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Phlox drummondii
Photograph by Tim E.
Fulbright, Ph.D. |
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Project Overview
South Texas Natives is an initiative to develop and promote native plants for the restoration and reclamation of habitats on private and public lands. Our goal is to provide economically viable sources of native plants and seeds to both the private and public sector for the restoration of native plant communities in South Texas. Our objectives include developing and implementing strategies to establish native seeds and plants and minimize the influence of introduced plants upon native habitats.
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Sand dunes and brush
Photograph by Tim E. Fulbright, Ph.D. |
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The diversity of native South Texas habitats ranges from the fine sands of the Coastal Sand Plain to the caliche ridges of the Bordas Escarpment; and from the riparian woodlands of the Nueces River to the shrublands of the Rio Grande Plains. This diversity supports a wide array of wildlife species, ranging from migratory birds such as sandhill cranes and piping plovers, to more permanent residents such as ocelots and white-tailed deer. This complexity of biological resources comprises what some biologists now call the last great habitat. As urbanization and agricultural changes occur at increasing rates, however, restoration and enhancement of existing native habitats become more urgent.
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Horned toad on Dalea flower
Photograph by Forrest Smith |
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Native plants are intrinsic to the overall resilience and stability of this unique region, and are a critical component of the numerous food and energy cycles that maintain this biological diversity. The establishment and restoration efforts using native South Texas plants will help to maintain the regions important genetic resources and the ecosystems that are part of our South Texas biological heritage.
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