Landscape Ecology Program - Texas Parks and Wildlife

The Edwards Plateau, also referred to as the ‘hill country’, is a vast region comprised of limestone uplands, rolling hills, steep canyons, and hidden springs that are supplied by the Edwards Aquifer.

The Edwards Plateau formed during the Cretaceous Period (~100 million years ago) and originally existed as shallow marine bodies that left behind deposits of sandstone, limestone, shales, and dolomites. Over long periods of time, this region underwent ‘tectonic uplift’, a process where part of the Earth’s crust becomes raised due to the shifting movement of tectonic plates. On the eastern edge of the Edwards Plateau lies the Balcones Fault Zone or Escarpment, a region of drastic topographical change and long term erosion that created the landscapes we can see today.

Photo taken along Ranch to Market 32 in Comal County.

What is EMS and how does it benefit me as a landowner, researcher, or enjoyer of the outdoors?

Check out our new flyer that briefly explains the work we do and how to use it in our newly updated TEAM tool!

Hello all! The Landscape Ecology Program's Spatial Ecologist, Laura Miksch, is going to be giving a free webinar about our TEAM (Texas Ecosystem Analytical Mapper) application in the Texas Waters webinar series. All of the information is listed below, we hope you can make it!
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Texas Waters Webinar: Wednesday, June 21 @ 6:30 PM CT

Mapping Texas Landscapes: Texas Parks and Wildlife Departments’ TEAM Tool

Register: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/4448171475598795870?fbclid=IwAR3Cquwohk8Eb80gp6aTDw7gZdocRfrhiMKbrmYe4AK0fUZDivSrQqh5zlQ

Summary: Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s Landscape Ecology Program has developed a desktop tool TEAM (Texas Ecosystem Analytical Mapper) to allow Texas citizens to utilize the Ecological Mapping Systems of Texas (EMS) in any area of interest across the state. The TEAM application is a free, easy to use, interactive mapping tool accessible on a computer with internet connection that assists users in understanding Texas habitats and integrates vegetation data with land management and resource planning of all types. Wildlife biologists, land managers, naturalists, planners, and conservationists can use TEAM to view the EMS data in relationship to their current location or property. This demonstration will focus on an aquatic habitat.

Speaker: Laura Miksch - Spatial Ecologist , Landscape Ecology Program, Wildlife Division at TPWD

All current and previously recorded Texas Waters webinars: https://tpwd.texas.gov/education/water-education/texaswatersprogram/texaswatersspecialist?fbclid=IwAR2gHgppx4tTNLvk3ZymPJu1LPmLCzAPRZhfGvTemLzrmRvDDFqPRVPdIdo

The Field Diaries: We traveled all around Bandera County exploring the Edwards Plateau EMS types. The goal of this trip was to collect vegetation data and teach the flora of the Edwards Plateau.

A particularly exciting observation was finding multiple Texas madrones (Arbutus xalapensis). The Texas Madrone is somewhat of a white whale for many Texans because of their relative rarity. Many Texans have noticed declines in the number of Texas madrones on their property and surrounding areas which has bred a lot of appreciation and passion surrounding the species.

The genus of the Texas madrone, Arbutus, comes from the Latin word “arbutus” meaning strawberry tree which is reflected in the beautiful red fruit of the tree. The species epithet of the Texas Madrone, xalapensis, refers to the Mexican town of Xalapa as the Texas madrone is identical to the madrones found in Mexico.
The Texas madrone has been around for many years and gives us an idea of what ancient plants in Texas may have looked like. It is a marvel that the Texas madrone has persisted through the environmental changes in Texas over time. The Texas madrone is extremely difficult to propagate, so few long-term scientific studies have been conducted on the tree which contributes to it’s mysterious nature.

As for the landscape ecology side of the Texas madrone, it can be found in the well-drained limestone soils around the Edwards Plateau and often co-occurring with Junipers (which are believed to be nurse trees to the Texas Madrone). Perhaps more commonly, Texas madrones can be observed in the Trans Pecos region of Texas. Below, I have included a link to our webpage about madrean mesic and canyon forest and woodland habitats of the Trans Pecos region which commonly contain Texas madrones as well as some other links to learn about the Texas madrone.

Link to webpage about Trans Pecos EMS types with Texas madrones:
https://tpwd.texas.gov/landwater/land/programs/landscape-ecology/ems/emst/forests-woodlands-and-savannas/madrean-mesic-and-canyon-forest-and-woodland
Link to TPWD Magazine article about Texas madrones:
https://tpwmagazine.com/archive/2007/jan/legend/
Link to advice from Dr. Bob Harms on propagating Texas madrones:
http://w3.biosci.utexas.edu/prc/DigFlora/ARXA/ARXA-restoration.html

Have you noticed how vibrant and colorful this Fall has been? With the cool temperatures and consistent rainfall this month, the trees in central Texas are a beautiful display of yellows and reds. The yellow color seen here on this Big Toothed Maple is due to a pigment in the leaves called carotenoids. Trees like the Texas Red Oak owe their vibrant red Fall colors due to a pigment called anthocyanin. Please share your favorite Fall colors in the comments!

Our team is hosting a field presentation for the Texas Master Naturalist Program annual meeting today at 1pm!

In our "Asters and Rasters: GIS for Landscape Ecology and Citizen Science at George Bush Park" program, Texas Master Naturalists will learn how to utilize free and publicly available applications like TEAM, Google My Map, Google Earth, and iNaturalist to learn more about the natural world and also for community science projects. Additionally, attendees will learn what is an aster and what is a raster.

TEAMgo app: https://tpwd.texas.gov/gis/teamgo/

Our team is on the road! We are presenting at the Texas Master Naturalist Program annual meeting today at 4:15pm CST.

Today's program, titled TPWD’s TEAM Tool: Ecosystem Analysis and Crowdsourcing Citizen Science, highlights our Texas Ecosystem Analytical Mapper (TEAM) application.

The TEAM application is an interactive mapping tool that assists users in understanding Texas habitats and integrating vegetation data with land management and resource planning of all types. Wildlife biologists, land managers, naturalists, planners, and conservationists are able to use TEAM to view and print the EMS data in relationship to other natural feature layers such as soils, geology, hydrology and ecoregion. TEAM allows the user to view and print custom maps and reports of habitat data from both uploaded files or areas of interest drawn within the application. TEAM also allows Texans to contribute to the mapping effort via a new citizen-science data entry module. Crowdsourcing information regarding errors in the map will allow TPWD experts to identify areas of change and systemic errors in the vegetation data. The information gathered from users will assist with land management and conservation efforts. It also provides an avenue for community involvement in habitat understanding.

The Field Diaries: We spent some time today in Pedernales Falls State Park exploring the Edwards Plateau Flood Plain Terrace EMS types. The goal of this trip was to collect vegetation data and teach the flora of the Edwards Plateau. The Bald Cypress lined Pedernales River is a fan favorite landscape for many Texans. Connecting this nostalgic scene to the EMS types found around the area provides a whole new appreciation for this treasure of the hill country. Any guesses as to what EMS types are seen in the photos (the link at the bottom of the post gives some great hints)?

Some dominant plant species of the area that have tolerated this year's drought included little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), late boneset (Eupatorium serotinum), and inland sea oats (Chasmanthium latifolium). All of these species are good landscaping plant options and might be available at your local native plant sales.

One particularly fun plant we got to see is redwhisker clammyweed (Polanisia dodecandra) which looks like it is from another planet. This polansia was covered in spicebush swallowtails (Papilio troilus). My butterfly ID is a bit questionable, so if anyone has a different guess as to what butterfly is in the photograph, please respond in the comments!

The EMS types commonly found around the Pedernales River can be found at this website: https://tpwd.texas.gov/landwater/land/programs/landscape-ecology/ems/emst/woody-wetlands-and-riparian/edwards-plateau-floodplain

-Laura Miksch, Botanist for Landscape Ecology Program

It's been a while, but we're back and bringing you the Pineywoods: Longleaf or Loblolly Pine Flatwoods or Plantation. This system is found in the Northeastern portion of East Texas and consists of very gently undulating to flat surfaces with local ridges and swales. It is dominated by mesic species on interior ridges, including Loblolly Pine, Slash Pine, and Shortleaf Pine. Some SGCN species include: Brownheaded Nuthatch, Pileated Woodpecker, Redcockaded Woodpecker, Redheaded Woodpecker, Summer Tanager, Yellow Throated Warbler, Little Blue Heron, Louisiana Pine Snake, and Timber Rattlesnake.
https://tpwd.texas.gov/landwater/land/programs/landscape-ecology/ems/emst/woody-wetlands-and-riparian/west-gulf-coastal-plain-pine-hardwood-flatwoods

The Coastal Plain: Terrace Sandyland Grassland is found near the Coast from Colorado to Nueces County. This system is characterized by deep sands on the terraces of rivers and streams of the coastal prairie. These grasslands are dominated by graminoids such as Little Bluestem, Indiangrass, Brownseed Paspalum, and Big Bluestem. Several SGCN species use this system for habitat: Longbilled Curlew, Northern Bobwhite, Spragues Pipit, Whooping Crane, Wild Turkey, Black Spotted Newt, Lesser Siren, Northern Keeled Earless Lizard, Texas Scarlet Snake, Western Hognosed Snake, Glowworm Beetle, Scarab Beetle, and Eastern Spotted Skunk.

Down to the South Texas: Shallow Dense Shrubland, this system is characterized by dense shrublands often dominated by Blackbrush, Cenizo, and Guajillo. This system typically occupies xeric, rocky uplands with thin soils on calcareous substrates including limestone, caliche, gravels, and sandstone of South Texas and Northeastern Mexico. SGCN species residing here include: Black-tailed Gnatcatcher, Northern Bobwhite, Scaled Quail, Reticulate Collared Lizard, and Texas Indigo Snake.

The Bastrop Lost Pines: Loblolly Pine Forest is a unique patch of Loblolly Pines that stands alone from the Pine Forest of East Texas. This system is only found in a portion of Bastrop County and is characterized by sandy soils. The dominate plant species is Loblolly Pine, which is often accompanied by Post Oak and Blackjack Oak. Amphibian SGCN species utilizing this habitat include: Houston Toad and Timber Rattlesnake.