Paradise Lost? The Coastal Prairie of Louisiana and Texas

              U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
U.S. Geological Survey
Paradise Lost?
The Coastal Prairie of
Louisiana and Texas
2 3
Coastal prairie is a
native grassland found
along the coast of Texas
and Louisiana. Over nine
million acres of prairie
once existed as a grassland
paradise for Native
Americans and early
settlers. Today less than
1% remains as a refuge
for rare and endangered
birds, mammals, reptiles,
insects and plants. Is
“Paradise Lost?” Private
groups, conservation
organizations, and
government agencies are
working together to protect
and restore this “critically
imperiled” ecosystem.
They need your help and
support if this effort is to
succeed.
Historical range of
Coastal Prairie. Stars
represent national
wildlife refuges.
History
The Coastal Prairie is located along
the western gulf coast of the United
States, in southwest Louisiana and
southeast Texas, just inland from the
coastal marsh (see map). This Coastal
Prairie is a tallgrass prairie similar in
many ways to the tallgrass prairie of
the midwestern United States. It is
estimated that, in pre-settlement
times, there were nine million acres
of Coastal Prairie, with
2.5 million acres in
Louisiana, and 6.5 million acres in
Texas. Today, substantially less than
one percent of the Coastal Prairie
remains with remnants totaling less
than 100 acres in Louisiana and less
than 65,000 acres in Texas. While
much of the
former prairie
has been
converted to
pasture for
cattle grazing,
the majority has
been altered for
growing rice,
sugarcane,
forage, and
grain crops. In Louisiana, most of the
prairie’s few remaining remnants are
found on narrow strips of land along
railroad tracks. A larger amount
remains in Texas because it was used
for cattle production and never
plowed. Many species, however, have
been lost through overgrazing.
Coastal Prairie
railroad remnant in
July
4 5
The “Cajun Prairie” of Louisiana
The portion of Coastal Prairie found in southwest
Louisiana is often called the “Cajun Prairie”
because it was settled in the early nineteenth
century by exiled Acadian settlers. As of 1999, less
than 100 acres remain of the 2.5 million acres that
once dominated this area, making it one of our most
endangered ecosystems. Most of the few remaining
remnants of prairie in Louisiana are found on
narrow strips of land along railroad tracks. Despite
the small size of these remnants, most contain a high
diversity of native tallgrass prairie flora.
What makes Coastal Prairie a prairie?
The Coastal Prairie can be likened to
the central and northern “tallgrass
prairie.” Many wildflowers common
to the Midwestern prairies such as
button snakeroot, compass plant,
Kansas gayfeather, and black-eyed
susan are also found in Coastal
Prairie. In those remnants that still
exist in Louisiana, switchgrass, little
bluestem, big bluestem, and
Indiangrass dominate just as they do
in the Midwest. Because of the
region’s high rainfall, and the fact
that Coastal Prairie gradually turns
into coastal marsh in Louisiana,
switchgrass is more common than in
Midwestern prairies. In contrast,
remnants of Coastal Prairie in Texas
are dominated by little bluestem,
brown-seed paspalum, and
Indiangrass. Common wildflowers
found here are the prairie coneflower,
Texas coneflower, white heath aster
and yellow-puff.
Coastal Prairie differs from that
found in the Midwest because plant
species like sweet golden rod, red
milkweed, and the grasses slender
bluestem and brown-seed paspalum
are found here. Coastal Prairie also
provides habitat for the Attwater’s
prairie chicken, a relative of the
extinct heath hen once found in the
Midwest.
Factors that contribute to the
establishment and maintenance of
prairie are soil type, fire, rainfall, and
grazing. Drought, fire, and
competition from adapted plant
species combine to prevent the
establishment of woody plants and
maintain a grass-dominated
ecosystem.
Many prairie species depend on fire
for seed production because it
removes accumulated plant litter and
satisfies seed dormancy needs.
Drought occurs in areas of low
rainfall and heavy clay soils hold
water making it unavailable to plants.
Plants can also experience drought-like
stress as a result of root
restriction caused by a 8-12" deep
hard pan layer in some soils that
roots cannot penetrate. Grazing
(historically bison and elk and now
cattle) affects prairie vegetation in
various ways. While it helps seeds to
germinate by removing their seed
Attwater’s prairie
chicken
Rejuvenating prairie
with winter fire
Grasshopper
foraging on prairie
grass
Cajun prairie along
railroad right-of-way
in May
6 7
Grasses and grasslike plants of the Coastal Prairie
little bluestem big bluestem
longspike tridens
bushy bluestem
falling beakrush
gaping panicum
gulf cordgrass
knotroot bristlegrass
pinewoods dropseed
silver bluestem
split-beard bluestem
switchgrass
Indiangrass Eastern gamagrass brown-seed paspalum
Florida paspalum thin paspalum
purple silkyscale
Texas wintergrass toothache grass
Carolina’s whipgrass Vahl’s hairy fimbry
white-top sedge
yellow-eyed-grass
8 9
coat during digestion, it also stresses
grazed plants and creates
disturbances that allow other plants
to establish. Smaller grazers such as
grasshoppers and other plant-eating
insects often concentrate on a single
plant species, leaving its neighbors
untouched, therefore giving them an
advantage over their competitors.
Natural prairie abounds with long-lived
perennials which form a dense
“sod” or mat of intertwined roots.
Disturbances to this dense mass are
rapidly filled in by growth from
surrounding plants. With the
exception of partridge pea, false-foxgloves
and a few others, annuals
are rare in undisturbed prairie sod.
Plants
Coastal prairie vegetation consists
mostly of grasses overlain by a
diverse variety of wildflowers and
other plants. Its wildflowers are often
found in patches creating a “flower
garden” in the green sea of grass.
Nearly 1,000 plant species have been
identified in Coastal Prairie and
almost all are perennials with
underground structures (not all these
structures are roots) like rhizomes,
tubers, or crowns. These underground
structures have a variety of functions,
one of which is to ensure survival after
fire. The underground portion of
Coastal Prairie plants may be up to
three times the size of the
aboveground part.
Coastal Prairie flowers bloom in a
vivid range of colors from the green
of the green flowered milkweed and
nose burn; to the white of flowering
spurge and button snakeroot; to the
yellow of partridge pea and compass
plant; to the blue of blue waterleaf
and Sampson’s snakeroot; to the pink
of false dragonhead and sensitive
briar; to the
purple of
gayfeathers and
ironweed; and to
the red of the
red milkweed
and winecup.
Coastal Prairie
wildflowers are
a diverse group
with many
species
belonging to the
sunflower,
legume, and
mint families.
Native
Americans and
European
settlers on the
Coastal Prairie
used plants for
foods, spices,
dyes, textiles,
and medicines.
Some of the more spectacular plants
in Coastal Prairie include: blazing
stars (with up to three foot spikes of
purple flowers); compass plants (with
leaves pointing east and west); button
snakeroot (an important nectar
source for many insects); sweet
golden rod (with a liquorice odor and
that can be used to make a tea); false
indigos (yellow or white flowered
species, whose flowers were used by
early settlers to dye Easter eggs);
and butterfly weed (with bright
orange flowers favored by
butterflies).
Butterfly weed and
blackeyed Susan in
flower in May and
June.
Kansas gayfeather in
mass during August
10 11
false garlic drummond rain lily
Illinois bundleflower hairy ticktrefoil
Wildflowers of the Coastal Prairie
white colic-root
spider lily swamp lily spring beauty
snowy orchid spring ladies’-tresses ten petal anemone
multibloom-hoarypea
white wild-indigo
white prairie clover flowering spurge
snow on the prairie New Jersey tea woolly rose-mallow
pennywort button snakeroot
water hemlock American snowball whorled milkweed
narrowleaf sandvine tansy dogshade silky evolvulus
cluster bushmint clustered
mountain-mint
slender mountain-mint
white mountain mint poorjoe prairie bluets
large-flowered
beeblossom
Indian plantain narrowleaf boneset roundleaf boneset
12 13
seaside goldenrod
prairie buttercup
partridge pea
doll’s daisy
marsh fleabane rabbit tobacco climbing hemp vine
heath aster yarrow
golden colic-root eastern yellow
stargrass
huisache yellow-puff
nodding wild-indigo yellow wild indigo arrowleaf rattlebox
sidebeak pencil-flower
stiff yellow flax candyroot
roundpod St. John’s
wort
nits and lice St. Peter’s-wort
grassland prickly
pear
Texas prickly pear yellow
meadowbeauty
narrowleaf seedbox common evening-primrose
prairie parsley
Canada lousewort false dandelion woolly groundsel
Canadian goldenrod shiny goldenrod
sweet goldenrod wrinkle-leaf
goldenrod
flat-topped goldenrod
14 15
silkgrass
Texas coneflower
rayless goldenrod hairy golden aster Maryland golden-aster
compass plant rosinweed
prairie coneflower spotflower
annual sunflower Maximilian
sunflower
narrowleaf sunflower
ashy sunflower tall coneflower black-eyed susan
lanceleaf coreopsis plains coreopsis tall tickseed
yellow Indian-blanket
bitterweed fringed sneezeweed
purple-head
sneezeweed
meadow garlic red iris
bearded grass-pink sensitive briar sessile-leaf ticktrefoil
round-head
bushclover
coralbean spurred butterfly pea
pink wildbean downy milkpea sandbur
Maryland milkwort drumheads pink milkwort
16 17
pale coneflower
single stem scurfpea
swamp milkwort Turk’s cap Texas star hibiscus
winecups Maryland meadow
beauty
showy evening-primrose
red milkweed
centuary prairie rose-gentian butterfly-weed
water southern
morning-glory
saltmarsh
morning-glory
prairie phlox American germander slender false
dragonhead
Texas paintbrush Lindheimer’s
beebalm
spotted beebalm
false foxglove sharpsepal
beardtongue
Texas thistle
hairy spiderwort Virginia dayflower
eastern blue-eyed
grass
prairienymph southern blueflag
Carolina larkspur blue jasmine Sampson’s snakeroot
Louisiana vetch arrow-leaf violet
maypop lanceleaf loosestrife blueflower eryngo
18 19
white bract
blazingstar
three-seeded mercury
catchfly prairie
gentian
lemon beebalm
tall ironweed
hooker’s eryngo eastern blue-star
blue waterleaf Texas vervain rough skullcap
small skullcap blue sage
silverleaf nightshade western horsenettle Muskogee
beardtongue
old field toadflax Florida bluehearts prairie petunia
Venus’ looking-glass downy lobelia pale lobelia
Kansas gayfeather scaly gayfeather slender gayfeather
Texas ironweed
blue-mist flower ivyleaf boneset late purple aster
western silver aster willowleaf aster American aloe
woolly croton betonyleaf noseburn
green milkweed long-leaf milkweed pineland milkweed
20 21
What’s at risk?
Wildflowers and grasses once
covered the Coastal Prairie region,
along with birds, butterflies, and
other insects. In earlier times it was
home to herds of bison and
pronghorn antelope, and red wolves
roamed among the riverine forests
that crisscrossed the area. Today, the
bison, antelope, and red wolves have
disappeared, and this ecosystem is
listed as “critically imperiled” by
major conservation organizations.
No one knows how many Coastal
Prairie species have followed the
prairie vole and the Louisiana Indian
paintbrush to extinction, but it is
certain that many other species are
now quite rare. The black-lace cactus
and Texas prairie dawn-flower are the
Animals
Coastal Prairie, and its adjacent
marsh habitat, provided immense
spaces for waterfowl and thousands of
other forms of wildlife. Even in its
altered state, Coastal Prairie
routinely hosts more red-tailed hawk,
northern harrier, white ibis, and
white-faced ibis than any other region
in the United States. Waterfowl,
sandpipers, and other shorebirds are
abundant during the fall, winter, and
spring months, paralleling and often
surpassing other regions with
longstanding traditions as crucial
stopover areas for these species.
Many rare European species such as
northern wheatear, black-tailed
godwit, curlew sandpiper, and ruff
have also been observed routinely.
Prairie flowers and insects naturally go
together. Native insects need native
plants as food, and many prairie plants
provide plentiful and continuous
supplies of nectar. Prairie also provides
habitat with relatively little insecticide
residue. The result is unique insect
diversity including butterflies,
dragonflies, and numerous kinds of
bees, wasps, ants, grasshoppers,
beetles, and preying mantis. This
plethora of insects provides a food
source for many animals enhancing
the habitat value of Coastal Prairie.
The most conspicuous prairie insects
are the butterflies and skippers with
more than 100 species found in
Louisiana’s prairie alone. The gulf
fritillary, also known as the passion-vine
butterfly, is the most common
butterfly species found in Coastal
Prairie. Monarchs, whose larvae
depend on the many milkweeds found
in Coastal Prairie, are frequent
visitors. More than 100 different
species of dragonfly eat mosquitoes
and other insects as they dart and bob
over the prairie. The prairie forceptail
is a unique dragonfly in the Cajun
Prairie as it is seen nowhere else.
white ibis
red-tailed hawks
preying mantis
hummingbird on
ashy sunflower
Milkweed Butterflies
The milkweed butterflies are a
family of mostly tropical butterflies
that includes the monarch and the
queen. Monarch butterflies cannot
withstand freezing temperatures, so
they migrate south for winter, flying
several thousand miles. The larvae
of these North American species
feed on milkweeds, incorporating
toxic substances into their bodies
and making them distasteful to
predators.Twelve species of
milkweed occur in Coastal Prairie,
making the area an important
element in the migration flyway of
monarchs. Some monarchs winter
on the gulf coast, depending on the
great variety of Coastal Prairie
wildflowers for nectar.
Illustrated at left are the stages of
metamorphosis of a monarch
butterfly:
1. the egg,
2. the caterpillar,
3. the pupa or chrysalis, and
4. the adult butterfly.
1
2
3
4
22 23
black swallowtail
cloudless sulphur
tiger swallowtail,
female
gorgone crescent tiger swallowtail,
male
pipevine swallowtail
red admiral
red spotted purple
spring azure spicebush swallowtail
zebra longwing
buckeye butterfly gulf fritillary, female zebra swallowtail
goatweed
hackberry
pearl crescent gulf fritillary, male queen
varigated fritillary question mark viceroy
wood nymph
gray hairstreak
Butterflies of the Coastal Prairie
24 25
Chinese tallow
The suppression of fire allows
remnants to become overgrown with
native shrubs like eastern baccharis
and wax myrtle. Another able
invader, and a primary threat to
Coastal Prairie, is the Chinese tallow
tree. Chinese tallow and other exotic
plants invade Coastal Prairie, often
becoming the focus of land managers.
While fire is an important tool in the
control of these exotic plants,
herbicides are also used. The impact
of herbicide used for control of
prairie invaders and weeds on
adjacent croplands has not yet been
fully explored. There are other exotic
plants that are fire and herbicide
tolerant and while they have not yet
arrived in Coastal Prairie may
present even
greater
problems in
the future.
The current
absence of
big bluestem,
Indiangrass,
and some
wildflowers
in many
Texas
prairies may
be due to
overgrazing
by cattle. Palatable native grasses
such as big bluestem, Indiangrass,
and eastern gamagrass cannot
tolerate the close grazing of cattle
but are adapted to the occasional,
fast moving, tip nipping of bison.
Foreign species, such as vaseygrass,
from South America, and
johnsongrass, from the Mediterranean,
are adapted to cattle grazing and
flourish in overgrazed prairie. While
haying and rotational grazing are
important tools of prairie
managment, overgrazing can
decrease diversity and impact the
effectiveness of fire.
only Coastal Prairie plant species on
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s
endangered species list. However,
more than a dozen plant species are
listed as imperiled or critically
imperiled, including the wild coco,
Texas windmill grass, coastal
gayfeather, and Correll’s false
dragonhead. Another 15 plant species
are listed as rare to very rare including
Texas coneflower, fringed sneezeweed,
Silveus dropseed, southwestern
bedstraw, and lemon beebalm.
In addition to plants, the Coastal
Prairie is home to the federally-endangered
Attwater’s prairie
chicken (North America’s most
endangered bird) and is the exclusive
wintering ground of the
federally-endangered
whooping crane. Other
residents such as the gulf
coast hognosed skunk and
the Cagle’s map turtle
are also critically
imperiled. A number of
rare migratory grassland
birds depend on coastal
grasslands including
Bachman’s, Texas olive
and Henslow’s sparrows
and the loggerhead
shrike.
Threats
Development poses the greatest risk
to what remains of Coastal Prairie.
Most remnants are privately owned
with only a small percentage
preserved on government land. The
largest and most pristine remnants
in Texas are hay meadows, and they
are in danger of development or
conversion to other kinds of
agriculture. Remnants along
railroads make up much of what
remains in Louisiana and are
currently being destroyed when
adjacent highways are widened or
railroad beds are graded or sprayed
with pesticides.
wild coco
American bison
Henslow’s sparrow
whooping crane
26 27
calico pennant black saddlebags blue dasher, female
blue footed dancer
citrine forktail, male
common green
darner, male
common green
darner, male
common whitetail,
female
common whitetail,
male
eastern pondhawk,
female
ebony jewelwing
prairie forceptail, familiar bluet
female
widow skimmer,
female
golden winged
skimmer
golden winged
skimmer
Halloween pennant,
female
prairie forceptail,
male
widow skimmer, male
Needham’s skimmer
painted skimmer
Rambur’s forktail
roseate skimmer,
male
varigated
meadowhawk
Dragonflies of the Coastal Prairie
28 29
prescribed burns, haying, and
chemically controlling invasive plants.
The Coastal Prairie Conservation
Initiative is a partnership between
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s
Natural Resources Conservation
Service, local soil and water
conservation districts, and private
landowners along the middle and
upper gulf coast
region of Texas. The
goals of this initiative
are to conserve and
restore the Coastal
Prairie ecosystem,
reintroduce captive-bred
Attwater’s
prairie chickens on
private lands, and
provide private
landowners with
incentives directed at
Coastal Prairie
conservation.
Restoration methods
vary between
geographical areas
and individual
restorationists, and
success varies from year to year.
Planting a restoration involves:
1. site preparation by herbicide,
solarization, and/or tillage;
2. planting by haying, seeding,
hydromulching, sodding,
plugging, and/or reintroduction;
and
3. management by mowing,
irrigation, grazing, and/or
burning.
Fall and winter are generally the best
times for planting. Seeds can be
purchased commercially but are
sometimes hard to find. If seeds are
collected from wild populations it is
best to collect from plants in the
vicinity of your restoration. These
Restoration
Even if every acre of Coastal Prairie
now in existence were preserved for
future generations, we would continue
to lose species to extinction. Plants
and animals need large areas of habitat
for survival, so if
future generations are
to enjoy the
biodiversity found in
Coastal Prairie, more
area must be restored.
Enthusiasm for
restoration of Coastal
Prairie is growing
thanks to the efforts of
pioneers like Drs.
Charles Allen and
Malcolm Vidrine who
in 1988 succeeded in
restoring a prairie in Eunice,
Louisiana. A number of private groups
and conservation organizations
exchange information, provide
education, work to preserve remnants,
and assist restoration efforts while
government agencies assist private
land owners with incentive programs.
Scientists at the U.S. Geological
Survey’s National Wetlands Research
Center are conducting experiments
relevant to prairie restoration and
management and are developing
methods to disseminate this information.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
lists restoration of Coastal Prairie
as one of its top priorities in the gulf
coast area. National wildlife refuges
including Anahuac, Aransas,
Attwater, Brazoria, Cameron
Prairie, Lacassine and Sabine are
restoring and managing prairie on
federal lands. Lacassine NWR in
Louisiana has embarked on several
Coastal Prairie restorations
including 327 acres called the
Duralde Prairie. Brazoria National
Wildlife Refuge in Texas has
undertaken to restore more than
5,000 acres of overgrazed prairie by
limiting cattle grazing, conducting
Sign at eleven-year-old
restoration site.
Hand held seed
collection.
Top: USGS
restoration
experiments.
Below: mechanized
seed collection.
30 31
ambush bug
black swallowtail
buckeye butterfly
cloudless sulphur
crab spider
dickcissels
eastern hognosed
snake
fence lizard flower beetle
giant swallowtail grass spider
grasshopper and
Turks cap
green tree frog
gulf coast toad
gulf fritillary halictid bee and
partridge pea
halictid bee and
wild petunia
leopard frog
loggerhead shrike
lynx spider metallic bee on
tickseed
Potter’s wasp
walking stick on tiger swallowtail
blazing star
Other Species of the Coastal Prairie
32 33
prairie in the winter and early spring.
It is most common to burn when
plants are dormant, but an occasional
burn during the growing season
enhances diversity. Where fire is not
an option, the restoration may be
mowed or hayed (mowing and haying
are very different — hay is not
removed after mowing), but this may
affect the species that survive long
term. Weeds such as Chinese tallow
trees may have to be sprayed with
herbicide or physically removed,
especially from wet spots where fire
does a poor job of control. It will take
several years before a Coastal Prairie
patch begins to mature, but when it
does, most weedy exotics will be
excluded naturally.
The Coastal Prairie is a unique and
vital part of the biosphere that has
almost vanished within the last 100
years. Much has been lost both in
terms of land coverage and native
species, and what remains is in need of
protection and rehabilitation. Because
so little remains, the future of Coastal
Prairie depends on restoration.
Americans can help in this effort to
protect and restore Coastal Prairie by
supporting or
participating in
restoration
efforts. Even a
small backyard
prairie garden
(12' x 12')
provides a piece
of this native
ecosystem.
Thousands of
such gardens dot
the midwestern
countryside,
providing a
refuge for native
plants, insects,
and birds, and an
alternative,
sustainable
landscape.
plants are adapted to local conditions
and their gene pools should be
preserved. Restorationists do not
agree on how far from a site seeds
may be collected, and distances
range from 50 to 250 miles. Most
restorationists use 100 miles as a
rule of thumb,
and that distance
can be stretched
east or west if
no other seeds
are available.
Individuals or
organizations
interested in
restoration
should thoroughly
explore the
options. Several books, websites, and
experts are available to assist
restorationists, and some are listed at
the back of this brochure.
Management
Restorationists are often discouraged
when the first few years after a
restoration has been implemented,
aggressive annual weeds dominate
the site. However, they shouldn’t
despair for perennials will eventually
displace the weedy annuals. Experts
don’t recommend the use of fertilizer
because it will often give weedy
annuals an advantage.
Burning is the natural mechanism by
which prairie renews itself. Fire
prevents woody plants from
establishing, stimulates seed
germination, replenishes nutrients,
and allows light to reach young
leaves. Winter burning after the first
year speeds the change from an
annual community to one dominated
by perennial plants. Restorations can
be burned every one to three years
based on available fuel and
management objectives. Historically,
prairie fires occurred in the summer
as a result of lightning strikes.
Native Americans often burned
Hay seeding Coastal
Prairie at Lacassine
National Wildlife
Refuge.
Using fire to control
Chinese tallow trees.
34 35
Native Prairies Association of Texas
3503 Lafayette Avenue, Austin, TX 78722-1807
512/327 5437
The Nature Conservancy of Texas
P.O. Box 1440, San Antonio, TX 78295-1440
210/224 8774
Texas Organization for Endangered Species
P.O. Box 12773, Austin, TX 78711
Texas Audubon Society
2525 Wallingwood, Suite 301, Austin, TX 78746-6922
512/306 0225
Texas Society for Ecological Restoration
University of North Texas, 225D EESAT, Denton, TX 76203
940/565 4332
Texas Chapter - The Wildlife Society, Welder Wildlife Foundation
P. 0. Box 1400, Sinton, TX 78387
Texas Chapter - Society for Range Management, Clifford W. Carter
234 Lakeview Drive, Victoria, TX 77905
361/578 9296
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
17629 el Camino Real, Suite 211, Houston, TX 70058
281/286 8282
Books
A Cajun Prairie Restoration Journal:1988-1995. M. F. Vidrine,
C. M. Allen and W. R. Fontenot
Butterflies of Houston & Southeast Texas, 1996. John & Gloria Tveten.
Grasses of Louisiana, 1992. Charles Allen.
Grasses of the Texas Gulf Prairies and Marshes, 1999.
Stephan L. Hatch, Joseph L. Schuster, and D. Lynn Drawe.
Restoring Tallgrass Prairie: an illustrated manual for Iowa and the
upper midwest, 1994. Shirley Shirley.
The Tallgrass Restoration Handbook for prairies, savannas,and
woodlands, 1997. Stephen Packard and Cornelia F. Mutel.
Wildflowers of Houston, 1993. John & Gloria Tveten.
Wildflowers of Texas, 1994. Geyata Ajilvsgi
Internet
Web sites
www.fws.gov (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)
www.nwrc.usgs.gov/coastalprairie (National Wetlands Research Center)
www.cajunprairie.org (Cajun Prairie Habitat Preservation Society)
www.fws.gov/r4lcs/lcsframe.htm (Lacassine NWR)
E-mail
fw4 es lafayette@fws.gov (Lafayette office of USFWS)
fw2 es houston@fws.gov (Houston office of USFWS)
fw4 rw lacassine@fws.gov (Lacassine NWR)
mvidrine@lsue.edu (Malcolm Vidrine, L.S.U. at Eunice)
larry_allain@usgs.gov (Larry Allain, N.W.R.C.)
biallen@alpha.nlu.edu (Charles Allen, U. of L. at Monroe)
Appendix
Contacts for more information
Louisiana Organizations
Cajun Prairie Habitat Preservation Society, Dr. Charles Allen
Dept. of Biology, University of Louisiana at Monroe, Monroe, LA 71209
318/342 1814
Cajun Prairie Gardens, Dr. Malcolm Vidrine
1932 Fournerat Road, Eunice, LA 70535
337/457 4497
Lacassine National Wildlife Refuge
209 Nature Road, Lake Arthur, LA 70549
337/774 5923
Louisiana Native Plant Society, Beth Erwin, Secretary
P.O. Box 126, Collinston, LA 71229
318/874 7777
U.S.G.S. National Wetlands Research Center
700 Cajundome Boulevard, Lafayette, LA 70506
337/266 8500
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
646 Cajundome Boulevard, Suite 400, Lafayette, LA 70506
337/291 3100
Texas Organizations
Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge
P.O. Box 278, Anahuac, TX 77514
409/267 3337
Aransas National Wildlife Refuge
P.O. Box 100, Austwell, TX 77950
512/286 3559
Armond Bayou Nature Center, c/o Mark Kramer, Stewardship
Coordinator, 8500 Bay Area Blvd., P.O. Box 58828, Houston, TX 77258
713/474 2551
Attwater Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge
P.O. Box 519, Eagle Lake, TX 77434
409/234 3021
Brazoria National Wildlife Refuge
1212 North Velasco, Angleton, TX 77515
409/849 7771
Coastal Prairie Conservation Initiative
Sam Houston RC&D Area, c/o John Campbell, Coordinator
1410 South Gordon, Alvin, TX 77511
281/388 1734
Environmental Institute, University of Houston, c/o Dr. Jim Lester,
Director, 2700 Bay Area Boulevard, Houston, TX 77058
281/283 3950
Houston Audubon Society
440 Wilchester Boulevard, Houston, TX 77079-7329
713/932 1639
Katy Prairie Conservancy
3015 Richmond Avenue, Suite 230, Houston, TX 77098-3114
713/523 6135
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
4801 Lacrosse Avenue, Austin, TX 78739
512/292 4200
Native Plant Society of Texas
P.O. Box 891, Georgetown, TX 78627
512/238 0695
36 37
Plant species photographs
common name scientific name
Gulf coast muhly ................................ Muhlenbergia capillaris
Hairy golden aster ............................ Chrysopsis pilosa
Hairy spiderwort ............................... Tradescantia hirsutiflora
Hairy ticktrefoil ................................. Desmodium ciliare
Heath aster ......................................... Aster ericoides
Hooker’s eryngo ................................ Eryngium hookeri
Huisache ............................................. Acacia farnesiana
Illinois bundleflower ......................... Desmanthus illinoensis
Indiangrass ........................................ Sorghastrum nutans
Indian plantain ................................... Arnoglossum ovatum
Ivyleaf boneset .................................. Eupatorium ivifolium
Kansas gayfeather ............................ Liatris pycnostachya
Lanceleaf loosestrife ......................... Lythrum alatum var.lanceolatum
Lanceleaf tickseed ............................ Coreopsis lanceolata
Large-flowered beeblossom ............ Gaura lindheimeri
Late purple aster ............................... Aster patens
Lemon beebalm ................................. Monarda citriodora
Lindheimer’s beebalm ...................... Monarda lindheimeri
Little bluestem .................................. Schizachyrium scoparium
Longspike tridens ............................. Tridens strictus
Long-leaf milkweed .......................... Asclepias longifolia
Louisiana vetch .................................. Vicia ludoviciana
Marsh fleabane .................................. Pluchea foetida
Maryland golden-aster ..................... Chrysopsis mariana
Maryland meadow beauty ............... Rhexia mariana
Maryland milkwort ........................... Polygala mariana
Maypop................................................ Passiflora incarnata
Maximilian sunflower ....................... Helianthus maximiliani
Meadow garlic .................................... Allium canadense var. mobilense
Multibloom-hoarypea ....................... Tephrosia onobrychoides
Muskogee beardtongue .................... Penstemon laxiflorus
Narrowleaf boneset .......................... Eupatorium hyssopifolium
Narrowleaf sandvine ........................ Cynanchum angustifolium
Narrowleaf seedbox .......................... Ludwigia linearis
Narrowleaf sunflower ....................... Helianthus angustifolius
New Jersey tea .................................. Ceanothus americanus
Nits and lice ....................................... Hypericum drummondii
Nodding wild-indigo ......................... Baptisia bracteata var. leucophaea
Old field toadflax ............................... Linaria canadensis
Pale coneflower .................................. Echinacea pallida
Pale lobelia .......................................... Lobelia appendiculata
Partridge pea ..................................... Chamaecrista fasciculata
Pennywort ........................................... Hydrocotyle sp.
Pineland milkweed ............................ Asclepias obovata
Pinewoods dropseed ......................... Sporobolus junceus
Pink milkwort .................................... Polygala incarnata
Pink wildbean ..................................... Strophostyles umbellata
Plains coreopsis ................................. Coreopsis tinctoria
Poorjoe ................................................ Diodia virginiana
Prairie bluets ..................................... Hedyotis nigricans
Prairie buttercup ............................... Ranunculus fascicularis
Prairie clover ..................................... Dalea candida
Prairie coneflower ............................. Ratibida pinnata
Prairie parsley ................................... Polytaenia nuttallii
Plant species photographs
common name scientific name
American aloe .................................... Manfreda virginica
American germander ........................ Teucrium canadense
American snowball ............................ Styrax Americana
Annual sunflower .............................. Helianthus annuus
Arrowleaf rattlebox .......................... Crotalaria sagittalis
Arrow-leaf violet ................................ Viola sagittata
Ashy sunflower .................................. Helianthus mollis
Bearded grass-pink ........................... Calopogon oklahomensis
Betonyleaf noseburn ......................... Tragia betonicifolia
Big bluestem ...................................... Andropogon gerardii
Black-eyed susan ............................... Rudbeckia hirta
Blueflower eryngo ............................. Eryngium integrifolium
Blue jasmine ....................................... Clematis crispa
Blue sage ............................................. Salvia azurea
Blue waterleaf .................................... Hydrolea ovata
Blue-mist flower ................................ Eupatorium coelestinum
Bushy bluestem ................................. Andropoogon glomeratus
Butterfly-weed ................................... Asclepias tuberosa
Brown-seed Pasaplum ...................... Paspalum plicatulum
Button snakeroot ............................... Eryngium yuccifolium
Canada lousewort .............................. Pedicularis canadensis
Canadian goldenrod .......................... Solidago canadensis
Candyroot ........................................... Polygala nana
Carolina larkspur .............................. Delphinium carolinianum
Centuary ............................................. Centaurium breviflorum
Climbing hemp vine .......................... Mikania scandens
Cluster bushmint ............................... Hyptis alata
Clustered mountain-mint ................. Pycnanthemum muticum
Common evening primrose .............. Oenothera biennis
Compass plant ................................... Silphium laciniatum
Coralbean ........................................... Erythrina herbacea
Doll’s daisy ......................................... Boltonia diffusa
Downy lobelia ..................................... Lobelia puberula
Downy milkpea .................................. Galactia volubilis
Drumheads ......................................... Polygala cruciata
Drummond rain lily .......................... Cooperia drummondii
Eastern blue-eyed-grass .................. Sisyrinchium atlanticum
Eastern blue-star .............................. Amsonia tabernaemontana
Eastern gamagrass ........................... Tripsacum dactyloides
Eastern yellow stargrass ................. Hypoxis hirsuta
Falling beakrush ................................ Rhynchospora caduca
False dandelion .................................. Pyrrhopappus carolinianus
False foxglove .................................... Agalinis sp.
False garlic ......................................... Nothoscardum bivalve
Flat-topped goldenrod ...................... Euthamia tenuifolia
Florida bluehearts ............................. Buchnera floridana
Florida paspalum .............................. Paspalum floridanum
Flowering spurge .............................. Euphorbia corollata
Fringed sneezeweed .......................... Helenium drummondii
Gaping panicum ................................. Panicum hians
Golden colic-root ................................ Aletris aurea
Grassland prickly pear ..................... Opuntia macrorhiza
Green milkweed ................................. Asclepias viridiflora
Gulf cordgrass .................................... Spartina spartinae
38 39
Plant species photographs
common name scientific name
Prairie petunia ................................... Ruellia humilis
Prairie phlox ....................................... Phlox pilosa
Prairie rose-gentian .......................... Sabatia campestris
Prairienymph ..................................... Herbertia lahue ssp. caerula
Purple-head sneezeweed .................. Helenium flexuosum
Purple silky scale .............................. Anthaenantia rufa
Rabbit tabacco ................................... Pseudognaphalium obtusifolium
Rayless goldenrod ............................. Bigelowia virgata
Red iris ................................................ Iris fulva
Red milkweed .................................... Asclepias lanceolata
Rosinweed .......................................... Silphium gracile
Rough skullcap .................................. Scutellaria integrifolia
Round-head bushclover .................... Lespedeza capitata
Roundleaf boneset ............................. Eupatorium rotundifolium
Roundpod St. John’s Wort ............... Hypericum cistifolium
Saltmarsh morning-glory ................ Ipomoea sagittata
Sandbur ............................................... Krameria lanceolata
Sampson’s snakeroot ........................ Orbexilum pedunculatum
Scaly gayfeather ................................ Liatris squarrosa
Seaside goldenrod ............................. Solidago sempervirens
Sensitive briar .................................... Schrankia microphylla
Sessile-leaf ticktrefoil ....................... Desmodium sessilifolium
Swamplily ........................................... Crinium americanum
Sharpsepal beardtongue .................. Penstemon tenuis
Shiny goldenrod ................................. Solidago nitida
Showy evening-primrose ................. Oenothera speciosa
Sidebeak pencil-flower ..................... Stylosanthes biflora
Silkgrass ............................................. Pityopsis graminifolia
Silky evolvulus ................................... Evolvulus sericeus
Silver bluestem .................................. Bothriochloa laguroides
Silverleaf nightshade ........................ Solanum elaeagnifolium
Single-stem scurfpea ........................ Orbexilum simplex
Slender false dragonhead ................ Physostegia intermedia
Slender gayfeather ........................... Liatris acidota
Slender mountain-mint .................... Pycnanthemum tenuifolium
Small skullcap .................................... Scutellaria parvula
Snow-on-the-prairie .......................... Euphorbia bicolor
Snowy orchid ...................................... Habenaria nivea
Southern blueflag .............................. Iris virginica
Split-beard bluestem ........................ Andropogon ternarius
Spot flower ......................................... Acmella oppositifolia
Spotted beebalm ................................ Monarda punctata
Spider lily ........................................... Hymenocallis caroliniana
Springbeauty ...................................... Claytonia virginica
Spring ladies’-tresses ....................... Spiranthes vernalis
Spurred butterfly pea ....................... Centrosema virginianum
Stiff yellow flax .................................. Linum medium
St. Peter’s-wort .................................. Hypericum stans
Swamp lily .......................................... Crinum americanum
Swamp milkwort ................................ Polygala leptocaulis
Sweet goldenrod ................................ Solidago odora
Switchgrass ........................................ Panicum virgatum
Tall coneflower ................................... Rudbeckia grandiflora
Tall ironweed ...................................... Vernonia gigantea
Plant species photographs
common name scientific name
Tall tickseed ....................................... Coreopsis tripteris
Tansy dogshade ................................. Limnoscaiadium pinnatum
Ten-petal anemone ............................ Anemone berlandieri
Texas coneflower ............................... Rudbeckia texana
Texas ironweed .................................. Vernonia texana
Texas paintbrush ............................... Castilleja indivisa
Texas prickly pear ............................. Opuntia lindheimeri
Texas star hibiscus ............................ Hibiscus coccineus
Texas thistle ....................................... Cirsium texanum
Texas vervain ..................................... Verbena halei
Texas wintergrass ............................. Nassella leucotricha
Thin paspalum ................................... Paspalum setaceum
Three seeded mercury ..................... Acalypha gracilens
Toothache grass ................................. Ctenium aromaticum
Turks’ cap ........................................... Malvaviscus arboreus
Venus’ looking glass .......................... Tridanis perfoliata
Virginia dayflower ............................. Commelina virginica
Water hemlock ................................... Cicuta maculata
Water southern morning-glory ....... Stylisma aquatica
Western horsenettle .......................... Solanum dimidiatum
Western silver aster .......................... Aster sericeus
White bract blazingstar .................... Liatris elegans
White colic-root ................................. Aletris farinosa
White mountainmint ......................... Pycnanthemum albescens
White prairieclover ........................... Dalea candida
White-top sedge ................................. Rhynchospora colorata
White wild-indigo .............................. Baptisia alba
Whorled milkweed ............................ Asclepias verticillata
Wild coco ............................................. Pteroglassaspis ecristata
Willowleaf aster ................................. Aster praealtus
Winecups ............................................. Callirhoe papaver
Woolly croton ..................................... Croton capitatus
Woolly groundsel ............................... Senecio tomentosus
Wooly rose-mallow ............................ Hibiscus lasiocarpus
Wrinkled-leaf goldenrod .................. Solidago rugosa
Yarrow ................................................. Achillea millefolium
Yellow-eyed-grass .............................. Xyris laxiflora
Yellow Indian-blanket ....................... Gaillardia aestivalis
Yellow meadowbeauty ....................... Rhexia lutea
Yellow wild indigo .............................. Baptisia sphaerocarpa
Yellowpuff ........................................... Neptunia lutea
Project Coordinator: Vicki Grafe
Coastal Prairie brochure text by:
Larry Allain, Malcolm Vidrine, Vicki Grafe,
Charles Allen, Steve Johnson
Photos provided by:
Larry Allain, Malcolm Vidrine, Steve Johnson,
Dave Patton, Robert E. Stewart, Sr., Nick Milam
40
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
1 800/344 WILD
http://www.fws.gov/r4eao
October 1999