Texas Wildlife - Horned Lizard Homecoming - April 2021

MAGAZINE OF THE TEXAS WILDLIFE ASSOCIATION

Horned Lizard Homecoming

APRIL 2021

TEXAS WILDLIFE

PRESIDENT'S REMARKS T O M VA N D I V I E R

Texas Wildlife Association Mission Statement Serving Texas wildlife and its habitat, while protecting property rights, hunting heritage, and the conservation efforts of those who value and steward wildlife resources.

OFFICERS

M

ost of you are familiar with TWA’s youth and adult education efforts.

These education programs come in many forms, but all are designed to deliver natural resource education and to create appreciation of and respect for our outdoor world.

While the methods of these programs differ somewhat, the focus of each is the same—public appreciation for our private lands and natural resources. This is so important in protecting our land, water and wildlife for ourselves and for future generations.

What tends to be less familiar to us is the funding mechanism behind these education programs. The credit for funding goes to our Texas Wildlife Association Foundation, its hard-working staff and Trustees, and to all of those who support these programs.

TWAF staff and Trustees are dedicated to raising the funds necessary to support our education programs. Their efforts are rarely publicized. These are the behindthe-scenes folks whose efforts are central to the successes of TWA. We often forget to thank them for what they do. Without their efforts, programs central to TWA's mission might not exist.

So, from the TWA officer team to our TWAF staff and Trustees, a heartfelt “thank you” for your efforts and for your contributions to TWA’s mission and to Texas habitat and natural resources conservation. And an equally heartfelt “thank you” to all of you who support TWA and TWAF with your efforts and your contributions. Together, we are doing great things!

TWAF has kicked off a new Planned Giving initiative designed to create funding through estate planning techniques. Watch for this in upcoming TWA and TWAF communications. Please give it some thought, and contact us for additional information at (800) 839-9453.

Thanks for all you do for the land, water and wildlife of Texas.

Tom Vandivier, President, Dripping Springs Sarah Biedenharn, Vice President, San Antonio Dr. Louis Harveson, Second Vice President for Programs, Alpine Jonathan Letz, Treasurer, Comfort For a complete list of TWA Directors, go to www.texas-wildlife.org

PROFESSIONAL STAFF/CONTRACT ASSOCIATES Administration & Operation David Yeates, Chief Executive Officer Quita Hill, Director of Finance and Operations Cynthia Moncrief, Office Administrator

Outreach & Member Services David Brimager, CWB®, Director of Public Relations Kristin Parma, Membership Coordinator Mimi Sams, Engagement Coordinator

Conservation Legacy and Hunting Heritage Programs Kassi Scheffer-Geeslin, Director of Youth Education Elanor Dean, Education Program Specialist Gwen Eishen, L.A.N.D.S. Educator Adrienne Paquette, L.A.N.D.S. Educator Elisa Velador, L.A.N.D.S. Educator Ali Kuehn, L.A.N.D.S. Educator Anna SoRelle, L.A.N.D.S. Educator Brittani Dafft, L.A.N.D.S. Educator & CL Program Assistant Marla Wolf, Curriculum Writer Iliana Peña, Director of Conservation Programs Courtney Brittain, Website Consultant COL(R) Chris Mitchell, Texas Youth Hunting Program Director Bryan Jones, TYHP Field Operations Coordinator Bob Barnette, TYHP Field Operations Coordinator Briana Nicklow, TYHP Field Operations Coordinator Kim Hodges, TYHP Program Coordinator Sherry Herrington, TYHP Administrative Assistant Kara Starr, Texas Big Game Awards Program Coordinator

Advocacy Joey Park, Legislative Program Coordinator

Texas Wildlife Association

TEXAS WILDLIFE is published monthly by the Texas Wildlife Association, 6644 FM 1102, New Braunfels, TX 78132. E-mail address: twa@texas-wildlife.org. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Texas Wildlife Association, 6644 FM 1102, New Braunfels, TX 78132. The Texas Wildlife Association (TWA) was organized in 1985 for the purpose of serving as an advocate for the benefit of wildlife and for the rights of wildlife managers, landowners and hunters in educational, scientific, political, regulatory and legislative arenas. TEXAS WILDLIFE is the official TWA publication and has widespread circulation throughout Texas and the United States. All rights reserved. No parts of these magazines may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without express written permission from the publisher. Copyrighted 2021 Texas Wildlife Association. Views expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of the Texas Wildlife Association. Similarities between the name Texas Wildlife Association and those of advertisers or state agencies are coincidental, and do not indicate mutual affiliation, unless clearly noted. TWA reserves the right to refuse advertising.

4 TEXAS WILDLIFE

APRIL 2021

6644 FM 1102 New Braunfels, TX 78132 www.texas-wildlife.org (210) 826-2904 FAX (210) 826-4933 (800) 839-9453 (TEX-WILD)

Texas Wildlife

MAGAZINE OF THE TEXAS WILDLIFE ASSOCIATION

APRIL

VOLUME 36

H

8 Horned Lizard Homecoming

NUMBER 12

H

2021

32 TTU Wildlife Research News

by RUSSELL A. GRAVES

Texas Lizards at Risk

by KRISTIN L. KABAT, CHARLES JACOBI,

14 Hunting Heritage

AYLA RYAN, DR. MATTHEW A. BARNES, DR. ROBERT D. COX, DR. CARLOS PORTILLO, MUKTI SUBEDI, and DR. GAD PERRY

TBGA Banquet Schedule

by DAVID BRIMAGER and KARA STARR

36 Plant Profile

18 Conservation Legacy

Texas Frogfuit

Education Impact 2020

by RICKY LINEX

by ELANOR DEAN

38 Bobcats and Bobwhites

24 Members In Action

by DALE ROLLINS, PH.D.

Adult Mentored Hunting Program

by KRISTIN PARMA

40 Grass

It’s More than Forage

26 Caesar Kleberg News

by STEVE NELLE

A Scavenger Hunt, a Solitary Scat, and Lessons Learned

46 Identifying Plants

by SCOTT E. HENKE in collaboration with JAVIER O. HUERTA and FIDEL HERNANDEZ

The Key to Land's Past, Present and Future

by LORIE A. WOODWARD

28 Noble News And Views

54 Outdoor Traditions

Bioacoustic Monitors and Their Role in Understanding Ecosystem Health

Searching for Sheds

by SALLIE LEWIS

by DR. STEPHEN L. WEBB and MIKE D. PROCTOR

Photo by Russell A. Graves

Magazine Staff

MAGAZINE OF THE TEXAS WILDLIFE ASSOCIATION

On the Cover The official state reptile of Texas is the Texas horned lizard. The iconic creature, once found just about everywhere in Texas except for the Pineywoods, has seen a precipitous decline in its range and numbers since at least the 1960s. Today, however, the Texas horned lizard has plenty of allies on its side as a consortium of herpetologists, citizen scientists, private landowners, universities and research institutes and several zoos hope to be able to return the beloved reptile to haunts where it has been extirpated. More from Russell A. Graves in “Horned Lizard Homecoming” starting on page 8.

MAGAZINE CORPS David Yeates, Executive Editor Kim Rothe, Consulting Publications Coordinator/Editor David Brimager, CWB®, Advertising Director Lorie A. Woodward, Special Projects Editor Publication Printers Corp., Printing, Denver, CO

APRIL 2021

Horned Lizard Homecoming

Photo by Russell A. Graves

WWW.TEXAS-WILDLIFE.ORG

5

TEXAS WILDLIFE

MEETINGS AND EVENTS

FOR INFORMATION ON HUNTING SEASONS, call the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department at (800) 792-1112, consult the 2020-2021 Texas Parks and Wildlife Outdoor Annual, or visit the TPWD website at tpwd.state.tx.us.

MAY

MAY

JULY

MAY 4-23 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.

RODEO CANCELED. LIVESTOCK SHOW CURRENTLY IN PROGRESS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH MARCH 21. For more information, visit www.rodeohouston.com.

MAY 22 Texas Big Game Awards Regional Banquet, Bass Pro Shops/ Cabela’s, Fort Worth. For more information, visit www.TexasBigGameAwards.org.

JULY 16-18 WildLife 2021, TWA’s 36th Annual Convention, San Antonio JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort and Spa. For more information, visit www.wildlife2021.com.

MAY 15 Texas Big Game Awards Regional Banquet, Fiddlers on the Gruene, Gruene. For more information, visit www.TexasBigGameAwards.org.

JUNE JUNE 5 Texas Big Game Awards Regional Banquet, Brazos County Expo Hall, College Station. For more information, visit www.TexasBigGameAwards.org.

TEXAS WILDLIFE

V I RT UA L M E E T I N G S A N D E V E N T S G U I D E VISIT THE PROGRAM PAGES ONLINE at www.texas-wildlife.org/program-areas/category/youth for specifics and registration information.

WILDLIFE BY DESIGN CLASSROOM PRESENTATIONS: • (Virtual) Wildlife by Design is available for K-8 students in the DFW area, Greater Houston area, South Texas, and West Texas. Have your local teacher visit the website for more information.

• (Virtual) Wildlife by Design Across Texas is for schools outside of the areas served by TWA educators (DFW area, Greater Houston area, South Texas, and West Texas). Programs are offered on a set schedule and registration is required in advance.

YOUTH DISTANCE LEARNING PROGRAMS: • Youth Videoconferences are live interactive presentations featuring Texas wildlife species. Offered throughout the semester, classes connect via videoconference equipment or Zoom.

• On-demand Webinars are recorded interactive presentations about natural resources and wildlife conservation topics and are available anytime on the TWA website.

Critter Connections are now available in a read-along format. Recordings of past issues are available online and live broadcasts accompany each new issue. All recordings and scheduled live readings can be found online.

6 TEXAS WILDLIFE

APRIL 2021

HORNED LIZARD HOMECOMING

8 TEXAS WILDLIFE

APRIL 2021

HORNED LIZARD HOMECOMING Article and photos by RUSSELL A. GRAVES

W

hen I was a kid, the first 'horny toad' I ever remember catching squirted blood out of its eyes," said Dane Fuller laughing heartily as he used the colloquial term for the Texas horned lizard, arguably one of the most recognizable and charismatic reptiles in the state.

"My dad thought there was something wrong with it, so he yelled at me to put it back on the ground,” said Fuller, a 50-something who grew up in exceedingly rural Hall County in the Panhandle Plains region and has lived here most of his life.

It was only later that Fuller came to understand that the blood squirting behavior was simply part of the Texas horned lizard's defense mechanisms exhibited from time to time. It's a behavior Fuller hasn't seen since.

"I've seen hundreds of horny toads throughout the years, and I can tell you that I never get tired of seeing them," he said.

Fuller's sentiments are common in horned lizard country.

Undoubtedly, those who have memories of them always have fond memories that usually originate from childhood.

From 2004 until 2006, Childress High School students collected stories from people over 50 years old who'd lived in the Childress community and surrounding Childress County for most of their lives. The reason for the research? Collecting memories from those who'd experienced Texas horned lizards and trying to collect data to determine the reptile's status locally.

Armed with a list of standardized questions, student teams fanned out across the community and over three years, WWW.TEXAS-WILDLIFE.ORG

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HORNED LIZARD HOMECOMING

interviewed more than 200 local citizens who fit the pre-determined criteria. Once the data was compiled, the results began to identify some interesting trends.

It turns out that on average, those interviewed reported commonly seeing horned lizards when they were children but began seeing fewer as they reached their mid-teens. Seventy percent of the respondents lived on a farm and most everyone reported that horned lizards were less common when the research was conducted in the early 21st century than they were in the 1950s and 1960s. Also, most everyone blamed pesticides for the reptile's demise.

However, when the students conducted population transects on suitable horned lizard habitat, the students found the reptile to be relatively abundant. The dichotomy of anecdotal recollections and concrete data created an interesting enigma.

Respondents who anecdotally provided interview answers concluded that they stopped seeing horned lizards at the average age of 15 because they stopped looking for them. At that age, the respondents shifted their activities from unstructured play outside to working, driving and dating, all of which provided distractions.

Furthermore, in the 60s and 70s, a demographic shift happened in the county. Due to farm and ranch consolidation, the number of people living in the county (where Texas horned lizards are more common) fell from around 40 percent to around 12 percent of the county's population.

The students concluded it was possible that the number of Texas horned lizards in Childress County didn't decline, but the number of people in areas of suitable habitat declined.

While a documented decline of Texas horned lizards couldn't be definitively established by the results of the high school research project in Childress County (which, coincidentally, still is in an area with anecdotally strong horned lizard numbers), the decline of the reptile is well documented across the rest of the state. Once found just about everywhere in Texas except for the Pineywoods, the

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HORNED LIZARD HOMECOMING

species has seen a precipitous decline in its range and numbers since at least the 1960s.

During the same time period that horned lizard numbers were shrinking statewide, the Texas population grew by more than 250 percent. As a result, countless millions of Texans have never seen this reptile which is so unique and iconic to our state that the 73rd Texas Legislature named the Texas horned lizard as the official state reptile in 1993.

A LITTLE DINOSAUR "I always thought they looked like little dinosaurs," said Fuller while he stared out across the backyard of his small acreage tract on the outskirts of Childress. "When the weather warms, we'll see them scrambling around the buffalo grass looking for food.

They are so much fun to watch.”

Fuller said he tries his best to do what he can to ensure the survival of the diminutive reptile. While poisoning ants is en vogue for some, he leaves harvester ant colonies alone as they are THE staple in a Texas horned lizard's diet although they will eat grasshoppers, small beetles and other insects. While Texas horned lizards tend to be voracious hunters and have a menacing appearance, they are docile and were once commonly kept as pets.

The habitat they prefer is semi-open areas with loamy or slightly sandy soils in arid or semi-arid parts of the state. In size, Texas horned lizards range from 2 1/2 to 4 inches long not including their short tail. While their color varies slightly, they are typically brown or tan which helps camouflage them from predators. Their short, stubby legs and their ability to remain motionless help protect them from detection.

While concealment is their main defense for thwarting predators, the lizard can also squirt rancid, foul-tasting blood from its eyes to discourage a would-be attacker. A study published in 2004 by scientists from Howard University suggests that predators such as kit foxes learn to avoid Texas horned lizards because of the toxin-laden blood.

Even when mice were smeared with blood from horned lizard eyes, kit foxes would still avoid the mice. The research duo concluded that "…in many predator-prey encounters with wild canids, blood-squirting by Texas horned lizards is an effective chemical defense. We propose a scenario for the evolution of this unique defense and suggest that the defensive compounds found in the blood may be sequestered from the seed-harvester ant prey of horned lizards."

The horned lizard is also equipped with "armor" that is designed to make it less appealing to predators. Its head is

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HORNED LIZARD HOMECOMING

lined in a crown of namesake horns that help protect it from snakes and other animals that want to swallow it whole. Also, as a defense against roadrunners, for example, the horned lizard flattens its body to make it appear larger, more formidable, and less easy to swallow whole.

Even so, the mortality rate is high for horned lizards especially young ones. After a winter hibernation, the breeding season begins in April and continues through June.

A female lays 20-40 eggs in a shallow ground burrow. After a 44-day incubation, the young hatch and emerge to face the world—and the dangers therein—on their own. When hatched, the young are tiny—maybe a half-inch long. However, they grow quickly and by their second year, they are sexually mature enough to breed.

Back in Childress, Fuller fortunately still witnesses the unique lizard regularly. However, across much of the state, the population trends aren't as encouraging.

The reasons for their decline vary, but the consensus is that a combination of the impact of red imported fire ants, pesticides used to control fire ants and their impact on harvester ants and urbanization. Horned lizard feed on harvester ants (or red ants as they are commonly called), but harvester ant populations have suffered because of the red imported fire ant invasion that commenced in the 1950s.

Because of the fire ants' aggressive nature, harvester ant populations have been affected where fire ants are found.

Additionally, the widespread use of pesticides to control fire 12 T E X A S W I L D L I F E

APRIL 2021

ants either directly or indirectly helped contribute to the decline of red ants. As the fire ants moved north and west across Texas, horned lizard strongholds retreated in the same direction.

The round-tailed horned lizard and the greater short-horned lizard are found in the extreme western portions of the state.

The Texas horned lizard is primarily found well west of IH-35 with the notable exception of a smattering of suitable habitats in deep South Texas.

A ROADMAP FOR THE FUTURE Today the Texas horned lizard has plenty of allies on its side. A consortium of herpetologists, citizen scientists, private landowners, several zoos and Texas Christian University hope to be able to return the beloved reptile to haunts where it has been extirpated.

In 2017, the San Antonio Zoo began work on a project with the stated mission of: "… focusing on the re-establishment of viable horned lizard populations, returning this species to the landscape as part of a healthy native ecosystem and for the enjoyment of present and future generations."

Using trained canines to find and monitor lizard health, the zoo hopes to develop a methodology that others can replicate to return the species to its native habitat. Currently, the zoo is focusing its efforts in South Central Texas counties including Bexar, Bandera, Comal, Hays, Blanco, Kerr and Kendall on properties that encompass at least 250 acres of contiguous, suitable habitat.

HORNED LIZARD HOMECOMING

“When I first started working with Texas horned lizards, I found out that people love horned lizards more than they hated all other reptiles combined," said Dr. Andy Gluesenkamp, as the Director of the Center for Conservation and Research– San Antonio Zoological Society, with a big laugh. "The reptile is iconic, personable and people want them back. They miss horned lizards.”

Gluesenkamp was also the State Herpetologist for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department from 2009-2016; therefore, he has monitored the pulse of the beloved reptile and its importance to Texans for many years.

"Since I've been working with the species, I find it heartening to hear about people's memories of the reptile,” he said. “People love horned lizards and they constantly ask, 'What are you doing to help them?' The program that we're working on here at the San Antonio Zoo is designed to return the reptile to the places where it once roamed.”

To achieve that mission, the zoo works with dozens of landowners who monitor populations on their properties. Other actively work to improve their habitat to increase the relocation efforts' success.

"We only work on properties where horned lizards do not exist but the habitat is right,” he said. “We are lucky to have volunteer cooperation by landowners. The horned lizard is a great species for encouraging private landowner conservation, and if you

are managing for horned lizard habitat, you are managing for biodiversity."

He explained that the zoo's approach can be compared to a lizard factory, of sorts.

"We want to produce large numbers of lizards in the lab, so we can blanket the landscape with transplants,” he said. “We know there is a high attrition rate among Texas horned lizards, but we hope that given good habitat, many will survive.”

The approach of releasing large numbers of horned lizards the same as that used by state fisheries. For the program to succeed, he postulates that it will require repeated introductions over time.

For example, this past October zoo staff released 84 onto suitable habitat. Later this year, they hope to release another 100 and then an additional release the year after that. Subsequently, they'll release 25 a year to increase genetic diversity.

"Everybody wants the project to succeed and people are willing to help," Gluesenkamp said.

To that end, the project, which is 100 percent supported by grants and donations, also plans to expand its canine component by recruiting private citizens who own dogs that have the temperament to be trained to find the reptiles. He said that the zoo plans to build a larger corps of canine volunteers and even recruit shelter pets to assist in their efforts.

The Fort Worth and Dallas Zoos are also raising horned lizards slated for release on suitable habitats. In 2019, the Fort Worth Zoo celebrated its 600th live lizard hatching and continues to release lizards into suitable habitats. This past October, the Fort Worth Zoo staff released 105 Texas horned lizards into their native range at Mason Mountain Wildlife Management Area near Mason. In all, the Fort Worth zoo released 260 horned lizards in 2020. In addition to zoo-breeding, the Dallas Zoo continues its catch and release monitoring of horned lizards in collaboration with the Rolling Plains Quail Research Ranch near Roby.

So far, the collaborative projects are showing signs of success.

In April 2019, researchers at Mason Mountain, a 5,300-acre research facility, found zoo-raised horned lizards that survived winter hibernation to tackle another year. Using harmonic tagging systems, the reptiles are tracked at a much higher degree of accuracy than ever before.

According to the journal Nature, harmonic tagging technology allows animals to be tagged with a device that operates passively and therefore does not require a battery. As such the tags are light enough to be attached to insects and other small animals and are small enough that effects on behavior are unnoticeable. Each tag contains a small diode that takes in energy from a transmitted signal and sends a signal back to the receiver.

In all, it seems reasonable that the Texas horned lizard's best days as a species may well lie in front of it. A consortium of interested agencies, research institutes and organizations, as well as throngs of private citizens, are committed to bringing the iconic reptile back to the land as a culturally important gift to all Texans.

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TWA & TPWD INVITE YOU TO THE

Join us this summer as we celebrate our hunting heritage!

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DOORS OPEN AT 4 P.M. BANQUET DINNER AT 6 P.M. FOLLOWED BY AWARDS CEREMONY. AWARDEES ARE FREE WITH ALL OTHER GUESTS AT $20 PER PERSON. DEADLINE TO RSVP IS APRIL 23.

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DOORS OPEN AT 4 P.M. BANQUET DINNER AT 6 P.M. FOLLOWED BY AWARDS CEREMONY. AWARDEES ARE FREE WITH ALL OTHER GUESTS AT $20 PER PERSON. DEADLINE TO RSVP IS MAY 21.

MAKE PLANS NOW TO ATTEND! YOU MAY ATTEND ANY OF THE THREE BANQUETS TO RECEIVE YOUR AWARD. REGIONAL TROPHY MOUNT DISPLAY, EXCITING RAFFLES FOR HUNTING GEAR, AND MUCH MORE! RSVP ONLINE AT WWW.TEXASBIGGAMEAWARDS.ORG QUESTIONS, PLEASE CALL (800) 839-9453.

TEXAS WILDLIFE ASSOCIATION

Providing essential funding to the education programs of Texas Wildlife Association Please consider making a tax-deductible investment to TWAF, and help us as we continue to change minds and lives, through natural resource education.

Together, we can make sure that Texans understand the importance of wild things, wild places, and the stewards who care for them.

Support our mission by visiting us online at twafoundation.org/giving

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Education Impact 2020 Statistics and photo courtesy of CONSERVATION LEGACY

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EDUCATION IMPACT 2020

Conservation Legacy reached the highlighted counties in 2020.

NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS PER CONSERVATION LEGACY PROGRAM BY TWA REGION Region 1

Region 2

Region 3

Region 4

Region 5

Region 6

Region 7

Region 8

*

Statewide Total

1,158

514

6,613

3,021

1,650

3,676

2,624

1,265

3,557

24,078

Youth On-demand Webinars

391

472

4,802

4,382

3,154

2,008

1,988

1,163

26,686

45,046

Discovery Trunks

483

978

6,601

12,300

6,683

14,540

3,801

9,091

Wildlife by Design

221

116

4,777

320

5,288

13,047

4,485

8,912

524

83

126

575

9,741

7,502

6,876

19,945

Youth Videoconferencing

Stewarding Texas Critter Connections

1,292

977

L.A.N.D.S. Intensive Programs Educator and Volunteer Workshops

3

278

49

79

443

454

37,609 1,762

7,352

8,782

328

650

76

256

81

1,309

18

508

526

613 19

54,477

468

Adult Education Events

34,233

96,700 1,591

* Participation numbers from out of state participants and/or virtual learners whose location was not collected.

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T WA M E M B E R S I N A C T I O N

MAKING A DIFFERENCE

Adult Mentored Hunting Program Hunting Heritage Member Testimonials Article and photos by KRISTIN PARMA

Y

our Texas Wildlife Association hit the ground running this season introducing new participants to hunting and conservation through Hunting Heritage’s Adult Mentored Hunting Program (AMHP).

Thanks to generous landowners, staff and TWA members who served as guides, cooks and education instructors, TWA’s newest members were welcomed personally in the field with a comprehensive, fun and informative dive into forging the connection between hunting, conservation, sustainable eating and what it truly means to share the hunting heritage with others.

Here are a few testimonials from new members this year: “I’m a proud Texan and American and feel very fortunate to have been born in this great country. I’m sure most hunters in Texas can say the same, but I'm first generation born in the USA from parents who came here from Ecuador. Hunting or

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T WA M E M B E R S I N AC T ION

even owning firearms was foreign to my parents and family, so I had to find my way in this new territory.

When I became a father in 2004, I was driven to expose my son, Nicolas, to as much of America that I was not exposed to.

Shooting sports and hunting became a goal since it’s a sport and a tradition that we could share for many years. What better way to spend time together than being out in the wild, exploring God’s creation, seeing beautiful animals up close in the wild and providing food for our family and making lasting memories?

Nicolas has become a successful hunter through the TYHP program, which he’s been in for the past three years. I’ve been very hesitant and not confident to go on public lands without some amount of guidance.

This season I was fortunate to see the TWA adult mentored hunt program looking for first timers, so I jumped on the opportunity. What an amazing experience that I was able to share with my teenager who had as much fun as I did. I not only harvested my first buck and two wild hogs, but I was in an environment that allowed me to ask a bunch of questions, learn from experienced hunters who walked me through safety, cleaning the animals, wild game cooking tips, shooting advice and many other aspects.

I am excited about my hunting future, attending future hunts with TWA and learning from very friendly and knowledgeable people at TWA, hunting with my son and helping others who want to get into hunting.” ~Edgar Baquero

what I was looking for, and both its staff and volunteers are incredibly helpful, professional and friendly.

Through these experiences, I've continued to grow my skill set, increased my appreciation of the natural world, seen some gorgeous Texas landscapes I would have definitely otherwise missed—and as a bonus met good people who I feel lucky to call friends.” ~Daniel Moreno “We spent a beautiful weekend simply learning (with no phones and no meetings)

under a star-filled sky on 20,000 acres of gorgeous South Texas land. TWAs structure of pairing every hunter with a guide was what makes a lot of that learning possible too.

Having never hunted and spending many hours just listening to my guide Curtis Anderson talk about the land, animal’s habits like mating, feeding, playing and interacting, was real life practical knowledge that has already made me feel so much more comfortable about going out and doing this again.” ~Matt Rand

“I initially viewed hunting as a negative and something people did purely for sport, decor or fashion. I knew where our protein came from, but it felt different somehow.

My opinion evolved over time through getting to know more hunters, listening to popular podcasts, learning about how biologists endeavor to maintain a balance of healthy populations and, in no small part, because of the Texas Wildlife Association's Adult Mentored Hunting Program. The program's hunting for wildlife conservation focus is exactly

WWW.TEXAS-WILDLIFE.ORG

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TEXAS WILDLIFE

CAESAR KLEBERG WILDLIFE RESEARCH INSTITUTE TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY-KINGSVILLE

A Scavenger Hunt, a Solitary Scat, and Lessons Learned Article by SCOTT E. HENKE in collaboration with JAVIER O. HUERTA and FIDEL HERNANDEZ Photo by JAVIER O. HUERTA

M

y 8-year-old son is a member of an outdoor explorers’ group. During a recent meeting, which was a scavenger hunt designed to help build observational skills, the boys were given a list of items that could be commonly found on any South Texas ranch. Items on the list included things like mesquite leaves, an animal track, bird feather and an animal scat.

As the boys searched their surroundings with adults following closely behind, I looked down and noticed a Texas horned lizard scat. I called the boys back and let them know that they missed an item that was on their list.

I pointed down to the one inch-long by 1/4-inch diameter, dark brown cylinder

with a white tip. The boys looked at the item I was pointing at and asked, “What is it?”

At first, I was surprised by their question, but after a minute of thought, it made sense to me. Texas horned lizards were once widespread and abundant throughout the south-central United States; however, their numbers and distribution have declined dramatically. In fact, the number of lizards has become so low that the species is listed as a threatened species in Texas, a protected species in Oklahoma, Colorado and Arizona, and a Species of Concern in Missouri.

The kids of the current generation haven’t had much opportunity to see Texas horned lizards or their scat. So,

as professor and research scientist with the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute (CKWRI), I seized the opportunity of the discovery to become a teaching moment.

I first showed the kids the two distinctive components to the scat. I explained that reptiles, like birds, have one opening, called a cloaca, to excrete their bodily wastes. The white tip on one of the ends is composed of uric acid and is analogous to the urine portion. The remainder and darker portion of the scat was the feces, which for Texas horned lizards, was typically comprised of the indigestible portions of ants. In fact, the big red ant, or harvester ant, is a favorite of Texas horned lizards.

I picked up the scat and broke it open on the palm of my hand, which was quickly followed by several “Yucks” from the kids. I pointed out that most of the scat consisted of ant heads. You can count the number of ant heads in a scat to determine how many ants a horned lizard eats to meet its nutritional requirements.

The boys asked why they have never seen a Texas horned lizard before. I told them that several explanations have been proposed for their decline.

For example, the invasive red-imported fire ant has spread throughout much of Texas and can negatively impact horned lizards directly by their venomous sting, and they can outcompete native insects,

Sponsored by JOHN AND LAURIE SAUNDERS

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CAESAR KLEBERG WILDLIFE RESEARCH INSTITUTE

such as harvester ants. Widespread and indiscriminate use of broadcast pesticides can further negatively affect the prey base for Texas horned lizards. Also, loss of habitat and habitat fragmentation from suburban sprawl, widespread use of exotic grasses that were used to stabilize soil after road construction and the conversion of native lands to agricultural crops have been included as potential reasons for the decline of Texas horned lizards.

I continued my explanation adding that Texas horned lizards were popular children's pets prior to 1960. Children would capture wild lizards and take them home, but due to the lizards specialized diet of ants, rarely did “pet” lizards survive. Texas horned lizards also were collected for the pet industry to sell.

It was at this point that an older gentleman, who was a grandfather to one of the explorers and was on the trip, chimed in. He told a story of when he was a youngster. The owner of a local gas station would pay his friends and him five cents for each horned lizard they could find. The gas station owner would give patrons a free Texas horned lizard when they filled up the gas tanks of their vehicles.

He said that the cost of a movie ticket during the late 1950s was $0.65 and that he and his friends would collect enough horned lizards to pay for their weekly trip to the movies. And if they were really successful in their capture efforts, they would not only pay for their admission to the movie, but also have enough money for popcorn!

After the gentleman’s story, I continued my explanation. Although each suggested reason for the decline had merit, no single proposed reason occurred over their entire distributional range, and Texas horned lizard populations have declined over the majority of their distribution.

Therefore, either a combination of these proposed factors had caused the decline or an unconsidered factor was to blame for the species demise.

Even though populations of Texas horned lizard are sparse and sporadic, they are remembered with fondness, especially so by many of today’s older generation. They have fond memories of

these miniature dinosaurs, just like the older gentleman on the scavenger hunt.

Many of the efforts to reverse the declining trends of Texas horned lizards are spawned from this cultural attachment. I told the boys that I was a researcher of Texas horned lizards and that we were currently conducting research to determine if restoring their habitat back to native plants would help return their population numbers to past glory.

I took the boys to some grass by the side of the road and told them that it was Kleberg bluestem, which is an introduced grass species from Africa. Texas horned lizards prefer habitat that is comprised of native grasses, such as varieties of gramas, lovegrasses and windmill grass.

I explained that we had restored a 300-acre pasture in South Texas that had been invaded by non-native grasses and replanted native grass species with the idea to help the population of Texas horned lizards. Unfortunately, after 10

years of maintaining native grasses and monitoring horned lizards during the past several years, Texas horned lizard populations did not increase because of our efforts.

Harvester ant populations more than doubled on our restoration site but so did fire ant populations. Therefore, although habitat restoration did not seem to hurt Texas horned lizards, it didn’t appear to offer much help either.

After my somewhat lengthy lesson about Texas horned lizards, which was prompted by finding a single scat, an hour had nearly passed. It was time for the young explorers to end their meeting.

The boys thanked me for the lesson concerning Texas horned lizards and left with their parents.

Walking to our car, my son looked up at me and said, “Maybe during our next meeting we'll get to complete the scavenger hunt.”

I think I learned a lesson that night too!

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TEXAS WILDLIFE

NOBLE NEWS AND VIEWS NOBLE RESEARCH INSTITUTE

Bioacoustic Monitors and Their Role in Understanding Ecosystem Health Article by DR. STEPHEN L. WEBB, Noble Research Institute staff scientist, range and wildlife ecology / slwebb@noble.org and MIKE D. PROCTOR, Noble Research Institute senior research associate, range and wildlife ecology / mdproctor@noble.org

Figure 1. Spring call counts for Northern Bobwhite Quail that compared two survey techniques: human observers versus the passive acoustic monitors.

E

avesdropping sounds like such an unacceptable thing to do, but that is exactly what researchers are doing to learn more about the living world. To be clear, we are not talking about listening to human conversations but rather to birds, frogs, insects, bats, whales and any other species that make a sound. This is nature’s orchestra, known as biophony, which is part of a larger

collection and study of sounds known as soundscape ecology.

Researchers use acoustics to study living things by deploying bioacoustic monitors. These monitors also are referred to as passive acoustic monitors (PAM) or autonomous recording units (ARU). (See the small, green PAM mounted on white post in Figure 1.) If it chirps, squawks, crows, howls, whistles,

peeps, croaks, gurgles or belches, then the PAM can capture the sound, which is stored on a memory card and then analyzed using image recognition software. Yes, sounds are analyzed as images.

HOW ACOUSTIC MONITORS WORK Think of PAMs like game or trail cameras. Game cameras are set out to

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NOBLE NEWS AND VIEWS

Figure 2. Spectrogram of multiple species. The Y-axis (left) depicts the frequency (kHz), and the X-axis (bottom) shows the duration of the call.

collect pictures of many different wildlife species to estimate presence, population size or habitat use. PAMs can generate these same types of survey data. Cameras are better at capturing larger, moving objects, whereas the PAMs can capture any sound but are better for more vocal species like birds, bats and frogs.

The current PAMs on the market are easily programmable like cameras, and they offer great flexibility to meet specific survey needs. For example, PAMs can be scheduled to turn on multiple times per day and for varying lengths of time, and they can collect hundreds of hours of audio.

Most PAMs will record across two frequency ranges. The first is the ultrasonic range over which the echolocation calls of bats can be recorded.

The second range can typically capture very low frequency calls, such as whales, and mid-frequency calls that will record most insect, bird, frog and animal sounds.

Just like adjusting picture frequency and duration, users of PAMs can adjust the sampling rate and the type of output audio file (.wav or .w4v).

HOW SPECIES IDENTIFICATION WORKS At the end of the day, when users start to analyze data from PAMs, the process ends up being similar to analyzing camera images. The audio files are converted to a spectrogram, which is a visual representation of the spectrum of frequencies of a signal as it varies with time.

Spectrograms may also be referred to as sonograms or spectrographs. An

image, or spectrogram, is shown in Figure 2 depicting many different species identified on one PAM during a recording of less than 10 seconds.

PAMs are great because they collect a lot of data. However, this brings up a new problem: How do you sort, process and identify all of the species in the data? After converting the audio files to spectrograms, there are commercial software programs available to help sort and identify calls.

Commercial packages go beyond playback and viewing of spectrograms by providing methods for detection,

measurement and other analyses.

Kaleidoscope by Wildlife Acoustics uses cluster analysis to do detection, while Raven by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology uses energy detection.

There are also custom programs written in R or Python that use artificial intelligence techniques known as deep learning to identify the species, but this process is generally restricted to savvy computer programmers.

Each program and method has advantages and drawbacks, and their utility depends upon the user’s intended application. With commercial software, it can be difficult to efficiently analyze all of the data because of the sheer volume of data (gigabytes to terabytes) and such a large number of sounds in each recording. However, because of the increased focus on large-scale, biodiversity monitoring, great headway is being made at improving efficient and accurate species identification.

EXAMPLE: NORTHERN BOBWHITE QUAIL Populations of Northern Bobwhite Quail (Figure 3) have been declining

Figure 3. Female and male Northern Bobwhite Quail in a predominately native grassland.

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NOBLE NEWS AND VIEWS

Figure 4. Spectrogram depicting the “bob” “white” whistle of the male bobwhite quail.

across their range, with declines ranging from 68-75 percent in Oklahoma and Texas during the past five decades.

From 2008 to 2018, Noble Research Institute conducted spring call counts for bobwhites to examine population

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trends as they relate to environmental and habitat conditions. Starting in 2019, PAMs replaced traditional human surveys, allowing researchers to monitor 29 sites simultaneously across two study sites. PAMs collected data for three days during four separate sessions (12 days total) during spring 2019 and 2020, which coincides with the calling activity of many bird species.

Because bobwhites were a primary target for monitoring status and long-term trends in population size, distribution and habitat use, researchers developed their own recognition software that efficiently identifies and records all bobwhite calls from hundreds of hours of recordings. When the male bobwhite call is converted from audio to a spectrogram, it creates a very unique signature (Figure 4) which looks a little like a checkmark.

Although the target was Northern Bobwhite, the PAMs create a permanent record of all recorded species during

spring call counts. Current research is developing acoustic matching templates for other species of conservation concern, or species that are considered game or indicator or umbrella species. For example, Dickcissels and Eastern Meadowlarks also have been experiencing long-term declines in their populations, so managers may want to keep a close eye on whether these species are present and in what numbers if present.

USES AND APPLICATIONS There are many uses and applications of PAMs for research, management and the casual birding enthusiast. As mentioned earlier, many species of grassland birds are experiencing rangewide declines, so having a tool that can be deployed across large areas is crucial to documenting and understanding the causes for the decline. Many times, this is linked to the degradation or loss of habitat.

PAMs have many uses and applications, but one of the primary goals for ecologists is being able to collect and analyze data at large spatial scales to monitor status, trends distribution and habitat use of wildlife species, all of which are important targets of management or indicators of successful management.

Managers or biologists can use the information about whether or not a species is present to help determine the current landscape condition. These species are known as indicator species because their absence usually is the first indication that something is broken or missing in the system.

The number and particular species of birds (or even frogs or insects) that show up in the PAM data gives insight into the larger community of plants, animals and soil, which ultimately indicate ecosystem health and function, in part, because of the services they provide such as pollination and insect/ pest control. Biodiversity, or the number of species present, is often used as an ecosystem health indicator of ecosystem health.

department of natural resources management

texas tech university

TTU WILDLIFE R ESE A RCH NEWS

Texas Lizards at Risk Article by KRISTIN L. KABAT, Graduate Research Assistant CHARLES JACOBI, Graduate Research Assistant AYLA RYAN, Graduate Research Assistant DR. MATTHEW A. BARNES, Associate Professor DR. ROBERT D. COX, Associate Professor DR. CARLOS PORTILLO, Associate Professor MUKTI SUBEDI, Research Assistant DR. GAD PERRY, Professor Department of Natural Resources Management, Texas Tech University

An adult female dunes sagebrush lizard seeks shaded refuge underneath a shinnery oak. This photo was taken in New Mexico at the Mathers Wilderness Study Area, managed by the Bureau of Land Management, and provides federally protected and managed preferred habitats for both the Lesser Prairie-Chicken and the dunes sagebrush lizard. (Photo courtesy of SWCA Environmental Consultants; Nicole Smolensky)

T

exas has the largest number of reptile species of all US states, a total of 139 species.

Lizards are especially abundant and diverse on the Texas landscape. Perhaps the most familiar native species is the Texas horned lizard, the official state reptile, and a common feature on our license plates. One of three in the SPONSORED BY

"Wild for Texas Collection" offered by the state, it helps support conservation of native Texas wildlife.

In a similar way, lizards help support healthy ecosystems.

Lizards are often a key part of the complex interactions between the environment and its plants and animals which support human life and well-being.

Like other species, some lizards in Texas are facing population declines. Also like other species, habitat loss is the largest known threat, typically the result of habitat modification for urban development, agricultural land use and energy infrastructure expansion. In collaboration with state and federal agencies and private landowners, Texas Tech University researchers are studying several lizard species that are under particular threat.

The spot-tailed earless lizard is a small, secretive species with distinctive coloration that is found in West and South Texas, as far south as Kennedy County and as far north as Glasscock County. Its name comes from the lack of external ear openings, perhaps to prevent damage from soil particles.

This lizard is active during the day, primarily from late April through June and is often seen on top of rocks, dirt clods and vegetation along agricultural roads. Populations are declining because of habitat loss; habitat is fragmented in the southern regions of the lizard’s range, but the population mostly persists north of the Balcones Escarpment.

Because of population declines, a proposal by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to list the species as threatened or endangered is pending decision in 2022. But because the lizards can be hard to

The Rumsey Research and Development Fund and the Department of Natural Resources Management, Texas Tech University

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T TU WILDLIFE RESEARCH NEWS

spot even when they are there, more population data are needed to make valid decisions. Texas Tech University researchers are conducting a survey of 15 counties where the species has historically been found to test for the presence of spot-tailed earless lizard populations.

Surveys for the spot-tailed earless lizard will combine traditional methods, such as visually searching for the lizards on foot, with high resolution satellite imagery to map both habitat and areas being impacted by humans within the lizard’s range.

Maps of habitat will be made with novel imagery techniques, essentially using high-resolution aerial photography, similar to Google Earth images, to analyze and understand habitat characteristics preferred by the species.

The work is funded by the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, which is seeking to establish "regulatory certainty."

Regulatory certainty is something that economically important sectors from agriculture to energy exploration and beyond value greatly.

Another lizard we are studying is the dunes sagebrush lizard, a habitat specialist which is exclusively found in the Mescalero-

Photo by Charles Jacobi

Map of Kenedy County showcasing the imagery techniques being utilized for the spot-tailed ear-less lizard, showing fine scale habitat details along roadways. An example of Level 1 Classification (A), and types of data used: normalized Digital Surface Model (nDSM: B), Principal Component Transformed Images of NAIP Data (C), LiDar intensity image (D), Digital Elevation Model (E) and Digital Surface Model (F). (Map courtesy of Mukti Subedi)

Monahans Shinnery Dune ecosystem in western Texas and eastern New Mexico. Unfortunately, it shares this limited space with extensive energy production operations.

Even within this narrow distribution, this species occupies a very specific habitat. Studies by Texas A&M University have shown that shinnery oak presence, dune structure and continuous habitat are required for the species to persist. As these disappear, so does the lizard.

New Mexico lists the species as Endangered. The US Fish and Wildlife Service has been considering it for federal protection under the Endangered Species Act for two decades.

But the dunes sagebrush lizard, too, can be very hard to spot, partly because it is only active for short periods of the year and is very secretive. We are working to develop new survey techniques for the species using environmental DNA, also known as eDNA. eDNA methods are frequently used by biologists and land managers to determine the presence of a species such as potentially harmful non-natives.

Genetic materials are shed from organisms then collected in environmental samples such as soil or water, from which they can be isolated and identified. We are exploring the use of similar methods in the shinnery oak dune ecosystem. If we can succeed then presence can be confirmed even when survey efforts fail due to time, funding or access constraints.

Habitat restoration, the process of revitalizing a degraded area to its natural state, is increasingly used in conservation biology and species management and is being considered for the dunes sagebrush lizard. Habitat restoration can include removing invasive plant species, planting native species and even drastic activities such as changing the landscape with heavy equipment.

Typically, this method is intended to repair, or in some cases mimic, native habitat to support populations of a species of interest. Our team is working to develop methods for turning low quality habitat from which the lizards are absent into suitable areas that “patch” together large, functional stretches of high-quality habitat.

We are looking at building up sand to create dunes that match the profile of lizard habitat, planting and seeding

A perched spot-tailed earless lizard found in Tom Green County.

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Photo by Gad Perry

T TU WILDLIFE RESEARCH NEWS

Taking data on Texas horned lizard habitat near Junction, Texas. The species has greatly declined in Central Texas. Inset: Lizard being fitted with a radio- transmitter for home range studies near Post, Texas, where it is still common.

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of native vegetation, and removal of mesquite, which has spread. Since restoration of habitat for this species has not been accomplished before, this is an exciting effort that can also improve our broader understanding of this ecosystem and how it responds to specific restoration methods.

Ultimately, the novel methods developed in this project may support much broader efforts. The dunes sagebrush lizard eDNA and habitat restoration research is funded by Atlas Sand. Scientific and technical support has been provided by SWCA Environmental Consultants.

A common practice with at-risk species is to maintain an “assurance” population in captivity to preserve genetics, keep a species from becoming extinct or produce additional individuals for later release, as has been done with California Condors for example. Maintaining rare species in captivity can also provide opportunities to study different biological facets of a species that could otherwise remain unknown because observations are difficult in the wild.

Currently, the Dallas Zoo is housing a small population of dunes sagebrush lizards.

Successful breeding efforts could one day be used to supplement existing struggling populations or reintroduce the species in areas where it has become locally extinct. If successful, all these efforts can contribute to keeping lizard species from being declared endangered in Texas, a status that could seriously impact human activities.

Over the years, Texas Tech researchers, mostly with funding from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, have also studied the iconic Texas horned lizard, another species that has declined throughout much of its historical range.

The Texas Horned Lizard is still doing well in West Texas and is often seen on the High Plains.

We are extremely thankful for the many private landowners who have graciously allowed us to work on their land, and for their ongoing stewardship of landscapes that support this species, other lizards and many other Texas natives.

OBSERVING & EVALUATING WHITETAILS

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TEXAS WILDLIFE

PLANT PROFILE

Texas Frogfruit Article and photos by RICKY LINEX

New growth of frogfruit spreads by initiating growth in spring with new leaves and stolon growth.

I

f a native plant is low-growing, tends to run across the ground at ground level and has tiny flowers overshadowed by taller plants, perhaps it must rely upon its name for recognition. Texas frogfruit might be such a plant.

Like many other native plants in Texas, frogfruit has a few unique alternative names as well including fogfruit, frogfruit and sawtooth fogfruit. Perhaps the most interesting alternative name is turkey tangle fogfruit, often abbreviated to turkey tangle. An early botanist saw what he thought was a turkey tangled up but all that was seen in the area was frogfruit.

With prostrate, four-angled stems, frogfruit, Phyla nodiflora, creeps along the ground, rooting at the nodes, branching and forming dense mats several feet in diameter. This native, perennial, warm-season plant rises only 3-5 inches above the ground but may have runners up to 3 feet long. Under irrigation in a flower bed these runners can approach 5-6 feet in length and are quite breathtaking when cascading down a ledge rock wall or rock landscaping.

The opposite or clustered leaves are spatula-shaped or oblong with a wedge-shaped base. The leaves are thick, 1-2 inches long and 5/8-inch wide and toothed from middle to tip of the leaf.

Numerous flower heads appear at first rounded but elongating to a 1¼-inch long cylinder, up to 3/8-inch wide and growing on separate stalks each up to 4 inches long.

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Flowers are visited by many species of butterflies, native bees and European honey bees.

Flowers are tiny, white with yellow centers consisting of four lobes that usually have a tiny notch in the tip of each lobe.

Each flower is no larger than a wooden matchhead. The flowers form a ring around the elongating flower head near the tip. As the flower head matures, it lengthens, and a new ring of flowers is formed. From May through October, every 7-10 days a new row of tiny flowers emerge from the flowerhead awaiting a visit from pollinators.

The leaves of frogfruit are used as forage by livestock and provide fair value forage for deer. Frogfruit is considered a desirable colonizer plant in riparian areas alongside creeks and rivers, helping to provide an initial mat of roots on fresh sediment deposits.

These stolons root down at every node along the stems helping to hold the soil in place. As these stolons grow outward, they often form what appears to be a netting upon the ground. The long-flowering period of this plant is especially well-liked and visited by several species of butterflies.

Frogfruit can be found in all 10 vegetational regions of Texas.

In upland sites, frogfruit can usually be found near along the margins of ponds or within slight depressions of just a few inches in rangeland pastures which gives the plant favorable soil moisture conditions. Growing so near to the ground, frogfruit thrives in areas with little competition from other vegetation.

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Photo by R. Ohanyon

BOBCATS AND BOBWHITES Article by DALE ROLLINS, Ph.D.

P

redation is the most common cause of mortality for bobwhites. The list of “whodunnits,” is long, and the equation is complex. Death from above, death in the tall grass.

Mammalian mesocarnivores such as raccoons and skunks are locally common and adroit nest predators. Raptors such as Northern Harriers are seasonally important predators of adult birds, especially during October through March.

Snakes can be nest predators, but they also prey on chicks and adult birds. Recently in Florida, a bobwhite chick was found inside a bullfrog. Indeed, just about everything (including me) likes to eat quail.

Stealth and agility afford some quail predators a leg up on other potential predators. In the raptor world, the Cooper’s Hawk is an F-16 equivalent. The mammalian analog to a Cooper’s Hawk might be the bobcat. Like Cooper’s Hawks, they may be fairly common though rarely seen. Stealth is their middle name.

Anyone who has owned a housecat can attest to the prowess of their feline in securing prey, be it a lizard or a songbird. A bobcat is likely even more skillful. After all, their existence rests upon their ability to catch their food.

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BOBCAT ECOLOGY IN TEXAS Bobcats can be found throughout the state in a variety of habitats. They prefer rocky canyons or outcrops; in rockless areas, they resort to thickets such as whitebrush for protection and den sites. Bobcats are active mostly at night.

In hilly country, they often drop their feces on large rocks on promontories or ridges. The scats are often characterized as resembling a “Tootsie Roll.” Males make scrapes—small piles of leaves and sticks on which they urinate—like those of mountain lions, only smaller.

They den in crevices in canyon walls, in boulder piles or in thickets. Breeding usually begins in February, with the young born after a gestation period of about 60 days. They may have two to seven young, with three being the average litter size.

A bobcat's diet consists mainly of small mammals such as rats, ground squirrels, mice and rabbits, and birds. They occasionally kill and eat deer, primarily fawns. Wild turkeys, quail, domestic sheep, goats and poultry are also susceptible to bobcat predation.

When playing the role of CSI, investigators should look at any and all evidence at the “crime scene” as they seek to assign cause of death. Bobcats may partially cover or cache their kills and return later to feed. Occasionally, we discover a dead

radio-collared bobwhite at the Rolling Plains Quail Research Ranch (RPQRR) that is completely covered, presumably by a bobcat.

Here’s something peculiar to bobcats (and likely feral housecats): look among the pile of feathers and you may discover the quail's gizzard uneaten. I don’t know why. I don’t like gizzards either.

In 2011-2012, we placed GPS-collars on coyotes, bobcats and raccoons at RPQRR to see how these three predators scoured the habitat during May-June, the peak nesting time for bobwhites. Bobcats had the largest home ranges of the three carnivores and tended to move along draws and riparian areas (heavier brush).

I speculate that interactions with coyotes kept the bobcats “at bay” and mostly out of upland sites where bobwhites nest.

Bobcats usually stalk their prey and then ambush from cover. We have several game camera photographs of bobcats visiting quail feeders. Pavlov’s cats, I reckon; they likely know the feeders attract various birds and rodents.

When depredating “dummy” nests, constructed to mimic a quail or turkey’s nest, bobcats bite across the egg. They leave a portion of the yolk in the shell and the egg still in the nest.

To evaluate the impact of bobcat predation on Northern Bobwhite Quail, it is important to determine the usual composition of the average bobcat’s diet. Beasom and Moore (1977) found that bobcats in Zavala County preyed primarily upon cotton rats and cottontail rabbits, with bobwhite occurring in about 6 percent of bobcat stomachs.

Rader et al. (2006) studied bobwhite nest predation, finding that only 3 percent of all depredated nests were caused by bobcats. Finally, Tewes et al. (2002) surveyed 54 scientific articles about bobcat food habits, finding quail to be present in only nine studies and typically at levels of less than 3 percent of the total bobcat diet.

While we have studied coyote diets intensively, as the subject of two masters' theses at RPQRR by analyzing scats, we’ve not been able to analyze diets of bobcats; we can’t accumulate sufficient scats for a good study.

Photo by S.M. Cooper

B O B CAT S A N D B O B W H I T E S

It’s not for a lack of bobcats. I toyed with the idea of bringing in specially trained “scat sniffing dogs” from Washington to locate bobcat scats. But the $40,000 price tag for a series of four visits was too steep for my budget at the time. (Anyone interested in funding such a study?)

One of our coolest photo albums from RPQRR came courtesy of Dr. Susan Cooper, a collaborator on the coyotebobcat-raccoon study. One evening at about 6 p.m., she said she was going to cruise around with her camera to seek some interesting wildlife shots.

Boy, did she score!

She came back about an hour later with a smile as big as Texas. She had secured 45 photos of a big male bobcat subduing a big rattlesnake. Wow! She entered one of the pictures in The Wildlife Society’s annual photo contest and earned 2nd place honors. One judge criticized that “the lighting could’ve been better.” Gimme a break!

POPULATION TRENDS IN TEXAS How many bobcats are there in Texas?

On your ranch? Nobody knows. Based on our bobcat studies using GPS collars and camera trapping at RPQRR (, I estimate we have 10-15 bobcats on the 4,700-acre property. At our 2,300-acre ongoing Erath County Quail Restoration site, a total of 20 bobcats were removed over a

two-year period, mostly by snaring the perimeter netwire fence.

Some argue bobcat numbers are on the rise; I wouldn’t argue with such speculation.

CONTROL ALTERNATIVES Bobcats are not protected in Texas and may be taken at any time. A hunting license is required to shoot them, and a pelt tag is required to sell or trade the pelt. The best nonlethal control method is managing habitat to the benefit of prey species.

Bobcats may be taken from aircraft, though they are rarely seen during helicopter counts. For netwire fences, neck snares are effective.

In recent years, various “varmint contests” have become prevalent. For example, San Angelo is home for the West Texas Big Bobcat Contest which has become very popular. On weekends in January and February, you’ll see more “high-racked” varmint hunting rigs than team roper trailers I like bobcats. They are a special sighting when I’m on the range. I like to call them.

(I’m old school and call during daylight only with a mouth call). I have mixed emotions about the varmint contests.

They presently are legal but undergoing increased scrutiny among wildlife professionals. What’s your opinion?

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Photo courtesy of Meredith Ellis, G Bar C Ranch

GRASS

It’s More than Forage Article by STEVE NELLE

A

sk any cattleman what they first think when they see a pasture full of good grass. Most will get a big smile and think about how many cows it will feed and for

how long.

To the cattleman, grass is forage and forage is money. That is one valid way to look at the value of grass, but it is not the only way. Even the most cow-centric rancher knows there is a lot more to grass than just its value as feed, but forage is what gets them excited.

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When thinking about grass there is plenty to get excited about, and we can all broaden our knowledge and appreciation of this important family of plants.

There are more than 700 species of grass in Texas with perhaps 200 species that are prevalent; a ranch in any given region is likely to have 30 to 60 grass species.

The different grass types, sometimes called functional groups, are just as important as the number of species. The functional groups include: cool season grasses, warm season grasses, bunch

GRASS ROOTS PROTECT SOIL The most important part of the grass plant, perhaps, is underground. Because the root system is unseen, it is easy to overlook its significance and extent.

The root system makes up 60 to 80 percent of the perennial grass plant.

Anyone who has dug up grass plants can appreciate the density and strength of roots and their ability to bind the soil. Mid grasses such as sideoats grama produce something like 4,000 feet of roots within one cubic foot of soil, while tall grasses produce twice or three times that amount.

About half of those roots die each year to be replaced by new roots. This annual turnover of roots is the main source of organic matter for grassland soils. This banking of organic carbon in the soil not only improves grassland condition, it also helps reduce atmospheric carbon.

The root crown is also important for storing energy. During times of active growth, excess plant energy stored as carbohydrates is directed to the plant's base and this energy is then used to initiate new growth after grazing, drought, fire or winter dormancy.

Think of the root system like the battery on your pickup in which energy is continually being used and then recharged. The more green leaf surface that is exposed to sunlight, the more energy is generated with which to grow deeper and stronger roots.

If grazing or mowing is excessive, stored energy is depleted and the root system becomes stunted. This leads to reduced soil and grass health.

WATER CONSERVATION Grass also creates good water catching conditions so that rainfall soaks in rapidly and is stored in the soil. Depending on the underlying geology, some of this rainfall continues downward, making its way into aquifers.

Healthy grasslands protect and enhance the soil and sustain the water cycle.

Photo by Steve Nelle

grasses, colony-forming grasses, short grasses, mid grasses, tall grasses, annual grasses, perennial grasses, palatable grasses as well as unpalatable grasses.

Each group fulfills a certain purpose. It takes many of these types to have a healthy functioning grassland community.

Photo by Steve Nelle

GRASS

This landowner employed brush control, re-seeding and planned grazing to restore this grassland area.

A good, dense grass covering results in high organic matter, good soil structure, high soil porosity and high water-holding capacity. These qualities are markedly impaired where the grass cover is sparse or short.

In between grass plants there should be layers of old, residual decomposing grass litter that provides a blanket of protection to the soil surface. This litter layer, like mulch in a garden, should be nearly continuous. It helps protect from temperature extremes and reduces evaporation loss.

GRASS SEED EATEN BY TURKEY, QUAIL OR DOVE Bristlegrasses Paspalum grasses Fringed signalgrass Hall's panicum Browntop panicum Texas cupgrass Slim tridens White tridens Sideoats grama Johnsongrass Indiangrass

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GRASS

Good grass and litter cover also promotes good water quality.

A good grass cover physically slows down the water as it moves downhill so that it cannot erode soil material. As a result, runoff remains clear-ish rather than muddy and sediment-laden. A paucity of grass results in more runoff, more erosion and poor water quality.

There is no way to drought-proof a ranch, but Dr. E. J. Dyksterhuis, a prominent range ecologist of the previous century, states the truth as plainly as anyone: “A man whose pastures are short needs rain the most. A man whose pastures are in good shape makes the most of the rain he gets.”

In creek and river bottom areas strong grasses are especially important. Riparian grasses tend to have much stronger and denser roots than upland grasses. These massive root systems are needed to dissipate and withstand the erosive energy of floodwaters.

Photo by Rita Frey

Photo by Rita Frey

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NESTING AND FAWNING COVER If it were not for the protection afforded by grasses, many species of wildlife would be ravaged by predators. For ground nesting game birds, songbirds, big game and small mammals, their reproductive success depends on staying well hidden in grass until the young are able to evade predators. Ranchers, having a shared interest in wildlife habitat, adjust the timing and intensity of grazing to accommodate the amount of grass needed for nesting and fawning.

Photo by Steve Nelle

Photo by Rita Frey

WILDLIFE FOOD Many species of wildlife consume the leaves and/or the seed of grasses. A prime example is turkeys, which graze the leaves and eat the seed of many grass species. Dove and quail often consume the hard seed of panicum, paspalum and bristlegrass.

Small songbirds, such as sparrows and buntings consume many different kinds of grass seed, even the tiny fluffy seed of bluestems. Most kinds of rodents eat grass seed, and these in turn are what sustain strong raptor and snake populations.

Mule deer, white-tail and pronghorn may only consume grass for five or 10 percent of their diet but this still amounts to about 75 to 150 pounds of grass eaten each year. During certain seasons, grass may make up a much higher percentage.

Grassy areas also help produce insects which are vital for many bird species. So directly or indirectly a high proportion of wildlife species benefit from or depend upon grasses for their food supply.

APRIL 2021

GRASS

Although predators will always get their fair share of nests and fawns no matter how much grass there is, an appropriate cover of bunch grass is the best way to insure adequate production of young. For quail, about 300 large, lightly grazed grass clumps per acre is needed for good nesting habitat.

Photo by Rita Frey

Photo by Rita Frey Photo by Steve Nelle

FORAGE Even though there are other important functions of grass, livestock forage is one of its major purposes. Cattle consume about 3 percent of their body weight each day, so a 1,300-pound cow is eating almost 40 pounds a day (dry weight basis) or in excess of 14,000 pounds annually.

An immense volume of grass is needed to sustain livestock production. Grass must be intentionally and carefully managed to ensure that you don’t run out.

Not all grass species provide equal forage value—some is highly preferred; some is shunned, and some is eaten as second or third choice when better grasses are unavailable. This pattern of selective grazing can lead to grassland degradation as the favored species are grazed short and the lesser species remain ungrazed.

Over time and without frequent rest periods grasslands will decline in condition even if they are properly stocked. Giving the better grasses a chance to recover and regrow following grazing is the primary reason carefully monitored, rotational grazing is needed.

Photo by Rita Frey

PRESCRIBED BURNING The merits of prescribed burning have been well-recognized for many years, and the acceptance of fire is increasing. One of the important secondary benefits of grass is to serve as fuel for prescribed burns; without an adequate grass cover, successful burning is not possible. Anyone who has tried to burn a pasture with inadequate grass knows how futile, frustrating and ineffective it is.

When burning is done wisely, it can be one of the more useful and cost-effective tools, and it is totally dependent on having a good grass cover. Ranches that employ prescribed burning have a systematic approach whereby one or more pastures remain ungrazed, often for a year or two to grow an adequate amount of grass for fuel.

All practices come with a degree of risk, and it is important to understand the risks of prescribed burning and not to view it as

a panacea. Like any other practice it has potential benefits and rewards as well as costs and risks.

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Photo by Steve Nelle

GRASS

Photo by Steve Nelle

Robust riparian grasses hold creek bottom areas together during flood events and provide grazing and habitat.

Even arid regions like the Trans Pecos can support healthy grasslands with proper management.

MANAGING GRASS Progressive ranchers understand that they are really grass farmers and that livestock is the way that the grass is harvested and put to good use. Those who live by that ideal understand how grass grows, and they take pains to keep pastures healthy.

They know that grass production constantly fluctuates and that livestock numbers must be periodically adjusted to avoid overgrazing. Keeping the grass ahead of the cattle is a key priority, and overgrazing is a cardinal sin.

The old rule of thumb for proper grazing used to be “take half / leave half,” but this has proven to be misleading, and a strict following of this will usually result in overgrazing. The new concept, advocated by nearly all range management specialists is to allocate about 25 percent of the total forage supply for livestock consumption.

This 25 percent is called the harvest efficiency, and it recognizes that there is a large amount of grass that disappears or is unaccounted for. Much grass is consumed by insects, rodents and rabbits, or it is trampled and wasted making it unavailable as livestock forage. By grazing only about one quarter of the total grass, the manager can be assured that plenty will be left ungrazed for grass health, soil health, habitat and other purposes.

GRASSLAND REHABILITATION Rangeland that has been badly damaged by extreme drought, harsh wildfire, prolonged overgrazing or a combination of these needs rehabilitation.

One of nature's marvels is damaged land's self-healing tendency.

Within each region there are pioneer grasses whose primary function is

SOME CHARACTERISTIC NATIVE GRASSES OF EACH REGION

South Texas

Pink pappusgrass Plains bristlegrass

Trichloris Slender grama Tanglehead Arizona cottontop

Trans Pecos

Panhandle

Black grama Blue grama Blue grama Buffalograss Bush muhly Hooded windmillgrass Bull muhly Western wheatgrass Burrograss Sand dropseed Cane bluestem Sand lovegrass

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East Texas Broomsedge bluestem Splitbeard bluestem Narrowleaf woodoats Brownseed paspalum Giant cane Wildrye

Central Texas

Gulf Coast

Sideoats grama Gulf cordgrass Little bluestem Longtom Texas wintergrass Gulf muhly Curlymesquite Indiangrass Silver bluestem Big bluestem Meadow dropseed Smutgrass

GRASS

Photo by Steve Nelle

to be overly expensive, but it can be depending on the mix of species chosen.

establishing and growing on bare ground and depleted soils. These are not the prime grasses for forage or habitat, but they can grow where other grasses cannot. As these colonizing grasses grow and increase, they gradually improve soil conditions so that other higher value grasses can begin to grow.

Severely damaged ranges have to go through a natural process called succession to eventually grow better and better grasses. It takes time and skillful management. Often, brush control is first needed to help shift the balance toward grass.

Landowners can accelerate this rehabilitation process by re-seeding with native species, which has proven to be a good way to restore degraded ranges in many places. Re-seeding does not have

HOLISTIC STEWARDSHIP When considering the value and management of grass, we do well to put on wide angle viewing glasses and see it from many complementary angles. If we just see nest cover, or forage or fuel for a burn, we are guilty of tunnel vision and will end up with an unbalanced view and unbalanced management.

Astute ranchers understands that they are managing not only forage for livestock but also wildlife habitat, soil health, water quality, the water cycle, carbon cycle, biodiversity and economic sustainability.

The only way that all of these things can be properly managed is when the land is viewed holistically through the lens of stewardship. Holistic stewardship realizes the many varied aspects of land management and endeavors to balance the ecological, economic and social values that are a part of owning and managing land.

PIONEER GRASSES FOR NATURAL REHABILITATION Hall's panicum Reverchon bristlegrass Broomsedge bluestem Poverty dropseed Texas wintergrass Sandbur Showy chloris Crabgrass Red lovegrass Tumblegrass Tumble lovegrass Little barley Green sprangletop Common witchgrass Carolina canarygrass

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IDENTIFYING PLANTS The Key to Land's Past, Present and Future Article by LORIE A. WOODWARD Photo by STEVE NELLE

T

he plants that exist on a ranch tell the story of the land's past, define its present and portend its future.

“The existing plant community is a visual history of the land and its uses over time,” said Forrest S. Smith, Dan L Duncan Endowed Director of Texas Native Seeds Program at the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute in Kingsville. "On any given day, the plants will tell landowners what successional stage the land is in vegetation-wise."

He continued, "And because the land and the plants, in any given region, respond in a predictable manner to different weather and management techniques, the existing plant community can indicate what the land likely will look like under different management and weather scenarios."

For many people, the allure of working with animals distracts them from the less glamorous but essential pursuit of knowing their dominant plants.

“I run into people all the time, who have a case of 'deer blindness' or 'stock blindness' when it comes to their land,” Smith said. “They only see the animals on the land but don't think it's necessary to pay much attention to the plants."

Disregarding the vegetation can hamstring management efforts.

“Anybody in the business world, whether they're grocers, auto dealers or ranchers, needs to know their inventory,” said Dr. Fred Bryant, Director of Development of the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute who served also as its Executive Director from 1996-2016. “As a rancher or wildlife manager, the plants on the land are a crucial part of the business inventory.”

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In the case of a ranch, the existing vegetation is nature's buffet for the animals, whether they're livestock, game or both.

Vegetation also provides other essentials such as shelter, nesting or fawning cover, erosion control and more.

“The abundance and quality of plants dictates the abundance and quality of animals,” Bryant said. "If someone doesn't know what's in the inventory it's hard to manage for success."

The quality and vigor of the vegetation also indicates the health of the range and the underlying soil.

“The plant community can be a manager's eyes into the soil,” said Russell Stevens, a wildlife and range consultant with the Noble Research Institute (NRI) in Ardmore, Oklahoma.

“What exists above the ground is directly tied to the health and productivity of the soil.”

MOVING ON While vegetation does not physically move from place to place like roaming animals, the plant community is in a constant state of change.

“The plant community is not static; it's constantly moving in a direction, either forward or backward,” said Bryant. “The direction it's moving tells a person how to manage.”

The cumulative, non-seasonal change in the types of plant species that occupy a given area through time is known as succession. Over time, different plants are colonizing, establishing and disappearing in response to different conditions. Most successions contain a number of stages that can be recognized by the collection of species that dominate the landscape at any given point.

IDENTIFYING PLANTS

These changing stages or trends in the plant community serve as signals for the observant manager. Fluctuations in vegetation can herald necessary management changes such as increasing or decreasing stocking rates or harvesting more or fewer deer.

Trends can also indicate that it is time for an extended rest or that it is time to reintroduce grazing.

“One thing to keep an eye out for is a change in abundance— either an increase or a decrease—of certain plants,” Stevens said.

As one region-specific example, livestock managers in southern Oklahoma and northeastern Texas where the NRI personnel focus their efforts, should pay attention to the increasing prevalence of silver bluestem and purpletop, lower succession grasses.

“In our neck of the woods, when managers see them coming into a pasture that was previously full of higher quality grasses such as big bluestem and switchgrass, it's an indication that there's been a streak of dry weather, that the land management practices have not been successful or both,” Stevens said.

It's important to note, though, that a plant's signal may change with its location, Smith said. In the plant communities endemic to West and South Texas, silver bluestem is an important late serial dominant. In East Texas, purpletop is more highly valued than it is in North Central Texas.

The appearance of new plants, desirable or undesirable, can also trigger a management change. For instance, in South Texas, managers who are interested in maintaining optimum wildlife habitat, should keep an eye out for encroachment by introduced grasses such as buffelgrass and Old World bluestems that can quickly establish and take over native range.

“One season, there may just be a little bit of invasive, introduced grass that's spread from the ditch, and by the next season it may be a well-established stand that is much more difficult to control,” Smith said.

When it comes to invasive grasses, it's important to understand their natural history and lifecycle, Smith said. In some cases, they are actually spread by a disturbance like plowing or burning. Without proper knowledge, managers can actually intensify an infestation by trying to control it. Differentiating these grasses from native grasses can be an important skill for a manager.

On the other end of the spectrum, sometimes a confluence of conditions creates a flush of a desirable plant, such as a legume that had been previously unseen on the land. In that case, managers might want to tweak their strategies so the plant is encouraged to re-establish, Stevens said.

“Most land management above the surface is typically about manipulating plant communities…having more of this and less of that,” Smith said.

Ultimately, the manipulation is driven by the manager's goals for the property.

“Every plant contributes something to the landscape, even if it's just helping control erosion or creating a microclimate in the soil that ushers in the next successional stage,” Bryant said. “A plant's relative value to individual managers depends on their management goals and objectives.”

Croton offers a good example. For managers who are interested solely in livestock, the emergence of croton, which has low palatability for cattle, is not a harbinger of good things.

For people who are creating habitat for game birds, croton,

BREAKING NEW GROUND A Photographic Guide to Vegetation of the South Texas Sand Sheet A Photographic Guide to the Vegetation of the South Texas Sand Sheet, published by Texas A&M University Press, exists because Dexter Peacock struggled to identify the plants on his Hebbronville ranch.

“While other field guides are available, they are written with botanists and other scientists in mind—and none of them are focused to the Sand Sheet region,” said Peacock, noting most guides are built around taxonomic keys, scientific names and dedicated to a single group of plants such as grasses.

“As a rancher and a hunter, I wanted to learn more about plants so I could improve the habitat on my land, but the lack of accessible information was frustrating,” Peacock said.

At the time Peacock began trying to identify plants, he amassed a collection

of 14 or so books about the plants in South Texas or adjacent areas, but none were an all-encompassing plant guide useful in the Sand Sheet specifically.

The existing plant identification resources took a decidedly scientific bent in content and organization.

Peacock is a retired Houston attorney, rancher and avid photographer.

“I thought that identifying my plants would be like researching a legal problem,” Peacock said. “I assumed I could just keep searching until I found the answer.”

When the answers weren't forthcoming, Peacock decided to solve the problem himself. He enlisted the expert assistance of Forrest Smith from CKWRI. (Continued on page 46)

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IDENTIFYING PLANTS

which produces highly palatable and nutritious seed, is a desirable addition to the landscape. In fact, some people create the disturbances necessary to encourage its growth.

PUTTING A NAME TO IT Of course to identify the vegetation trends and how they fit into their overall management goals, managers must be able to identify key plants.

“Putting a name on a plant unlocks the gate to the other pertinent information such as its values and its lifecycle,” Smith said.

Because many people view plant identification as an all or nothing proposition, they are often intimidated by the prospect of learning the plants on their land.

“Land managers don't need to know every plant on their property—and it's not a reasonable expectation that they will,” said Smith, noting he encounters new, unknown plants every time he sets foot on the land.

In Smith's estimation, land managers, in any given region of the state should

strive to learn the most important indicator plants in their specific location.

These indicator plants provide clear insight into what is going on within the ecosystem, and anyone who can recognize them will have a functional working knowledge that will move them further, he said. In general, these include the most palatable and unpalatable grasses, key forbs and legumes for target species, and invasive species such as non-native grasses, undesirable brush or problematic weedy forbs.

Stevens simplifies the process even more. As a starting point, he suggests that land managers familiarize themselves with 10-15 of the most dominant grasses, forbs, woody shrubs and trees on their land.

“In my experience, you don't have to read the whole 'library' of available plants to understand the land's story,” Stevens said.

For people who want to familiarize themselves with plants that could be common in their area, Stevens suggested starting by looking up their specific ecological site on the NRCS website.

The ecological site description includes,

“We set out to create a user-friendly field guide that was equally at home in a graduate student’s backpack, on a rancher’s dashboard, or on the seat of a quail rig,” Peacock said.

They succeeded—and Texas A&M University-Kingsville sponsored the guide’s publication through the Perspectives on South Texas Series.

“We collected the majority of the region’s common plants in one book—and arranged them in a way that should make sense to people on the street,” Smith said. “To that end, we grouped like things together such as grasses with similar appearance and flowering plants with the same color blooms.”

In the guide’s 231 pages, readers will find information on more than 200 common plants organized by type: grasses (including native and invasive grasses), forbs and wildflowers (subdivided by color), shrubs (subdivided by presence or absence of thorns), trees, cacti and vines.

Knowing that a clear picture is worth a thousand scientific explanations, the duo used photographs of the various plants as the primary means of identification. The guide contains 365 color photos taken by Peacock and Smith.

“In many cases, we have several photographs of a plant showing how it might look from a distance, up close, and at different stages of its life cycle during different times of the year,” Smith said. “Using the photos, it’s possible to accurately identify a plant within minutes.”

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among other things, the plants that likely occur at various ecological stages.

“This gives beginners an idea of what they might encounter, so it's a starting point to hang their research on,” Stevens said.

Identifying plants, at least for the most common species, has gotten easier thanks to technology. Smartphone apps such as iNaturalist and PictureThis provide fairly accurate identification for relatively abundant plants.

“Many of these apps use artificial intelligence, so the more entries and expert feedback a plant has gotten, the more reliable the identification is,” Smith said. “The apps work pretty well for common plants or for areas with accessible natural areas so that a large number of observations have been made, such as near large urban areas. But they're not going to help you much if you get off the beaten path.”

With or without the apps, a smartphone with a camera can be a definite asset for fledgling (or experienced) plant enthusiasts. All three range professionals suggested taking photos of an unknown

The guide provides the scientific and common name of each plant, as well as regional names including those in Spanish.

For instance, sand verbena, a well-known wildflower that grows near Falfurrias, is known locally as heart’s delight, and spiny hackberry is known locally as granjeno.

The user-friendly guide sold out within 90 days of its first printing in November 2019. (Currently, it is intermittently available on Amazon.com.) A second printing is expected to be available in April 2021.

The enthusiastic reception validates the usefulness of the groundbreaking guide's intuitive organization.

“A resource guide is only valuable if people can and do use it,” Smith said.

Using the Sand Sheet guide as a prototype, a group that includes Peacock and the Wildlife Habitat Federation in Cat Spring along with many others, is working on a guide for the Upper Texas Coast. Discussions are underway for a Piney Woods regional guide.

“The vegetation dictates whether you can profitably ranch, what wildlife you’ll find and what condition they will be in— and from an asset point of view, the plants directly impact the economic value of the land,” Smith said. “Successful management of all these resources begins with knowing the plants. If we want more people to learn about plants, then we need to make more user-friendly resources available.”

IDENTIFYING PLANTS

the gold standard of information, they, especially those based on taxonomic keys, can be frustrating for non-botanists. And depending on the ecoregion, it may take a host of resources to provide an accurate picture of what is there.

For most people, it is helpful to seek out books that contain photos. Be aware that many books feature plants in only one season of the year, so it may be hard to accurately identify a plant if it's in a different stage of growth.

“Books are great resources, but they have their limits for most people because of how they tend to be organized,” Smith said.

One of the most effective ways to learn about the local plant community is to walk alongside someone who knows plants.

“It doesn't matter whether it's your local agency professional or a knowledgeable neighbor, getting on your land and talking with someone about the plants you're seeing is a valuable investment of time,” Bryant said.

While vegetation may not have the charisma of animals initially, plants often become addictive to those managers who take the challenge of unlocking their potential.

“Once you really get into identifying plants, it's easy to get hung up and not know when to quit,” Stevens said. “As you learn more, it becomes a fun, challenge to drill down on the real 'nasties'—the odd, unique plants that just show up out of nowhere and disappear in a flash. As a manager, the more you know, the more effective you become.”

Editor’s Note on plant identification for the deer manager: In the October 2020 issue of Texas Wildlife, Steve Nelle’s article “Deer Habitat with Class” discusses the common food plants preferred by deer.

Sidebars within that article list most desired to least desired in each Texas region, and some of the plant species photos are included for identification purposes as well. You can access that article online at https://issuu. com/texaswildlifeassociation/docs/202010-october_proof4_final/s/11073001.

Photo by Al Amanza

plant, including close up pics of its leaves, flowers, seed head and any other defining characteristics. These photos can then be shared with professionals at a host of agencies including Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, USDA NRCS, universities and NGOs such as NRI. “It's what we're here for,” Smith said.

In the digital era, photos have replaced traditional plant collections for most people. These days, it's possible to carry a personal plant collection in a shirt pocket.

Most herbariums have digitized their collections, which makes rare and unique plants widely available on the Internet.

According to Smith, one of the best is the Billie Turner Plant Resources Center at The University of Texas-Austin. While the herbarium is housed in the UT Tower, scans of plant mounts in the collection can be viewed for free online. The scientific name of the plant in question has to be known, but the collection can also be browsed by county.

Books are the traditional go-to resource. While they are considered

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Exclusive hunts like this are some of the many exciting items you’ll find at this year’s WildLife 2021. TWA’s Annual Convention will be held July 15-18 at the beautiful JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort and Spa. A portion of the auction will be held online again this year.

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HOW TO REGISTER • MAIL-IN REGISTRATION FORM Fill out the Registration Form at www.wildlife2021.com and return with payment to TWA at 6644 FM 1102, New Braunfels, TX 78132 • FAX REGISTRATION FORM Complete your Registration Form and fax to (210) 826-4933 • PHONE REGISTRATION Register and pay by phone at (800) 839-9453 • ON-LINE REGISTRATION Register on-line at www.wildlife2021.com • FOR HOTEL RESERVATIONS

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TEXAS WILDLIFE

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APRIL 2021

TEXAS WILDLIFE

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Visit the TWA website for the latest news, statewide and local leadership contacts, calendar of events, Texas Wildlife magazine, membership – join, renew or upgrade – Conservation Legacy, Texas Youth Hunting Program, Texas Big Game Awards and much more.

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53

TEXAS WILDLIFE

OUTDOOR TRADITIONS

Searching for Sheds Article and photo by SALLIE LEWIS

L

ate last February, I moved to my family’s ranch on the outskirts of Fredericksburg for a yearlong sabbatical.

As the months passed and the seasons changed, I immersed myself in the outdoors, ready to learn in Mother Nature’s classroom. Having just read the bestselling novel Where the Crawdads Sing, I felt a kindredness to author Delia Owen’s unforgettable protagonist Kya Clark as I foraged the countryside on my daily walks.

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Every day, I returned home with pockets full of treasure: sharpened flint and woven nests, fallen feathers and dried tortoise shells, each pattern as unique as a fingerprint. I began to sense a deep-seeded curiosity bloom within me as I pondered the natural world and the life that lived around me.

Come spring, one of the ultimate foraging traditions is searching for sheds. Every winter, when deer lose their antlers, they lay the groundwork for this time-honored scavenger hunt.

No matter your age, I believe there is something mystic about walking soft-footed through the quiet woods, newly green after a long winter, and finding a fallen tine polished by the elements.

For me, it is a sensation akin to passing a lightning whelk on the beaches of Port Aransas or seeing the delicate disc of a sand dollar brought forth by the evening’s tides. Large or small, finding a shed feels like a stroke of luck, a gift—a communion with the wild.

On a brisk morning last March, I laced up my shoes, zipped up my jacket and set out on foot to comb the countryside for abandoned antlers. I passed through thick brush and tangled twigs, walking beneath canopies of live oaks and clusters of cedar trees, always conscious of the pervasive prickly pear cactus.

Occasionally, I’d encounter a clearing aglow in sunlight, and I felt my mind still and my spirit stir as I took in the peaceful setting.

It isn’t often that I stumble on a shed, yet in those moments of convergence, I feel like a child again. Last March, as in years past, I heard my breath catch and my heart race as my eyes met the bone-white points of an antler rising from the grass, ready to be retrieved and appreciated anew.

As with many things in life, I have come to appreciate the pursuit of foraging as much as the discovery itself. Trekking through fragrant forests and quiet meadows can be as restorative and invigorating as crossing paths with treasure. It’s the alertness and anticipation that keeps me coming back. By learning to pay attention and stoking my curiosity, I’m nurturing a lifelong relationship with the outdoors.

Today, as I look back at my time in the Texas Hill Country, I can count the many ways that living here has shaped me. As it turns out, collecting sheds has also shaped the entry to our home. Over the years, we’ve fashioned the archway above a small gate with fallen antlers scavenged on the property. This collection is a constant reminder of the wonder and the wildlife that surrounds us, the hopeful renewal of spring and the timeless traditions we carry forth.

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