Blackland Prairie Ecoregion Associated Maps

Group		Family	Species Name	Federal Status
Invertebrates
	Symphyla (Myriapoda)
		Scolopendrellidae	Symphyllela texana	SC
		Scolopendrellidae	Symphyllela pusilla	SC
	Polydesmida (Myriapoda)
		Polydesmidae	Speodesmus castellanus	SC
		Polydesmidae	Speodesmus falcatus	SC
		Polydesmidae	Speodesmus ivyi	SC
		Polydesmidae	Speodesmus reddelli	SC
	Araneae (Arachnida)
		Dictynidae	Cicurina baronia	FE
		Dictynidae	Cicurina gatita	SC
		Dictynidae	Cicurina madla	FE
		Dictynidae	Cicurina medina	SC
		Dictynidae	Cicurina minorata (Gersch and Davis)	SC
		Dictynidae	Cicurina venii	FE
		Dictynidae	Cicurina vespera	FE
		Leptonetidae	Neoleptoneta new species	SC
		Nesticidae	Eidmannella nasuta (Gertsch)	SC
		Dictynidae	Cicurina armadillo	SC
		Dictynidae	Cicurina bandida	SC
		Dictynidae	Cicurina cueva	SC
		Dictynidae	Cicurina elliotti	SC
		Dictynidae	Cicurina reddelli	SC
		Dictynidae	Cicurina reyesi	SC
		Dictynidae	Cicurina travisae	SC
		Dictynidae	Cicurina wartoni	SC
		Leptonetidae	Neoleptoneta concinna (Gertsch)	SC
		Leptonetidae	Neoleptoneta devia (Gertsch)	SC
		Linyphiidae	Meioneta llanoensis (Gertsch and Davis)	SC
		Nesticidae	Eidmannella reclusa (Gertsch)	SC
		Dictynidae	Cicurina aenigma	SC
		Dictynidae	Cicurina ezelli	SC
		Dictynidae	Cicurina russeli	SC
		Dictynidae	Cicurina ubicki	SC
		Leptonetidae	Neoleptoneta new species	SC
		Dictynadae	Cicurina (Cicurella) caliga	SC
		Dictynadae	Cicurina (Cicurella) hoodensis	SC
		Dictynidae	Cicurina bowni	SC
		Dictynidae	Cicurina vibora	SC
		Leptonetidae	Neoleptoneta anopica (Gertsch)	SC
		Leptonetidae	Neoleptoneta paraconcinna	SC
	Opiliones (Arachnida)
		Phalangodidae	Texella mulaiki (Goodnight and Goodnight)	SC
	Pseudoscorpiones (Arachnida)
		Neobisiidae	Tartarocreagris infernalis (Muchmore)	SC
		Neobisiidae	Tartarocreagris texana (Muchmore)	FE
		Neobisiidae	Tartarocreagris comanche (Muchmore)	SC
		Neobisiidae	Tartarocreagris cookei	SC
		Neobisiidae	Tartarocreagris hoodensis	SC
		Neobisiidae	Tartarocreagris reyesi	SC
	Coleoptera (Insecta)
		Carabidae	Rhadine exilis	FE
		Carabidae	Rhadine infernalis	FE
		**Carabidae	Rhadine persephone	FE
		Carabidae	Rhadine reyesi	SC
		**Silphidae	Nicrophorus americanus	FE
		Staphylinidae (Pselaphidae)	Batrisodes (Babnormodes) gravesi (Chandler and Reddell)	SC
		Staphylinidae (Pselaphidae)	Batrisodes (Babnormodes) uncicornis (Casey)	SC
		Staphylinidae (Pselaphidae)	Batrisodes (Excavodes) cryptotexanus (Chandler and Reddell)	SC
		Staphylinidae (Pselaphidae)	Texamaurops reddelli (Barr and Steeves)	SC
	Lepidoptera (Insecta)
		Hesperiidae	Megathymus streckeri texanus	SC
	Hymenoptera (Insecta)
		Apoidea	Andrena (Tylandrena) scotoptera (Cockerell)	SC
		Apoidea	Colletes bumeliae (Neff)	SC
		Apoidea	Colletes inuncantipedis (Neff)	SC
		Apoidea	Eucera (Synhalonia) birkmanniella (Cockerell)	SC
		Apoidea	Eucera (Synhalonia) texana (Timberlake)	SC
		Apoidea	Hesperapis (Carinapis) sp. B	SC
		Apoidea	Megachile (Megachiloides) parksi (Mitchell)	SC
		Apoidea	Osmia (Diceratosmia) botitena (Cockerell)	SC
		Apoidea	Stelis (Protostelis) texana (Thorp)	SC

Location and Condition of the Blackland Prairie Ecoregion

Taking their name from the fertile, dark clay soil, the Blackland Prairies constitute a true prairie ecosystem and have some of the richest, naturally fertile soils in the world. Characterized by gently rolling to nearly level topography, the land is well dissected and marked by rapid surface drainage. Pecan, cedar elm, various oaks, soapberry, honey locust, hackberry and Osage orange dot the landscape, with some mesquite invading from the south. A true tall-grass prairie, the dominant grass is little bluestem. Other important grasses include big bluestem, Indiangrass, eastern gammagrass, switchgrass and sideoats grama. While elevations from 300 to more than 800 feet AMSL match those of the Post Oak Savannah, the annual rainfall varies from 30 to 40 inches west to east, and the average annual temperatures range from approximately 66°F to 70°F. Described as "black velvet" when freshly plowed and moistened from a good rain, true blackland soils are deep, dark, calcareous deposits renowned for their high productivity (Wasowski, 1988). Scientists believe the richness of the prairie soils is derived from the abundant invertebrate fauna and fungal flora found in the soils themselves. The Blackland Prairies are today almost entirely brought under the plow, with only 5,000 acres of the original 12 million remaining. For this reason, many authorities believe that the Blackland Prairies represent some of the rarest landscapes in Texas.
Like many of the prairie communities comprising the Great Plains of North America, the Blackland Prairies harbor few rare plants or animals. What is special and unique about this ecosystem today, are the grassland communities themselves.
This ecoregion can be broken down into seven main habitat classes consisting of grassland, forest, native and introduced grasses, parkland, parkland woodland mosaic, woodland, forest, and grassland mosaic, and urban.

Blackland Prairie Forest

The Blackland Prairie forest consists of deciduous or evergreen trees that are dominant in the landscape. These species are mostly greater than 30 feet tall with closed crowns or nearly so (71-100% canopy cover). The midstory is generally apparent except in managed monocultures (McMahan et al. 1984, Bridges et al. 2002). One plant association dominates this habitat class.
The water oak-elm-hackberry association includes cedar elm, American elm, willow oak, southern red oak, white oak, black willow, cottonwood, red ash, sycamore, pecan, bois d'arc (osage-orange), flowering dogwood, dewberry, coral-berry, dallisgrass, switchgrass, rescuegrass, bermudagrass, eastern gamagrass, Virginia wildrye, Johnsongrass, giant ragweed, and Leavenworth eryngo. This association typically occurs in the upper flood plains of the Sabine, Neches, Sulphur and Trinity Rivers and tributaries (McMahan et al. 1984). Cross-referenced communities: 1) water oak-post oak floodplain forests (Bezanson 2000). This community is considered of low priority for further protection since this community is generally unthreatened even though not many examples of this association are protected (Bezanson 2000).
Blackland Prairie Grassland
Grasslands consist of herbs (grasses, forbs, and grasslike plants) which are dominant. Woody vegetation is lacking or nearly so (generally 10% or less woody canopy cover) (McMahan et al.1984). There is one plant association still found in scattered patches within the Blackland Prairie grassland.
The silver bluestem-Texas wintergrass association includes little bluestem, sideoats grama, Texas grama, three-awn, hairy grama, tall dropseed, buffalograss, windmillgrass, hairy tridens, tumblegrass, western ragweed, broom snakeweed, Texas bluebonnet, live oak, post oak, and mesquite. This association is found primarily in the Cross Timbers and Prairies ecoregion; however tiny scattered areas still exist in the Blackland Prairie ecoregion (McMahan et al. 1984). Cross-referenced communities: 1) little bluestem-Indiangrass series (Diamond 1993), 2) upland millisol tall grassland (Bezanson 2000), and 3) little bluestem-sideoats grama herbaceous alliance (Weakley et al. 2000). This community is considered imperiled, or very rare, globally. It is endangered throughout its range. It is determined that 6 to 20 occurrences are documented (Diamond 1993). This association is also considered imperiled, or very rare, throughout the state. Approximately 6 to 20 occurrences have been documented, therefore, this association is considered vulnerable to extirpation within the state (Diamond 1993). According to Bezanson (2000) this should be a community of high priority for further protection.
Blackland Prairie Native and Introduced Grasses
A mixture of native and introduced grasses which includes herbs (grasses, forbs, and grasslike plants) that are dominant with woody vegetation lacking or nearly so (generally 10% or less woody canopy cover). These associations typically result from the clearing of woody vegetation and can be easily associated with the early stages of a young forest. This community is located in northeast and east central Texas (Blackland Prairie), the South Texas Plains, and the Gulf Coast Prairies and Marshes ecoregion. This community can quickly change as removed brush begins to regrow (McMahan et al. 1984, Bridges et al. 2002).