be found. It has vivid tropical colors. The green jay's back is an olive green, changing to yellowish-green below and yellow outer feathers. Its head is bright blue with black markings and black under its throat. The beak and feet are also black. Both male and female have the same coloring. This species lives in family groups. Green jays eat insects, fruits, and seeds.

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Wildlife includes ocelots, the Texas tortoise, jackrabbits, javelinas, the horned lizard and green jays. Spotted ocelots are rare, but small numbers of them still live in the thick brushy country and woodlands of the Rio Grande Valley. They slink quietly through the brush making them difficult to observe.

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Wildlife and plants in this region include the Texas map turtle, white tailed deer, bats, wild turkeys, bluebonnets, and the unique Guadalupe bass.

The official state fish is the Guadalupe bass. It was chosen to represent the state because it is truly unique to Texas and not found anywhere else on Earth! Although it is called a "bass," it actually is a member of the sunfish family. This species is generally greenish in color and lives in small streams. At its largest, the Guadalupe bass weighs about three and one half pounds. It is found in parts of the San Antonio, Guadalupe, Colorado, and Brazos Rivers.

The white-tailed deer is a game animal hunted in Texas. By allowing the deer to be hunted, thee deer population can be kept in balance with its food supply. The state is over populated with these deer. An estimate puts the deer population at four million! The deer eat twigs, plants, fruits, and nuts. Male deer (bucks) grow antlers and shed them between December and March. New antlers are grown by the following year. The underside of the deer's tail is white, hence its name. The tail is usually raised up, showing the white underside when the animal starts to leap away.

The wild turkeys of this region are sometimes called Rio Grande turkeys because this is the location of the only remaining population of wild turkeys in the state. The turkeys we eat at Thanksgiving are grown on farms and are white. The wild turkey has brown and gray feathers and lives in wild, unpopulated areas.

The types of bats found in the Hill Country are Brazilian Free-tailed Bats. They primarily live in caves during their time in Texas, which is spring through mid-July, and then they begin migrating back to Mexico and South America. The new fledglings, born in June, stay until fall then they too migrate south. This species of bats have broad ears, large feet, and half of their tail hangs free, hence its name. Their fur is short, velvety, and reddish to black in color. These bats are also called "house bats" because they will also roost in any space that is dark, dry, and hollow, such as roof overhangs, attics, and spaces between buildings. They are the official state flying mammal of Texas. These Free-tailed bats eat insects. Take care if you encounter any of these bats, as they are known to carry rabies.

Bluebonnets, the official state flower, are found in abundance along highways and on private land particularly in the Hill Country. It is a spring wildflower from the lupine family. Its common name, bluebonnet, probably came from the nineteenth century settlers that came to Texas. The flower is similar in shape to the "bonnets" or hats typically worn by women in that century.

The Texas map turtle is found only in the Colorado River and its tributary streams within the Edwards Plateau of the Hill Country. Females grow larger than males, sometimes reaching up to 7 inches in length. However, it is still the smallest species in the map turtle family. This turtle is dark olive to brown in color with yellow-orange to orange line markings on its shell, head, limbs, and tail. The underside of its head has three yellow or orange spots. The pattern of lines or markings resemble the lines on a map, hence its name. The Texas map turtle eats small shell creatures, such as snails, also plants, and insects. The temperature determines the gender of hatchlings, lower temperatures produce males, and higher temperatures produce females. These turtles are strong swimmers and enjoy basking in the sun.

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Wildlife and plants in this region include the Texas map turtle, white tailed deer, bats, wild turkeys, bluebonnets, and the unique Guadalupe bass. The official state fish is the Guadalupe bass. It was chosen to represent the state because it is truly unique to Texas and not found anywhere else on Earth!

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The Hill Country was rich with thousands of natural springs, providing cool, fresh water. archaeologists have found evidence of humans occupying parts of the Hill Country for 10,000 years!

Native Americans hunted deer and turkey in the hills for thousands of years. They gathered pecans and mesquite beans from the trees that grew along the river. They dug up mussels and fished in the clear streams. But many Native Americans were drawn to the Hill Country because of the special stone they used to make their tools. This stone, called Edwards Chert, is also called flint by some people. Sometimes Native Americans traveled for miles to collect it from rocky outcrops and river gravel.

Arrow points and dart points, scrapers, knives, and other tools made out of Edwards Chert lasted a very long time and were easy to repair if they became damaged. The Spanish called this stone pedernales, which means flint, and named the Pedernales River after it. You can visit this beautiful river at Pedernales Falls State Park. In more recent history, Enchanted Rock near Fredericksburg was considered a sacred (holy) place for the Native Americans that lived there.

The Spanish wanted to build a mission in the Hill Country for the Apaches. In the 1700s, soldiers and missionaries from San Antonio and Mexico built a stone fort, or presidio, and a wooden church near what is now the town of Menard. At the same time, some of the Spanish soldiers explored the area, thinking they might find silver and be able to open up a mine. They didn't have any luck with the mine or the mission. The Apaches liked their own way of life too much to give it up and live at the mission. Apaches and other Native Americans from tribes as far away as Louisiana attacked the mission not long after it was built. Some of the soldiers and missionaries, and some of the Native Americans, were killed, and the wooden church was burned down. And although many people have searched for the "lost San Saba mine," no silver has ever been found in the Texas Hill Country.

The 36th President of the United States, Lyndon Baines Johnson, was born on a ranch on the Pedernales River. The ranch is near the town of Stonewall. Johnson was president in the 1960's during the Vietnam War and civil rights movement. His wife, Lady Bird Johnson, is known for her love of Texas wildflowers.

German immigrants started coming to Texas in the 1800s, and many of them settled in the Hill Country. In towns like Fredericksburg, many people still speak German. One very famous Texan, Chester Nimitz, was born in Fredericksburg.

Nimitz was an important Commander in Chief in the military during World War II. You can still see the boat-shaped Steamboat Hotel built in Fredericksburg by his grandfather in the 1880s. The hotel's guests included important historical figures such as Robert E. Lee, Ulysses S. Grant, and the outlaw Jesse James. Now the hotel has been converted into the Admiral Nimitz S.H.S. and the Museum of the Pacific War, where exhibits tell the story of World War II in the Pacific and the life of Chester Nimitz.

Like other parts of Texas, Native Americans lived in the Hill Country for thousands of years before Europeans came. The Spanish looked for silver in the hills, and German immigrants ranched and grew crops. Today, the traditions and lifestyles of Hispanics, African Americans, Europeans, and others have come together to create the unique character of the Hill Country.

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The Hill Country was rich with thousands of natural springs, providing cool, fresh water. archaeologists have found evidence of humans occupying parts of the Hill Country for 10,000 years! Native Americans hunted deer and turkey in the hills for thousands of years. They gathered pecans and mesquite beans from the trees that grew along the river.