ILLUSTRATED FLORA OF EAST TEXAS - Brit - Botanical Research ...

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PRESETTLEMENT AND EARLY SETTLEMENT CONDITIONS ON BLACKLAND PRAIRIE/INTRODUCTION 139 ringtail “cat” (actually in the same family as the raccoon), and badger (Schmidly 1983; Davis & Schmidly 1994). The occurrence of bison on the Blackland Prairie is well-documented. Judge John Simpson of Bonham (Fannin County), in describing a bison hunt in 1833, reported that hunters found “an immense herd…on the prairie around Whitewright [Grayson County]” (McLeRoy 1993). George W. Kendall (1845), with the Santa Fe Expedition (Fig. 79), in describing bison in an area near the western margin of the Blackland prairie to the north of Austin said, Directly a-head, on the right and left of our road, innumerable small black objects could be seen more resembling stumps than aught else. As we slowly approached them, the objects became more distinct, gave signs of life, and appeared to be slowly moving about on the interminable prairie. When within half-a-mile it was evident, even to those who had only seen badly-executed woodcuts of the animal in ‘picture books,’ that they were buffalo, spread out over the immense space, and in countless numbers…. In the distance, far as the eye could reach, they were seen quietly feeding upon the short prairie grass…. Parker (1856), in his 1854 journal, stated, “But eight years since, herds roamed around the City of Austin, and were frequently seen in the streets; now there are but few to be found south of Red River.” Roemer (1849) described bison on the southern Blackland Prairie as follows: When on the following morning at daybreak we entered the prairie on which mesquite trees grew scatteringly, the first object that met our view was a buffalo herd, quietly grazing near us.… The whole prairie was covered with countless buffalo trails, crossing in all directions, reminding one of a European grazing ground. On a different day, Roemer (1849) observed, They covered the grassy prairie separated into small groups and far distant on the horizon they were visible as black specks. The number of those clearly seen must have been not less than a thousand. Pronghorns (sometimes referred to as antelopes, but actually in a unique family) were also native, occurring at least as far east as Fannin County (Hall & Kelson 1959). Smythe (1852) described a small herd on the eastern edge of the Blacklands, Roemer (1849) mentioned sighting pronghorns near where the Blackland Prairie and Lampasas Cut Plain come together, and Major G.B. Erath, a pioneer of Waco, indicated that pronghorns were common in what is now McLennan County in the early to middle 1800s (Schmidly 1983). Erath also reported that small herds penetrated as far east as Milam County on the eastern edge of the Blackland Prairie (Strecker 1926a). Unfortunately, this species was insatiably curious. According to Doughty (1983), Pronghorns had the vulnerable habit of investigating wagons and other objects that looked out of place in their prairie habitat. Marksmen capitalized on this curiosity by waving a bright cloth from a semiconcealed position and luring these fleet-footed, naturally timid Plains denizens within rifle range. While not native, wild horses, descended from those escaped from the Spanish, were extremely common in Texas by the early 1800s and were probably having a significant impact on the vegetation. Ikin (1841), speaking of Texas as a whole, indicated, The wild horse which now roams every prairie, sometimes alone, sometimes in herds of more than a thousand, is not native, but the progeny of those which escaped from the early conquerors of Mexico. He is usually a small bony animal about fourteen hands high, with remarkably clean legs, and other signs indicative of good blood. When congregated in bodies of a thousand, these horses form the most imposing spectacle which the prairies present.
140 INTRODUCTION/PRESETTLEMENT AND EARLY SETTLEMENT CONDITIONS ON BLACKLAND PRAIRIE Strecker (1926a) also reported the wild horse as abundant throughout the Brazos Valley of McLennan County at the time of arrival of the first American settlers. He further indicated that early settlers sometimes shot the wild horses to prevent interference with their domesticated stock. One mammal often associated with grasslands, the black-tailed prairie dog, did not occur in the vast majority of the Blackland Prairie. Prairie dogs “typically inhabit short-grass prairies; they usually avoid areas of heavy brush and tall grass, possibly because visibility is considerably reduced” (Davis & Schmidly 1997). While occurring primarily in the western half of the state, they did extend east as far as the southwestern margin of East Texas, reaching Bexar and Hays counties (Davis & Schmidly 1997). Because of perceived competition with livestock and farming interests and injury to ranch animals stepping in their holes, prairie dogs have been eliminated from most of their former habitats. However, “the desirability of eliminating them entirely from rangelands has not been satisfactorily demonstrated. Stockmen in certain parts of Texas, for example, claim that removal of prairie dogs has had some direct association with the undesirable spread of brush. This has had detrimental effects on the livestock industry which far outweighs the damage prairie dogs might do” (Davis & Schmidly 1997). Early surveyor records (as far back as the 1830s) of mesquite as the most common tree in presettlement upland prairies in Navarro County suggest “…the legendary spread of mesquite into North Texas by longhorn cattle may be an errant concept” (Jurney 1987). Roemer’s (1849) mention of “extensive prairies covered with mesquite trees” also points to mesquite as a natural component of the vegetation. Likewise, early Spanish expedition diaries (e.g., Fray Isidro de Espinosa noted mesquite in Williamson County in 1716—Foster 1995), point to its widespread natural occurrence in the state. However, mesquite undoubtedly has increased in many areas, and the observations mentioned above are not so early as to preclude it having already been spread to some extent by land use changes. While some question the degree to which mesquite was spread by longhorns, animals have had profound impacts on the vegetation since long before settlement. These range from the obvious effects of the bison and beaver to the more subtle but essential roles of pollination and seed dispersal. The bird, reptile, and fish faunas of presettlement times were also conspicuously different in significant ways from those of today. Brooke (1848), writing about early Grayson County, mentioned both wild turkeys and prairie chickens, and Smythe (1852) spoke of hunting “Prairie Hens” in what is now Limestone County on the eastern edge of the Blackland Prairie. According to Pulich (1988), greater prairie chickens were common in the area until the 1880s, and lesser prairie chickens, while generally found to the west of East Texas, were also possibly present in the area. Oberholser (1974) lists specimen records for the greater prairie chicken from Dallas, Milam, and Navarro counties, with a number of other sight records from the area. There is a questionable record for the lesser prairie chicken from Dallas and other records for this species from Cooke and Young counties to the west of the Blacklands (Oberholser 1974). Both of these species were locally extinct by the early 1900s, presumably due to overhunting and habitat destruction. The extinct passenger pigeon is also well-documented for the Blackland Prairie. These birds, known as “wild pigeons” by early settlers, were recorded from Bexar, Collin, Dallas, Fannin, Grayson, Henderson, Hunt, and Travis counties, with a number of records even farther west in the Grand Prairie, Lampasas Cut Plain, and West Cross Timbers (Oberholser 1974; Pulich 1988; Casto 2001). This once incredibly numerous species rapidly became extinct in the Blackland Prairie region, with 1896 being the last year one was recorded in the area (Van Zandt County) (Oberholser 1974; Pulich 1988). The ivory-billed, one of the world’s largest woodpecker species and now presumably extinct, was also present in bottomland forests in the Blacklands. Oberholser (1974) listed records for Cooke, Dallas, Fannin, and Kaufman counties, with
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ILLUSTRATED FLORA OF EAST TEXAS
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ALLDREDGE, LINDA & JACK BATTERBAE,
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We would like to recognize and expr
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ISSN 0833-1475 ISBN 1-889878-12-X S
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“DEEP EAST TEXAS IS AN OLD, QUIET
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Elray S. Nixon E lray Nixon was bor
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ILLUSTRATED FLORA OF EAST TEXAS TAB
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TABLE OFCONTENTS/ PAGE APPENDICES A
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Hymenocallis liriosme
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ILLUSTRATED FLORA OF EAST TEXAS OVE
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4 INTRODUCTION/GEOGRAPHIC AREA OF E
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10 INTRODUCTION/MAJOR RIVERS OF EAS
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12 INTRODUCTION/PLANTS TREATED The
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14 INTRODUCTION/GUIDE TO ARRANGEMEN
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16 INTRODUCTION/GUIDE TO SOURCES OF
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18 INTRODUCTION/GUIDE TO GEOGRAPHIC
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20 INTRODUCTION/GUIDE TO ENDANGERED
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22 INTRODUCTION/GUIDE TO GLOSSARY,
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24 INTRODUCTION/GUIDE TO ABBREVIATI
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26 INTRODUCTION/SUMMARY DATA ON FLO
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28 INTRODUCTION/ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Kar
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30 INTRODUCTION/AUTHORS’ NOTE Pre
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32 INTRODUCTION/GENERAL GEOLOGY OF
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46 INTRODUCTION/SOILS SOIL ORDER DE
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48 INTRODUCTION/SOILS, EAST TEXAS B
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50 INTRODUCTION/SOIL-RELATED GEOLOG
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60 INTRODUCTION/SOILS OF BLACKLAND
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66 INTRODUCTION/CLIMATE OF EAST TEX
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Forests define East Texas, and to a
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78 INTRODUCTION/GEOLOGY OF PINEYWOO
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80 INTRODUCTION/PRESETTLEMENT, EARL
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Page 163 and 164: 146 INTRODUCTION/FUTURE OF BLACKLAN
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190 INTRODUCTION/CONSERVATION IN BI
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200 INTRODUCTION/ORIGIN AND DIVERSI
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228 INTRODUCTION/CONSERVATION IN EA
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234 INTRODUCTION/HISTORY OF BOTANY
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244 INTRODUCTION/BOTANY IN NORTH CE
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246 INTRODUCTION/BOTANY IN NORTH CE
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248 INTRODUCTION/BOTANY AT UNIVERSI
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250 INTRODUCTION/BOTANY AT TEXAS A&
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252 INTRODUCTION/BOTANY AT TEXAS A&
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254 INTRODUCTION/OTHER CONTRIBUTION
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256 INTRODUCTION/CURRENT BOTANICAL
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258 INTRODUCTION/BOTANICAL ART IN E
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