Things to do / Travel Guide
Trees and Plants
Aside from the swamps near Houston on the eastern side of the region, where dogwood and pines rule the landscape, southeast Texas has plenty of cacti and other succulent plants. The prickly pear cactus is the most famous. You might see ranchers with flamethrowers trying to burn the spines off so they can be eaten by wandering cows looking for snacks.
Beans that grow on the abundant mesquite trees are also eaten by cattle. These trees were once considered the scourge of ranchers, since they grew everywhere like weeds and sucked moisture from the soil valuable to the grass. Then, one day, someone discovered that the wood was ideal for grilling meat and left a unique smoky flavor. Today, everyone uses mesquite wood to grill in Texas, and Texas exports the once worthless wood to places as far away as France for gourmet steaks.
Gonzales County, between Houston and San Antonio, is a unique natural growing environment that produces plants not found anywhere else in the state, including palmettos, orchids, and many other semi-tropical plants. In the rest of southeast Texas, and particularly in the Hill Country, white elm, magnolia, and post oak are indigenous and flourish.
Wildflowers
Texas is also known for its wildflowers, particularly the state flower, the Bluebonnet. Wildflowers are most common from March-May, but some grow again in winter if the winter is mild enough. Some of the most common are:
- Buttercups, also known as showy primrose. These pink flowers are really delicate and grow almost everywhere.
- Red corn poppy, which grow in spring in the Hill Country area and are now being spread throughout the state by the Highway Department due to their popularity. The flower has an intense, deep red color, and looks somewhat like a miniature rose.
- The Indian paintbrush, or Texas paintbrush, a red flower that always seems to grow alongside the bluebonnet and is second only to the bluebonnet in popularity.
- The Black-eyed Susan, a yellow flower that is extremely common. For some reason, it always seems to grow in high school football fields.
- The Texas bluebonnet, the state flower. Texans are awfully proud of their pretty blue wildflowers, and every gift store in Texas sells seeds.
Animals
The absolute rarest animal in the region is the red wolf, and it only lives in a small swampy area in the Houston/Beaumont area. This isn't good for the red wolf, because Houston/Beaumont is the most inhabited area in the state and continues to expand quickly.
Southeast Texas is also famous for the white-tailed deer, whose numbers exceed 3 million. This is the largest population of white tail deer in the world. The nine-banded armadillo is originally from the Texas/Mexico border region, but the creature has spread all the way to the Mississippi River and Oklahoma. It's an odd creature that always bears its young in identical quadruplets. The coyote, bobcat, and mountain lion are also common in the region.
Texas has 825 different species of birds, and they become even more plentiful as you travel south along the coast. You will find unparalleled bird watching opportunities at the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge in Aransas Pass, home to tropical birds like flamingos, heron, and the endangered whooping crane. For all its birds, by the way, the city of Corpus Christi has gained the moniker, “Birdiest City in the U.S.”
Southeast Texas has many reptiles and arachnids as well. It is home to at least 100 species of snakes, 16 of which are poisonous, such as copperheads, water-moccasins, and rattlesnakes. You can also find horned toads, vinegarroons, scorpions - and tarantulas, which, despite their appearance and reputation, are pretty harmless.
A word about Matagorda Island State Park with regard to its wildlife. The park is located in quiet Bay City, along the coast, one-third the distance from Houston to Corpus Christi. It encompasses over 55,000 acres of offshore barrier islands and bayside marshes. Matagora Island itself is completely undeveloped, other than an old lighthouse built in 1852. This means the island has no facilities or drinking water, but also that your exposure to local wildlife is unparalleled. Matagora Island maintains an office in Bay City for visitors needing information.
Nature Spots in Houston, Austin, San Antonio, Padre Island and Southeastern Texas
Nature-Wildlife
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