The Sierra Club visits many places in Sam Houston National Forest (SHNF) to view how actions by the U.S. Forest Service (FS) accomplish ecosystem management.  Ecosystem management is the use of natural ecosystems, mimicked by the FS, to produce wood, recreation, wilderness, water and soil protection, and other goals and values found in the 1996 Land and Resource Management Plan for the National Forests and Grasslands in Texas.

Recently, the Sierra Club visited three blackland prairies that are found in northwest SHNF.  These prairies are in Compartment 1, Stand 7, “Muddy Prairie”, Compartment 2, Stand 2, “Bluebell Prairie”, and Compartment 4, Stand 7, “Welch Prairie”.

These prairie names came from a letter that the Sierra Club submitted to the FS in 2015 when it suggested to the SHNF District Ranger that naming prairies would provide interest and a more personal feeling from the public about these unique ecosystems.

The first prairie visited was “Welch Prairie”, named for the road which goes by this prairie.  There were many wildflowers blooming but the number seemed down from previous visits.

This has been an odd weather year with constant warming and cooling of temperatures.  Summer appeared in May when it usually does so in June.  June has consisted of days, other than rainy days, of 90 plus weather. Climate change has altered what to expect in SHNF.  Overall, the three prairies that were visited hadn’t grown as much as had been seen in the past for this time of year. 

Some of the wonderful prairie plants seen blooming on this prairie included Rattlesnake Master, Yellow Powder Puff, Patridge Pea, Knot-root Bristle Grass, Silver Bluestem, Purple Prairie Clover, Prairie Bluet, Texas Verbena, Illinois Bundleflower, Black-eyed Susan, Lemon Mint, Wine Cup, White Heliotrope, Skullcap, Bluebell, Wild Petunia, Dayflower, Frog Fruit, Bluebell, Purple Cone-flower, Whorled Milkweed, and Horse Nettle. 

Some prairie plants that weren’t blooming or had already bloomed included Little Bluestem, liatris species (blazing star or gayfeather), Green Milkweed, Gulf Muhly, Snow-on-the-prairie, and Southern Dewberry.

The Sierra Club also saw in the forest that surrounds this prairie Post Oak, White Ash, Water Oak, Yaupon Holly, Deciduous Holly, Rusty Blackhaw, greenbrier species, Cedar Elm, Eastern Red Cedar, Honey Locust, Dwarf Palmetto, sedge species, red oak species, grape vine species, Pepper Vine, Common Persimmon, Florida Paspalum, Gum Bumelia, and Loblolly Pine.

Some grasshoppers, moths, and butterflies (sulfur and fritillary) flew or hopped as the prairie was traversed. 

When driving from “Welch Prairie” to “Muddy Prairie” the Sierra Club saw a baby armadillo and four White-tailed Deer on the backroad that was driven drove on.  You never know what you’ll see in SHNF.

The next prairie is called “Muddy Prairie” because of the muddy FS road that leads to this prairie.  This is a smaller prairie and the Sierra Club in the 2010s spent 3 years, with FS permission, cutting down brush and small trees. 

Now this and the other two prairies visited are prescribed burned by the FS on a regular basis.  The three prairies that the Sierra Club visited look much better because the woody plants are suppressed by the prescribed burning while the prairie grasses and wildflowers grow better.

Some of the additional or unique prairie plants that the Sierra Club saw in or near this prairie included Skullcap, Inland Sea Oats, Black Canadian Snakeroot, Meadow Pink, Pencil Flower, Missouri Ironweed, Lemon Mint, Winged Elm, Poison Ivy, Osage Orange, and One-seed Croton. 

Other plants that weren’t blooming or had already bloomed included False Indigo, Purpose Passion Vine, Iva species, Bushy Bluestem, and Coral Berry.

Northern Cardinals were seen throughout the visit to this and other prairies.  They like areas where there is a range of habitats that intersect (ecotones) including prairies, shrubs, and tall trees.

Non-native invasive plant species seen included Chinese Tallow, European/Chinese Privet, non-native verbena, and Japanese Honeysuckle.

The FS road (FS 209 D) that winds through “Muddy Prairie” is in very poor condition.  It’s muddy, rutted, compacted, and eroded.

This road should be gated to stop illegal motorized use.  It appears that either the FS or illegal off-road vehicles have created a new entrance to this road.  The old entrance is slowly becoming vegetated and should be obliterated so that further soil and water quality degradation doesn’t occur.  

As the Sierra Club drove to the next prairie, “Bluebell Prairie”, a Red-headed Woodpecker flew in front of the car and landed on a nearby tree that it circled.  The bird then went to another tree and flew away.  These are gorgeous birds with bright red heads and wings that are half-white. The Sierra Club rarely sees these birds when we visit SHNF.

The last prairie, “Bluebell Prairie”, is the largest prairie of the three visited, is horseshoe shaped, and has an ephemeral stream with riparian vegetation that runs through the middle.  On the way to visit this prairie the Sierra Club saw a White-tailed Deer on the road.

Some of the notable vegetation seen included Meadow Beauty, Bitterweed, American Basket-flower, Lance-leaf Indian Plantain, Hackberry, Pigeon Pea, Skullcap, Frost Weed, Bluebell, various pea plants, dodder, Purple Coneflower, Hairy Sunflower, Ratany, Marble-seed, Texas Thistle, Blue Sage, Rosin Weed, Rose Palafoxia, and Louisiana Yucca.

A Morning Dove flushed from the prairie peripheral while walking this prairie.  Some dragonflies were seen cruising through the prairie looking for a meal. 

Unfortunately, KR Bluestem has invaded the north and northeast sides of this prairie.  This non-native grass is very aggressive and should be removed.  It may have been introduced by mechanical equipment that constructed fire lanes.

In addition, a bulldozer scraped a fire lane through a riparian area on the north and east side of “Bluebell Prairie” where ephemeral and headwater streams are closely located.  This shouldn’t have occurred.

Altogether, visiting these three prairies was not only informative and interesting but provided a beautiful landscape to walk through and to think about the importance and magnificence of our public lands.