By Mason Lee, Texas A&M WFSC '15 and Morgan Osborn, Texas A&M WFSC '16
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| Native plains bristlegrass among many native Texas forbs and shrubs |
Anybody
whose childhood chore was to mow the lawn knows that grass can grow back faster
than desired. However, not all plant species have the same rapid growth rates.
When native plant communities are damaged, it can take years for them to be
restored to their original condition. With the amount of habitat being lost to
development and converted to other uses, the length of time required for
restoration is a concern for many conservationists. South Texas Natives (STN) is an
initiative to develop and promote native plants for the restoration and
reclamation of habitats on private and public lands. They work to achieve this
goal through providing economically viable sources of native plants and seeds
to both the public and private sector.
Why
are native plant communities important? Native plants provide critical habitat
which includes food, water, and cover for wildlife and are more resilient and
diverse than non-native plants. According to the South Texas Natives Restoration
Manual,
a species-rich native plant community allows wildlife to maintain a near
constant level of nutrition during the year, is more biologically productive,
and is more resistant to drought than the less diverse, non-native species. Native
plant communities are of special concern in south Texas (defined as land south
of a line from Port O’Connor to Victoria, northwest to San Antonio, and west to
Del Rio). This area, sometimes called the Last Great Habitat, is historically
“hyper diverse” with five major habitat types: freshwater wetlands, laguna
madres, shrublands, prairies, and woodlands. In addition to these, there are
thin riparian areas called ramaderos that are critical corridors and important
nesting, feeding, and loafing areas for wildlife. Unfortunately, 90% of these
ramaderos have been cleared for agriculture and urban use (STN Restoration).
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| Regions of south Texas with supported seeding recommendations from STN |
In
years past, landowners would attempt to seed their land with native grass and
forb species, and despite these plants being native to Texas, landowners found
they would not grow. This caused a great increase in the demand for non-native
plant species to be planted as they could easily occupy and maintain in these
areas. These exotic plants quickly became invasive and out-competed the native
plant species. This established a pattern of use for years as landowners became
disenchanted with native species. However, the native seeds being used weren’t
adapted for south Texas; they likely originated from ecoregions within Texas
and other parts of U.S. STN have made it their mission to obtain strains of
native plants that are locally adapted to grow in south Texas. They cultivate
south Texas native seeds that are beneficial to wildlife, quality forage for
livestock, and easily harvestable to make seeds available to landowners and
managers. The STN program not only develops seeds of individual grasses and
forbs for commercial growers, but they also suggest seed mixes that contain
different grass and forb species which sprout during different seasons to ensure
erosion control and plant growth throughout the year.
The
loss of native plant communities is a major factor contributing to the decline of
Northern Bobwhite Quail (Colinus
virginianus). Native plants provide food in the form of seeds and
are capable of providing the majority of daily water needs for quail through
metabolic water. Native plants also provide quail with adequate cover, which is
the most critical part of quail habitat (NRCS, 2008). Quail have four major cover needs that can
be met by a variety of overlapping plant species. Bobwhites require warm-season
native bunchgrasses such as threeawns (Aristida)
and bluestems (Andropogon) to create
a dome over their bowl-shaped ground nests. Screening cover, consisting of a
canopy of tall bunchgrasses, broad-leafed forbs, and shrubs, includes important
key seed-producing plants such as panic grass
(Panicum spp.), ragweed (Ambrosia
spp.), and paspalum grass (Paspalum spp; TPWD, 2005). Quail utilize these cover-providing plants
for protection from predators while moving freely on the ground. These plants
also provide a year-round food supply because quail consume the insects that
are attracted to the plants in the spring and summer, during nesting and brood
rearing, and eat the seeds in the fall and winter (TPWD,
2005). Woody plants, such as
lotebush, offer both woody cover and loafing cover (TPWD, 2005). All
of these important plants can be found on STN’s Native Plant
List. Non-native
species such as buffelgrass, kleingrass, old world bluestems, and Bermuda grass
do not meet all of these habitat requirements for quail. For example, Hays et
al. (2005) found that Bermuda grass is very dense and forms mats, which
provides little cover and nesting habitat and impedes quail movement across the
ground.
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| Lotebush is considered an excellent woody cover for Bobwhite quail. |
A
healthy rangeland can be achieved when planting native grasses and forbs. A
telltale sign of a healthy rangeland is the abundance of quail or Texas
horned lizards
(Phrynosoma cornutum) on a property. However,
management practices can differ from area to area; for example, south Texas
alone has several different soil types, temperature ranges, and rainfall
ranges. In order to create the best management plan for a certain land type, contact
local County Extension
Agents and TPWD
wildlife biologists for information on developing a plan that will meet the land’s
needs. Seeding recommendations specific to south Texas can be found here. For
additional information on reseeding natives in south Texas, access the
following publications on the AgriLife bookstore:
Publications on how to further get involved in habitat
management for quail, including Habitat
Monitoring for Quail on Texas Rangelands,
can be found on the AgriLife
Bookstore with supplementing videos on the WFSC AgriLife YouTube page’s quail
playlist.
This article was developed through the Reversing the Quail
Decline Initiative funded by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department through Upland
Game Bird Stamp funds.
Literature Cited
Hays, Brian K., M.
Wagner, F. Smeins, and R. Neal Wilkins. Restoring native grasslands.
AgriLife
Extension.
Natural Resources
Conservation Service (NRCS). 2008. Bobwhite quail management in South
Texas.
South Texas Natives
(STN). Restoration manual for native habitats of south Texas.
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD).
2005. Where have all the quail gone?
PWD RP W7000-1025.