1. What is an ecoregion?
A relatively large unit of land or water that is characterized by a distinctive climate, ecological features and plant and animal communities (Source: National Geographic’s Strange Days on Planet Earth

2. Regions of Texas 1 – High and Rolling Plains
2 – Oak Woods and Prairies and Blackland Prairies
3 – Pineywoods
4 – Gulf Coast Prairies and Marshes and Coastal Sand Plains
5 - South Texas Brush Country
6 –Edward’s Plateau and Llano Uplift
7 – Trans Pecos

3. High and Rolling Plains
Mostly flat and grassy
Mostly treeless
On a high, flat plateau
The eastern portion is not as flat and is brushy
Western and Eastern portions is divided by deep canyons carved by rivers
Average regional rainfall inches a year

4. Wildlife Roadrunner Swift fox Badger Great horned owl Burrowing owl
Pronghorn Antelope
Plains hognose snake
Prairie dog
Western diamondback rattlesnake
Swainson’s hawk
Black footed ferret *
Pal Duro mouse *
Texas kangaroo rat *
Concho water snake *

5. Oak Woods & Prairies and Blackland Prairies
Transition between plains of the West Texas Panhandle and the Pineywoods of East Texas
Patches of woodland running in a north/south direction sprinkled throughout a grassland prairie
Gently rolling to hilly
Rich, fertile and black soil
Average regional rainfall – inches per year

6. Wildlife Plains pocket gopher Raccoon Hispid cotton rat
Green winged teal
Red shouldered hawk
White-tailed deer
Texas horned lizard
Ornate box turtle
Brazilian free-tailed bat
Nine banded armadillo
Houston toad *
Texas kangaroo rat *

7. Pineywoods Primarily thick pine forest
Larger forest extents into Louisiana, Arkansas, and Oklahoma
Rolling terrain with wet bottomlands
Swamps are common especially in the “Big Thicket”
Average regional rainfall inches per year

8. Wildlife Southern short-tailed shrew Rafinesque’s big-eared bat
Common gray fox
Bobcat
Eastern flying squirrel
Eastern cottontail
Bull frog
River otter
Red-cockaded woodpecker *
Bald Eagle (breeding) *

9. Gulf Coast Prairies and Marshes and Coastal Sand Plains
Barrier islands
Estuaries (salt and fresh water meet)
Bays
Prairies and grasslands as you travel west
Houston is a part of this ecoreigon
Average regional rainfall inches per year

10. Wildlife Muskrat River otter Alligator Bull frog Terns Coyote Mink
Bottlenose dolphin
Gulls
Attwater’s prairie chicken *
Eastern brown pelican *
Whooping crane *
Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle *

11. Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle

12. South Texas Brush Country
Runs from edges of the Hill Country into the subtropical regions of the Lower Rio Grande Valley
Mostly dry and covered with grasses and thorny brush such as mesquite and prickly pear cacti
Average regional rainfall inches per year

13. Wildlife Ferruginous pygmy owl Elf owl Indigo snake
Mexican burrowing toad
Texas tortoise
Ocelot *

14. Edward’s Plateau and Llano Uplift
High flat land (plateau) eroded into hilly terrain
Many springs and steep canyons
Underground lakes in the Edward’s Aquifer area
Caves
Average regional rainfall inches per year

15. Wildlife Rio Grande turkey Javelina Tarantula Grebes
Brazilian free-tail bat
Salamander
Gulf Coast toads
Blue heron
Golden-cheeked warbler *

16. Trans Pecos Region of extremes Home of Big Bend
Hot dry desert that is cool at night
Mountains – occasionally snows in winter
Forests grow on slopes
Rio Grande River runs through forming a border between Texas and Mexico
Average regional rainfall 8-20 inches per year

17. Wildlife Pronghorn antelope Hooded skunk Cactus mouse
Western diamondback rattlesnake
Desert bighorn sheep
Mountain lion
Collared lizard
Black bear *
Mexican spotted owl *