Eastern Wild Turkey ( Meleagris gallopavo) and Northern Bobwhite ( Colinus virginiana) favor the dense, rich herbaceous layer beneath the longleafs, where bunch grasses provide ideal cover and high species diversity of grasses and forbs results in a bounty of insects. Red-cockaded Woodpecker ( Picoides borealis) and Louisiana Pine Snake are in such peril that they have been afforded protection under the Endangered Species Act. In fact, some species are so closely tied to this community that they are unable to adapt in its absence. These savannahs also harbor a unique, and declining fauna. Scarlet Catchfly blooming in a Longleaf Pine Savannah The range-restricted scarlet catchfly ( Silene subciliata) is endemic to the Pineywoods of eastern Texas and western Louisiana. A number of species that are rare and declining in East Texas occur here as well, including leadplant ( Amorpha canescens) and incised groovebar. Forbs typical of this community include goat’s rue ( Tephrosia virginiana and Tephrosia onobrynchoides), Carolina false vervain ( Verbena carnea), Pickering’s dawnflower ( Stylisma pickeringii), Carolina Larkspur ( Delphinium caroliniana), Sanguine’s purple coneflower (Echinacea sanguinea), soft green eyes ( Berlandiera pumila), racemed milkwort ( Polygala polygama), propeller flower ( Alophia drummondii), butterfly weed ( Asclepias tuberosa), clasping milkweed ( Asclepias amplexicaulis), pineland milkweed ( Asclepias obovata), birdfoot violet ( Viola pedata), and false dragonhead ( Physostegia digitalis). Brackenfern ( Pteridium aquilinum) often carpets the ground and xeric (drought loving) species like Louisiana yucca ( Yucca louisianensis) and Eastern prickly pear ( Opuntia humifusa) take advantage of the droughty conditions created by pockets of deeper sand. Little bluestem ( Schizachyrium scoparium) is an important component in East Texas, and often occurs in the company of other grasses such as Eastern gamagrass ( Tripsacum dactyloides), Pineywoods dropssed ( Sprobolus junceus), and wiregrass ( Aristida palustris). The real show, however occurs on the savannah floor, where hundreds of species of grasses and forbs complete these spectacular ecosystems. In the absence of fire American beautyberry ( Callicarpa americana) and yaupon ( Ilex vomitoria) may become invasive.Īn ancient Post Oak has survived decades of regular fires in this Longleaf Pine Savannah. However, on occasion hardwoods such as blackjack oak ( Quercus marilandica), Southern red oak ( Quercus falcata), Post oak ( Quercus stellata), sassafras ( Sassafras albidum), farkleberry ( Vaccineum arboreum), and sweetgum ( Liquidambar styraciflua). The fire-tolerant longleaf pine thrives in the face of the flames, while most other species die out.
Occurring on sands of moderate depth, these sprawling forests are kept free of woody understory encroachment by regular fires. These were perhaps the most biodiverse communities in the southeast a unique area where prairie and forest mingled. In areas that are managed with regular prescribed fires, one catch a glimpse of the great longleaf pine savannahs of the past. In the northern part of its range in Texas, which includes Sabine, San Augustine, Angelina, and northern Jasper and Newton Counties, it primarily occurs in rolling uplands. Remnants of the fire-loving conifer and the habitats it defines can still be found, however. Needless to say, my wife has an opinion or two about that.Longleaf Pine Savannah with Little Bluestem That means I've got a 6" wild free ranging Scolopendra heros in the room. But in #8 I quickly uncover another centipede who didn't appreciate the intrusion. I open #7 and dig into the substrate with a spoon - and an irate centipede starts running around the cage. In #6 I can see a pair of antennae against the side. Cage #5, when I lift it up, shows its occupant buried against the side of the container.
Of the eight possible cages, four have centipedes lying on the surface in plain sight. Then I start checking cages to see which it escaped from. I set out some flower pots with wet sphagnum in hopes of trapping the escapee during the night. A Scolopendra heros (arizonensis) is scurrying across the floor and takes shelter behind the shelves that the cages are on. (I should mention that to do so I have to step over a barrier in the doorway that is intended to prevent escapees from accessing the rest of the house.) As I'm pouring water into the dish in one cage I catch movement on the floor out of the corner of my eye.
Last night I stepped into my animal room to check water dishes, etc.