The Story of the Land
The Story of the Land
Planting natives is important to our ecosystem. But we don’t often stop to think about how our soils formed, and how that plays into the environment we currently live in. Denton County has a rich geological and ecological history that’s worth examining – especially when we attempt to consider why we plant natives.
Prairie Present
Our region is characterized by an intersection of two ecological zones: the Eastern Cross Timbers and the Blackland Prairie. The Cross Timbers, which run from southern Kansas to North Central Texas, are mostly prairie with timber thickets interspersed. The Blackland Prairie is a rich grassland which contains fertile soils that run about 300 miles from the Red River in North Texas to San Antonio in the south.
Because the prairie land is fertile, it was often used for agriculture, especially among early colonists in the 1800s. Monocropping and the disappearance of native species due to overworking the soil resulted in the loss of grasslands, namely tallgrass prairies. Today, developers see prairies as a viable site for new homes and business complexes. This is why Texas prairies are threatened with 99 % of prairie land lost overall.
Prairies are the basis of energy transfer among species in an ecosystem. A native prairie contains the most producers of any ecosystem, feeding birds, which feed larger birds, and feeding mammals which feed larger mammals. Tall grasslands are also host to numerous insects, arachnids, and micro-organisms that keep our soil rich and healthy.
Clymer Prairie
Credit link: Wilafa, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
A Prairie Past
It was during the Paleozoic era – 541 to 252 million years ago – that North Texas was under a large ocean, along with the Llano uplift and portions of West Texas. Scour a prairie, and you’re bound to find seashells of some kind. That’s because our prairie used to be the ocean floor. Via ocean currents, various sediments were deposited in our region, which encompass the Paleozoic rocks that make up our soil today.
A more recent event related to the formation of our soils is based in the Mesozoic era, when dinosaurs roamed the earth, 252 to 65 million years ago. At this time, the seas were shallower and limestone deposits shaped many notable contemporary natural features in North Texas. These upper Cretaceous rocks formed the Austin Chalk that characterizes much of the current Central and North Texas geology.
Limestone soils, and sedimentary black clay are often what we work with here in Denton County. We find ourselves struggling to amend the soil that exists or giving up to build soil on top of the earth.
Recent trends in gardening with plants that aren’t native to the area have caused some problems for us. So do encroaching woodlands, which would naturally be controlled by prescribed burns predicated by indigenous peoples. Kickapooi, Tawakoni, and Wichita peoples knew and fostered this land we love so much. The stigma against prescribed burns and a focus on non-natives create a combination that results in a loss of native species, as well as warped microclimates that make growing difficult.
Annually, Denton County residents deal with moderate drought cycles and extreme temperatures.These extremes may have a cyclical nature, but they are no doubt influenced by monocultures in lawns and on farms.
Wildscapers backyard project in The Colony, TX
Why Natives?
Native plants are suited to the natural climate, ecology, and geology of the land. They don’t need as much water. When many of us are subject to watering schedules due to drought, it makes sense to incorporate hardy and drought-tolerant plants in our landscapes.
Native plants improve soil quality, because they don’t require as many amendments upon planting or caring for them. Their foliage fertilizes the earth as it falls, and supports native species that rely on their vegetation and nectar as a food source or habitat. Native plants can survive climate shifts, such as extreme cold or heat as well.
Native plants don’t need much else after planting, whereas a monocropped lawn does. Plant sod in your lawn that is non-native and you’ll find there is an intensive process of watering, treating the lawn, and mowing. There are plenty of native ground cover plants that really only need water to get established and not much else. By incorporating them in your landscape, you not only benefit the earth, but you also save yourself a lot of time, money, and energy.
Wildscapers is part of the mission to restore our native habitats. If you are wondering where to start, reach out to us for a consultation. We want to collaborate with you, and with the land to make something that will not only enrich our lives through conservation but also dazzle our eyes in the process.
Research:
https://www.nhnct.org/geology/geo1.html
East Texas Ecoregions
Written by Sarah Jay
https://www.sarahjaywriting.com/
https://www.patreon.com/plantpeoplepodcast