Flora and Fauna
The Natural Area supports eight recognized plant community types and over 450 plant species. The majority of the preserve is covered by Texas Live Oak (Quercus fusiformis) and Ashe Juniper (Juniperus ashei)...commonly called "cedar"... woodlands, Live Oak savannah, Texas Red Oak (Quercus buckleyi) woodlands, and open grasslands composed primarily of Sideoats Grama (Bouteloua curtipendula and Little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium). Smaller communities include stands of Lacey Oak (Quercus laceyi), Pecan (Carya illinoinensis)-Sugarberry (Celtis laevigata) groves, and Gramagrass-Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) grasslands, as well as fields of Sotol (Dasylirion wheeleri). The natural vegetation of the property, like much of the Texas Hill Country, has suffered from overgrazing and the introduction of invasive species like exotic King Ranch Bluestem (Bothriochloa ischaemum var. songarica) and the previously mentioned Ashe Juniper.
HCSNA affords good opportunities for bird watching. Over 160 species of birds have been sighted in the preserve, including two endangered bird species, the Golden-cheeked Warbler (Dendroica chrysoparia) and the Black-capped Vireo (Vireo atricapilla).
As in much of the Hill Country, White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) are by far the most common large mammal on the property. Wild turkeys, armadillos, skunks, raccoons, opossums, rabbits, and fox squirrels are also present. Feral pigs, exotic fallow deer, porcupines, rock squirrels, and ringtailed cats can occasionally be encountered. Bobcats, coyotes, grey foxes, and very rarely, mountain lions inhabit the area, but are seldom seen by visitors.
Read more about this topic: Hill Country State Natural Area
Famous quotes containing the words flora and/or fauna:
“A man’s interest in a single bluebird is worth more than a complete but dry list of the fauna and flora of a town.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“The whole fauna of human fantasies, their marine vegetation, drifts and luxuriates in the dimly lit zones of human activity, as though plaiting thick tresses of darkness. Here, too, appear the lighthouses of the mind, with their outward resemblance to less pure symbols. The gateway to mystery swings open at the touch of human weakness and we have entered the realms of darkness. One false step, one slurred syllable together reveal a man’s thoughts.”
—Louis Aragon (1897–1982)