What’s The Big Story? COASTAL PRAIRIE - HOUSTON’S HEARTLAND Ten thousand years ago our area looked like a Houston Serengetil, alive with wild mammoths, dire wolves, saber-tooth cats, giant tortoises, camels, and even lions and cheetahs roaming an ancient grassland! These creatures were not alone. Paleo-Indians hunted and lived alongside these creatures. Eventually, with a changing climate and hunting pressure the megafauna of the Ice Age went extinct but they left behind a vibrant grassland that we now call the coastal prairie.
Columbian Mammoth
Voices from the Pastl tell us that the first European settlers to see our prairies encountered a grassy wilderness where buffaloes, red wolves, bears, wild ducks and hundreds of species of Grasses and Forbsr reigned. It was also a place shaped by Native Americans. These people lived in small bans using a variety of languages and dialects - including Karankawa Talkl. The coastal prairie at this time was truly Houston’s Heartlandm, blanketing most of our region and giving rise to much of our culture and early economic vitality. The prairie’s insect diversity was also very high. In fact, there were more Butterflies Glidingl over this sea of wildflowers and grasses than in all of the United Kingdom! Cougar
The prairie shared characteristics with other habitats on Planet Grasslandl, yet it was unique in many ways. Like most of our state, our prairie was a part of Fiery Texasm - burning every 1 to 3 years on average. It was also a complex ecosystem sporting prairie potholes (small, wet depressions) and small, sandy hills known as Pimple Moundsv scattered between flatter areas. From the beginning of European settlement (starting in 1819), the lush native grasses of the prairie proved highly valuable to ranchers who raised large herds of cattle. The self-reliant ranching lifestyle helped forge Houston’s culture and identity. Think about it for a minute, would the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo be Deep in our Heartsl had the prairie not provided a place for us to raise cattle and build our Western culture? Eventually, the prairie’s rich soils were also used to grow cotton, rice, vegetables, sugarcane, and other crops. Today, a new transformation is occurring, changing Prairies to Parking Lotsl to accommodate a booming population.
Monarch Butterfly
Black Cowboys on Galveston Island prairie in 1870s
All of the changes that have shaped our prairies since the early 1800s have left very few virgin sites intact. Today, our prairie is one of the most endangered ecosystem’s on Planet Earth with less than 1 in 100l acres of original prairie remaining in a relatively pristine state. With the loss of so much prairie habitat, can we Save the Last Dancev of the Attwater’s Prairie Chicken and other endangered and threatened species? Yes, there is hope. A passionate army of volunteers and organizations are making a valiant Last Standv to save what little prairie Seed Ball remains and to restore other prairies. Some volunteers are Habitat Huntersl , using modern technology like Google Earth to find ancient grasslands amongst development.
Restorationists are renewing the prairie through the use of Controlled Burnsv, making Seed Ballsl, and replanting native grasslands at Prairie Pandemoniums or others events throughout the region. Some folks are even part of a Great Grow Outs, growing prairie natives at home for future restoration projects. There is also an large effort to manage Noxious Treesv like the Chinese Tallow which can displace native prairie plants. You can also visit Rare Treasuresm such as the Nash, Katy, and Deer Park Prairies diverse prairies where you can glimpse Tropical Travelersl {like Monarch Butterflies and Ruby-throated Hummingbirds} or hear a Winter Symphonyl of ducks, geese, and coyotes.
Common Nighthawk
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Lessons, Resources, and Subject Areas Grade(s) Lesson or Resource
K-5
1 in 100
6-8
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Butterflies Gliding
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Controlled Burns
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Deep in our Hearts
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Grasses and Forbs
Subject(s) 9-12
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Science
Math
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Language Arts
Social Studies
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Great Grow Out
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Fiery Texas
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Habitat Hunters
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Houston’s Heartland
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Houston Serengeti
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Karankawa Talk
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Last Stand of the Coastal Prairie
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Noxious Trees
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Pimple Mounds
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Planet Grassland
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Prairie Pandemonium
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Prairies to Parking Lots
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Rare Treasures
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Voices from the Past
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Winter Symphony
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Geography
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Save the Last Dance Seed Balls Tropical Travelers
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