By: Kristen Tyson, M.A.
Upon publication of the Texas survey, completed between
1889-1905, all of the journals and specimens were handed over to various
museums, departments and archives for conservation. Nearly 1,000 photographs
and 5,000 specimens were catalogued as part of the survey and represented a
thorough glimpse at native Texas for that time period in history. “In 1992, a
project was initiated to document all the archival natural history information
from the Texas biological survey, [which] has now been deposited at the
Southwest Collection at Texas Tech University (Schmidly 2002).” The data was so
inclusive that not all of the notes or specimens were able to be included in
the original publication. To better understand changes in Texas’ natural plant
and animal species prior to human influences, such a detailed and accurate
account is vital, and thanks to Merriam’s forethought and the hard work of the
men who spent years surveying Texas, “crucial baseline data [is available] to
compare with the results of current biological surveys [to better] assess
landscape and biotic change information useful to land managers and others
seeking to improve land and ecosystem management (Schmidly 2002).”
Texas stream and riparian plant community
The original biological survey, published by surveyor and
naturalist Vernon Bailey, contained three main sections: life zones across the
state; reports on native lizards and snakes; and reports on mammals, as well as
maps. Birds of Texas were to be included as well, but the information was so
vast that a separate publication was necessary.
Biological Survey of Texas, 1889-1905
Bailey felt that the flora and fauna offered by Texas was as
lush as it was diverse, due more to the wide-ranging variation in eco-regions
and habitat types than to the actual size of Texas. “The Biological Survey
aim[ed] to define and map the natural agricultural belts of the United States,
to ascertain what products of the soil can and what cannot be grown
successfully in each, to guide the farmer in the intelligent introduction of
foreign crops, and to point out his friends and enemies among the native birds
and mammals, thereby helping him to utilize the beneficial and ward off the
harmful (Schmidly 2002).” Merriam sought to answer these questions for the
farmers without them having to lose a profit or waste time in trial and error.
He believed that if a particular crop was successful in one of his four
designated zones in another state, then that same crop would do well in that
same zone in Texas.
The four life zone belts of Texas included:
1. Lower Austral Zone
-Pineywoods, Gulf Prairies and Marshes,
Post Oak Savannah, Blackland Prairies, Cross Timbers
and Prairies, South Texas
Plains, (parts of) Edwards Plateau, and the Rolling Plains
2. Upper Austral Zone
-High Plains, (parts of) Edwards Plateau,
(parts of) Trans-Pecos Mountains and Basins
3. Transition Zone
- (parts of) Trans-Pecos Mountains and
Basins
4. Canadian Zone
- (parts of) Trans-Pecos Mountains and Basins
1. Lower Austral Zone
The largest portion of Texas was thought to lie within the
Lower Austral Zone (humid and arid divisions), with the most important being
the Pineywoods and Gulf Prairies and Marshes ecoregions. The semitropical
climate attracted the surveyors’ attention as did the species that thrived
there. The “border of modified climatic
conditions [was deemed] too important to be ignored (Schmidly 2002).” Species
including distinct birds, such as grebes and cormorants, while plant groups of
native palm perplexed the surveyors. They noted that although such flora and
fauna were evident, they were not so abundant as to become the norm in that
part of the state and were most likely introduced at some point. They did ascertain
that certain banana and orange plants did survive in the lower regions, yet due
to harsh winters, required artificial protection in order to survive.
So where the coastal side of the Lower Austral Zone
displayed a more, tropical environment, the eastern zone resembled a forest.
Coniferous and deciduous trees, and swamp lands all made this part of Texas
fertile ground. Gum trees, cypress, magnolia, oaks, dogwoods, and even pines
were witnessed as miles and miles of forest untouched by man formed the
“cleanest, most uniform, and symmetrical body of pine to be found on the
continent (Schmidly 2002).” Yet these great forests of trees stopped short of
the prairies and coastlands. The Grand and Black Prairies only exhibited trees
along streams and creek beds, leaving ample room for a plethora of animals,
including jack rabbits and coyotes, to freely cross from region to region. The
land was instead arrayed with rich grasses and flowering plants. This display
of grassland continued to dominate the Coastal Prairie, mixed in with native
live oaks, shrubs and willows.
A few plants characteristic of Eastern (humid) Texas,
1889-1905 (Schmidly 2002)
Loblolly,
Longleaf, and Shortleaf Pine American
beautyberry
Bald Cypress Southern
Dewberry
Eastern
red-cedar Poison
Ivy
American
sweet-gum Flameleaf
Sumac
Littlehip
and Texas hawthorn Northern
Red Oak
Redbay Gulf
Coast Yucca
Sassafras Softleaf
Arrowwood
Due to changes in rainfall, a border of plants and animals
emerged, marking the western side by mesquite, “which more nearly than any
other tree or shrub fills the whole of the area (Schmidly 2002).” This distinct
line distinguished the prairies and timber region from the more arid country,
which was separated into two strips, the semiarid and extreme arid.
The semiarid region included mesquite and grasses from upper
west Texas to the Panhandle while the extreme arid region consisted of creosote
bush and patches of grasses marking the land between two prominent rivers, the
Pecos and Rio Grande. Surveyors designated the prominence or decline of certain
plant species as a physical mark, separating the numerous ecoregions from each
other. Thus, parts of the Rolling Plains, High Plains and segments of the
Trans-Pecos Mountains and Basins were defined largely by mesquite and grassy
plains, likened to a “mesquite forest” with patches of cactus and thorny bushes
(Schmidly 2002). “Scattered oaks and other scrubby timber growth characterize
the higher, rougher parts of the region, and narrow strips of tall timber are
found along some of its streams (Schmidly 2002).” Closer to the streams and
river beds were an abundance of cactus and bushes that caused a nearly
impenetrable wall.
In contrast, parts of the South Texas Plains, Edwards
Plateau and Trans-Pecos Mountains and Basins formed the extreme arid
environment. Thus the Pecos and Rio Grande Valleys and lands in between were
marked by creosote bush, yuccas, cacti, althorn and mesquite plants. Surveyors
agreed that most of the vast desert lands were not very hospitable but offered
ample space and means to make a “profitable industry” if the right plants were
cultivated (Schmidly 2002). Specifically, the lecheguilla were noted as key
plants that not only provided nutrients to animals, but were suitable for
assembling ropes and other fiber-laden materials. Also, agave varieties offered
nutrition in the form of natural honey from their abundant flowers. The
profusion of mesquite trees that yield several crops of beans did not go
unnoticed as surveyors recognized that the pods were being consumed by cattle
and that the “spread and increase of the mesquite has been a notable result of
stock raising (Schmidly 2002).” Mammal and bird species evident in the area
often roamed beyond the arid borders of the two regions, but many were
inclusive only to that particular climate.
A few plants characteristic of Western (arid) Texas,
1889-1905 (Schmidly 2002)
Honey
Mesquite Tarbush
Agave
Lechuguilla Candelilla
Yucca Brazilian
bluewood
Acacia Ball
Mass
Needle Bush Allthorn
Texas
Pricklypear Croton
2. Upper Austral Zone and 3. Transition Zone
The Upper Austral Zone encompassed the High Plains
(Panhandle), and parts of the Rolling Plains, Edwards Plateau and Mountains of
Texas. It was mainly denoted by the absence of mesquite and other shrubs that
made up the lower part of the Austral Zone. At the time of the survey, lands
“lying east and west of the Pecos Valley are largely devoted to grazing, but
the time will come when they will be in part reclaimed for agriculture or
horticulture (Schmidly 2002).” The native grasses, if handled wisely, would
generate a soil ready for prosperous crops, including the sugar beet.
Current distribution of Honey Mesquite in Texas (USDA 2014)
A few plants characteristic of the Plains and Edwards
Plateau of Texas, 1889-1905 (Schmidly 2002)
Broadleaf
milkweed Bush
Morning Glory
Milkwort Verbena
Pricklypear Snakeweed
A few plants characteristic of the Mountains of Texas,
1889-1905 (Schmidly 2002)
Colorado
pinyon Oak
Swiss Pine Texas
sacahuista
Juniper Apache
plume
Unlike the plains, the mountains were seen as a more
transitional zone marked by distinct trees, including the yellow pine, and
ability to yield greater results from timber and water than crops. Yet, the
production of northern fruits was considered possible.
4. Canadian Zone
This tiny zone only included the northeastern section of the
Davis Mountains in the Trans-Pecos ecoregion, noted by the presence of
deciduous Aspen trees.
Upon the conclusion of the zones, the survey report then
listed the plethora of animals collected. These were marked by variations in
species and abundance, but for the sake of space are not listed here in detail.
Lizards: chameleon, lizards, horned toad, gecko, skink,
cope, snakes.
Mammals: armadillo, opossum, peccary, elk, deer, antelope, buffalo, mountain sheep,
squirrel, chipmunk, prairie dog, mouse, rat, vole, muskrat, beaver, gopher,
jack rabbit, cottontail, mountain lion, jaguar, ocelot, lynx, wolf, coyote, fox, civet cat, badger, bear, coati,
raccoon, otter, mink, ferret, weasel, skunk, mole, shrew, bat.
Schmidly, D.
J. 2002.
Texas Natural History: A Century of Change. Texas Tech University Press.
Lubbock, Texas, U.S.A.
United
States Department of Agriculture [USDA].
2014. Natural Resources
Conservation Service
<http://arcmapper.sc.egov.usda.gov/output/Counties_hyborea1v3580412426775.jpg>.
Accessed 14 Feb 2014.