Big Thicket

Coordinates: 30°32′51″N 94°20′24″W / 30.54750°N 94.34000°W / 30.54750; -94.34000
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Big Thicket National Preserve
Map showing the location of Big Thicket National Preserve
Map showing the location of Big Thicket National Preserve
Map showing the location of Big Thicket National Preserve
Map showing the location of Big Thicket National Preserve
LocationSoutheast Texas, U.S.
Nearest cityKountze, Texas
Coordinates30°32′51″N 94°20′24″W / 30.54750°N 94.34000°W / 30.54750; -94.34000
Area113,122 acres (457.79 km2)[1]
AuthorizedOctober 11, 1974 (1974-October-11)
Visitors137,722 (in 2011)[2]
Governing bodyNational Park Service
WebsiteBig Thicket National Preserve

The Big Thicket

ecosystems and plant diversity that is particularly remarkable. Biologists have identified at least eight, and up to eleven, ecosystems in the Big Thicket area. More than 160 species of trees and shrubs, 800 herbs and vines, and 340 types of grasses are known to occur in the Big Thicket, and estimates as high as over 1000 flowering plant species and 200 trees and shrubs have been made, plus ferns, carnivorous plants, and more. The Big Thicket has historically been the most dense forest region in Texas.[5][6][7][8]

Native Americans are known to have lived and hunted in the area nomadically, but did not establish permanent settlements there before the Alabama–Coushatta settled in the northeast about 1780. Spanish explorers and missionaries generally avoided the area and routed their roads around it. Logging in the late 19th and 20th centuries dramatically reduced the forest concentration. Efforts to save the Big Thicket from the devastation of oil and lumber industries started as early as the 1920s with the founding of the East Texas Big Thicket Association by Richard Elmer Jackson.[6][9]

Conservatively the area occupies all of Hardin County, most of Polk, and Tyler Counties, and parts of Jasper, Liberty and San Jacinto Counties, including areas between the Neches River on the east, the Trinity River on the west, Pine Island Bayou on the south, to the higher elevations and older Eocene geological formations to the north. Broader interpretations have included the area between the Sabine River on the east and the San Jacinto River on the west including much of Montgomery, Newton, Trinity, and Walker Counties, as well.[6][10][11] Several attempts to define the boundaries of the Big Thicket have been made, including a biological survey in 1936 which included over 3,350,000 acres (13,600 km2) covering 14 counties.[12] A later botanical based study in 1972 included a region of over 2,000,000 acres (8,100 km2).[13] This same habitat extends into Louisiana and eastward.[14]

Geography

One's fondness for the area is hard to explain. It has no commanding peak or awesome gorge, no topographical feature of distinction. Its appeal is more subtle.

— Big Thicket Legacy, University of Texas Press, 1977

Physical geography

Geological formations (diagonal center) of the Big Thicket Basin and the epochs in which they were formed (lower right).[15][11][16] This is a generalized illustration and it is not accurate in scale or proportion.

Geology: The Big Thicket is notable for the unusually high diversity of plants concentrated in a relatively small area. A major factor enabling this diversity is an unusually high diversity of soils. The exposed surface soils are relatively recent, late

Epoch formations. Other than some slight and uniform tilting, the strata are not greatly deformed. The strata were laid down in several cycles of glaciations and warmer interglacial interludes. Although glaciers never extended as far south as Texas, it was during these cold periods that enough water was frozen in polar regions to lower sea levels and the Big Thicket area was dry land well above sea level. Conversely, during the warmer interludes, enough ice melted to increase sea levels and submerge Southeast Texas in the sea. It was during those warmer periods of submersion that alluvial and delta deposits from the streams and rivers of the continent laid down the succession of strata, each new layer burying and compacting the previous. At some point there was an approximately 1% tilting of the layers. Some say it was caused by the rising of the Rocky Mountains,[15] while others say it was the weight of the successive deposits that eventually caused the Gulf of Mexico to subside.[11] The older Pliocene, Miocene, and Oligocene formations are exposed in the north (Polk, San Jacinto, and Tyler counties), while the more recent Quaternary Period formations are exposed in the south (Hardin and Liberty counties).[11][15][16]

Soils: The

mesophytic meaning a medium moisture level.[13]

Texas county map with five interpretations of the Big Thicket: *Dark green area = Traditional "Hunter's Thicket"[6] *Light green area = Biological survey[12] *Solid black line = Ecological analysis[13] *Dotted black line = Primitive Big Thicket Region[5] *Solid red line = Big Thicket Basin, geological/ecological analysis[11]

Topography: The Big Thicket Basin has been described as shallow bowl or dish, tilted to one side, with the high rim on the interior north and low rim on the coastal south. Eastern and western rims consist of the low ridges that divide the Neches River and Sabine River drainages on the east and the Neches River and Trinity River drainages on the west. Elevations range from about 350 feet (110 m) in the north to 25–35 feet (7.6–10.7 m) in the south, dropping as low as 3 feet (1 m) at confluence of the Neches River and Pine Island Bayou. Northern regions are characterized by low gently rolling hills and well-formed drainage systems of streams and creeks in the landscape. The southern regions are comparatively flat, with poor drainage and support moderately extensive

wetlands.[11][17]

Hydrology: Hardin, Tyler, western Jasper and southeast Polk counties are drained by the

baygall bogs. Floodplains and bottomlands in the south, can retain surface water for days and weeks after rain. The Sabine and Neches rivers flow into Sabine Lake, a natural occurring brackish water estuary, just southeast of the Big Thicket. The other large lakes in the region were constructed in the decades following the Second World War, including B.A. Steinhagen Lake (1947–53) and Sam Rayburn Reservoir (1956–65) on the Neches River drainage, Lake Livingston (1966–69) on the Trinity River, Lake Houston (1953) and Lake Conroe (1970–73) on the San Jacinto River.[6][11]

Climate: The proximity to the

hurricanes can increase annual rainfall to over 100 inches (250 cm). Humidity stays well above 60% most of the time and exceeds 90% often. Winters are mild, with nighttime lows averaging 38–48 °F (3–9 °C) and daytime highs 55–65 °F (13–18 °C). Winter cold fronts can drop temperatures to freezing, but freezes rarely last for more than a few days, sometimes only hours, averaging about 20 mostly nonconsecutive days each year. Snow is rare, occurring only once every ten years or so. Summer temperatures are hot, with nighttime lows averaging 69–72 °F (21–22 °C) and daytime highs averaging 89–94 °F (32–34 °C). Temperatures exceed 90 °F (32 °C) about 110 days each year and days with temperatures above 95 °F (35 °C) and even above 100 °F (38 °C) are not uncommon. The high summer temperatures with high humidity levels can produce very high heat index numbers.[6][11][19]

Human geography

Population: In 2010, the United States Census Bureau reported a population of 54,635 for Hardin County, with an average of 61.3 inhabitants per square mile (23.7/km2) in a county of 890.5 square miles (2,306 km2). The larger towns (and populations from 2010 census) in Hardin County are Kountze, the county seat (2,123), Lumberton (12,448), Silsbee (6,611), and Sour Lake (1,813). Smaller unincorporated communities in the Hardin County include Batson, Honey Island, Saratoga, Thicket, Village Mills, and Votaw.[20]

Tyler County had a total population of 21,766, with an average population of 23.5 inhabitants per square mile (9.1/km2) in 924.5 square miles (2,394 km2). The larger towns in Tyler County are Chester (312), Colmesneil (596), Warren (757), and Woodville, the county seat (2,586) with smaller unincorporated communities including Doucette, Fred, Rockland, and Spurger.

Polk County had a total population of 45,413, with an average of 43 inhabitants per square mile (17/km2) in an area of 1,057.1 square miles (2,738 km2) in 2010 including Livingston (5,335), the county seat and the largest town in the county.[20]

Larger towns and cities in the greater region include Beaumont, Jefferson County, located at the southeast corner of the Big Thicket area with a population of 118,296 and Liberty, Liberty County (8,397), on the southern edge of the Big Thicket area. Houston, Harris County, with a population of 2,320,268 (greater metropolitan area over 7,000,000) is one of the largest metropolitan areas in the US with its central, downtown area located 75 miles (121 km) by air southwest of the town of Kountze, Hardin County.[20]

Economy: Timber, oil and gas, and agriculture continue to be significant to the economy of the area. Many people commute to work in oil refineries and related industries in the Beaumont area. Other sources list industries providing significant employment in Hardin County as: educational, health and social services, construction, recreation, accommodation and food services, finance, insurance, real estate, and rental and leasing.[20][21]

Biology

It is my observation that the Thicket communicates best with solitary wanderers, but it also speaks to companionable spirits. An important trick on the trail is to shift one's focus from the big scene to the minuscule. Take your time, folks. The Big Thicket is not a hurry-place.

— Maxine Johnston, Foreword in Nature Lover's Guide to the Big Thicket[5]

Ecosystems

On a larger scale of

ecotones, transitioning into one another. Ecosystems do not have universal standardized names. Many ecologist, botanist, zoologist and others have studied and classified ecosystems in the Big Thicket region (and elsewhere), defining and naming these communities as relevant to their own disciplines and studies.[26][5]
Although the exact names, definitions, and boundaries might vary (subdivided, compounded, or overlapping), below are summaries of ten major ecosystems recognized by most who have studied and written about the Big Thicket, starting with higher elevations in the north, and in a generalized way, moving to lower elevations in the south.

Longleaf pine upland habitat. Big Thicket National Preserve, Turkey Creek Unit, Tyler Co. Texas; 1 May 2020

Uplands (aka: longleaf pine-bluestem uplands;

clearcut for lumber have been replanted with rows of the faster growing, non-native slash pine (Pinus elliottii) eliminating much of the longleaf pine-bluestem grass uplands from Texas.[6][11][26]

Yucca louisianensis
) growing among the sparse groundcover. Roy E. Larsen Sandyland Sanctuary, Hardin Co. Texas, USA; 6 November 2019

Sandylands (aka: arid oak-farkleberry sandylands;

Pinus palustris) and loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) emerge over the oaks. Longleaf pine is characteristic of sandylands, but not always dominant. Farkleberry (Vaccinium arboreum) is the dominant shrub in the understory. Several rare wildflowers with limited distributions in Texas can be found in this environment; examples include Oklahoma prairie clover (Petalostemum griseum), Carolina vervain (Stylodon carneus = Verbena carnea), Hooker palafoxia (Palafoxia hookeriana), green-thread (Thelesperma flavodiscum), and trailing phlox (Phlox nivalis texensis) which is also an endangered species. Like the uplands, periodic wildfires are essential to keeping the understory open and preserving this ecosystem. These areas are said to have been preferred habitation sites for the nomadic Atakapa-Ishak people in Pre-Columbian times.[6][11][26]

Pine savannah wetland habitat with pitcher plants (Sarracenia alata). Big Thicket National Preserve, Turkey Creek Unit, Tyler Co. Texas; 1 May 2020

Savannas (aka: longleaf - black gum savannahs;

Pinus palustris) along with black gum (Nyssa sylvatica), often stunted, make up much of the overstory, being among the few trees that grow in the severe conditions. Ground cover is dominated by rushes, sedges (Rhynchospora and Scleria), and grasses including Andropogon, Aristida, Muhlenbergia, and little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium). Within the flat savannas, the slightest change in elevation can produce significantly different vegetation. Occasional mounds with two or three feet of sand, support upland habitat, while depressions of just a few inches can hold acid bogs, with low pH levels and low levels of nutrients such as nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus, and calcium. Even the peripheral areas around acid bogs, distinguished by subtle sloping elevations of only an inch or two, sustain a distinct zone of vegetation. Sphagnum mosses and carnivorous plants are adapted to these environments, including the pitcher plant (Sarracenia alata), annual sundew (Drosera brevifolia), rush bladderwort (Utricularia juncea), and small butterwort (Pinguicula pumila). A number of orchids are found in savannas including the grass pink orchid (Calopogon tuberosus), yellow fringed orchid (Platanthera ciliaris), snowy orchid (Platanthera nivea), and snake mouth orchid (Pogonia ophioglossoides).[6][11][26]

Slope forest with a blackwater stream flowing through mixed deciduous and evergreen woodlands. Big Thicket National Preserve, Big Sandy Creek Unit, Polk Co. Texas; 23 Mar 2020

Slope forests (aka: beech-magnolia-loblolly slopes;

Triphora trianthophora). Wildfires are much less important to the ecology of the humid slope forest than in the uplands and sandylands, both of which will slowly revert into slope forest when fire is suppressed and slope vegetation that is not tolerant of fire takes hold and fills in the open areas.[6][11][26]

Floodplains are dominated by hardwood trees and pine trees are uncommon or absent. Big Thicket National Preserve, Big Sandy Creek Unit, Polk Co. Texas, USA; 12 May 2020

Floodplains: (aka: sweet gum - oak floodplains;

Nuphar luteum). Although the floodplains in the region share much in common with one another, each river varies with some unique elements and plant species. The Trinity River basin in particular stands out in contrast to others with calcareous, relatively high pH, alkaline soils supporting vegetation that is seldom seen in other watersheds, including bois d'arc also called horse apple (Maclura pomifera), blueberry hawthorn (Crataegus brachyacantha), cedar elm (Ulmus crassifolia), and Texas sugarberry (Celtis laevigata).[6][11][26]

Baygall
habitat in the Big Thicket National Preserve, Jack Gore Baygall Unit, Hardin Co. Texas, USA; 6 November 2019

Baygalls

Apteria aphylla). Some baygalls and hanging bogs are no more than a small pool, while others can be a mile across. One author[5] states that the Jack Gore Baygall Unit of the BTNP, at 12 square miles, is the largest baygall in the world.[5][6][11][26]

Palmetto-oak and hardwood flats habitat with dwarf palmettos (Sabal minor) and resurrection fern (Pleopeltis polypodioides) growing on tree limb at the top of photo. Big Thicket National Preserve, Lance Rosier Unit, Hardin Co. Texas, USA: 23 October 2019

Flats (aka: palmetto-oak flats;

Sabal louisiana), others do not recognize it a valid species. Other understory species found on the flats are creeping spot-flower (Spilanthes americana), Missouri ironweed (Vernonia missurica), lance-leaved water-willow (Justicia lanceolata), and inland sea oats (Chasmanthium latifolium). The ancient levees and bars deposited along the old river channels, varying in size from less than an acre up to 10 acres (4.0 ha), are slightly higher with better drainage supporting stands of loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) and water oak (Quercus nigra) with understory species such as Hooker eryngo (Eryngium hookeri), and sharp-sepal penstemon (Penstemon tenuis). Bald cypress (Taxodium distichum) and water tupelo (Nyssa aquatica) grow in and near permanent or semi permanent water and the disc water-hyssop (Bacopa rotundifolia) may be found floating or growing at the water's edge. Drainage patterns are significant in shaping and maintaining these ecosystems and drainage alterations have reduced the historical size of this community.[5][6][11][28]

Cypress slough habitat. Big Thicket National Preserve, Turkey Creek Unit, Hardin Co. Texas; 16 April 2020

Cypress slough

ox-bow lakes, sloughs, and ponds. Cypress sloughs are found throughout the region but, are perhaps more extensive in the low laying south. The dominant trees are the bald cypress (Taxodium distichum) and the water tupelo (Nyssa aquatica). Water tupelo often grow in deeper water and bald cypress in shallower parts or at the periphery, although both are adapted to growing in permanently submerged areas or on dry land with sufficient moisture. Understory trees and shrubs found growing around cypress sloughs include water or Carolina ash (Fraxinus caroliniana), water elm (Planera aquatica), river birch (Betula nigra), eastern hop-hornbean (Ostrya virginiana), and buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis). Plants like lizard's tail (Saururus cernuus) and burhead (Echinodorus cordifolius) can be seen growing in shallow water with cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis) and sensitive fern (Onoclea sensibilis) at the water's edge. Bald cypress trees typically live for 600 years or more and some are known to have lived 1,200 years. Cypress is a valuable hardwood, particularly prized for its resistance to rot and highly valued for shipbuilding, docks, and bridges. Consequently, this ancient swamp forest, once common in the region, have been greatly reduced because of logging in the nineteenth century. Trees over 100 years old are rare in the area now.[5][6][11][26][29]

Marysee Prairie Preserve in the Big Thicket region of southeast Texas. Liberty Co. Texas; 22 May 2020

Mixed-grass prairies:

Sporobolus asper). One author distinguished prairies from longleaf pine savannas by the presence of pimple mounds or mima mounds. Prairies and coves were once found in the Big Thicket with some consistency, particularly in higher elevations in the south, and specifically in higher southwestern areas between the Pine Island Bayou and the Trinity River drainages. However, natural wildfires are an important factor in maintaining these areas and when fire is suppressed, trees and shrubs quickly grow in and fill in these areas. The Chinese tallow tree (Triadica sebifera) is a particularly aggressive and problematic invasive species in prairie habitat in the region. Prairies are also often the first areas to be developed for farming and residential housing. Unfortunately, prairies in the Big Thicket are now rare.[5][6][11]

Texas State Highway 1276 in the Big Thicket National Preserve, Big Sandy Creek Unit, Polk County, Texas; 12 May 2020

Roadsides[6][5] and river edge: Although not a natural or even stable plant assemblage, some have recognized roadsides as an ecosystem in the Big Thicket. Proponents of the concept have identified a number of distinguishing characteristics of roadsides from the other ecosystems. Sunlight and heat can reach the ground along the clear highway easements, unlike most areas where the light is filtered by the forest canopy before it reaches the ground. Roadsides receive more rainwater, diverted from the pavement and often retained for a time in roadside ditches. Soil types not normally found at the surface are often exposed with the construction of roads, particularly deep road cuts in the low hills in the north that expose calcareous soils or where the formations are thin near transition zones supporting the growth of plants not normally occurring in the surrounding habitat, allowing for more diverse plants species to grow. The "corridor effect"[6] of traffic, both human (vehicles, tourists, and road crews) and birds and other animals, inadvertently dispersing seeds and roots along roadsides from other areas. And finally, regular cycles of mowing and cutting, as well as the use of herbicides can both inhibit and benefit various wildflowers and plant species growing there. Most plant species at any given roadside represent the association immediately adjacent to that locality, but often have a few odd of species from other areas. Roadsides are a convenient and accessible places to view wildflowers, regardless of whether they are true ecosystems. In the past some (including the National Park Service) have discussed the river edge as an ecosystem in the Big Thicket however, most ecologist do not recognize river edges as an ecosystem distinct from the one a river runs through.[5][6]

  • Big Thicket gallery
  • Longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) upland habitat after a recent fire. Big Thicket National Preserve, Hickory Creek Unit, Tyler Co. Texas; 23 Mar 2020
    Longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) upland habitat after a recent fire. Big Thicket National Preserve, Hickory Creek Unit, Tyler Co. Texas; 23 Mar 2020
  • The same vicinity as previous image five months after the fire. Big Thicket National Preserve, Hickory Creek Savannah Unit, Tyler Co. Texas; 20 Aug 2020
    The same vicinity as previous image five months after the fire. Big Thicket National Preserve, Hickory Creek Savannah Unit, Tyler Co. Texas; 20 Aug 2020
  • Sphagnum bogs or "acid bogs" with pH levels as low as 4.5 occur in the region. Big Thicket National Preserve, Turkey Creek Unit, Tyler Co. Texas; 1 May 2020
    Sphagnum bogs
    or "acid bogs" with pH levels as low as 4.5 occur in the region. Big Thicket National Preserve, Turkey Creek Unit, Tyler Co. Texas; 1 May 2020
  • Baygall blackwater (left) mixing with typical muddy water (right). Big Thicket National Preserve, Jack Gore Baygall Unit, Hardin Co. Texas; 3 April 2020
    Baygall blackwater (left) mixing with typical muddy water (right). Big Thicket National Preserve, Jack Gore Baygall Unit, Hardin Co. Texas; 3 April 2020
  • Lush vegetation in the Village Creek floodplain. Roy E. Larsen Sandyland Sanctuary, Hardin Co. Texas; 30 April 2010
    Lush vegetation in the Village Creek floodplain. Roy E. Larsen Sandyland Sanctuary, Hardin Co. Texas; 30 April 2010

Exact numbers of plant and animal species occurring in the Big Thicket region are difficult to state objectively due to a number of factors including: the imprecise boundaries of the area; which (if any) accidental and

extirpated species; whether to count introduced and invasive species; migratory vs. resident species; frequent taxonomic
changes and taxonomic instability. These and other factors all contribute to what sometimes appear as inconsistent or contradictory counts and numbers.

Flora

The area contains over 100 species of trees and shrubs, with longleaf pine (

prescribed burn programs. With the National Park Service's centennial occurring in 2016, efforts were made to plant between 100,000 and 300,000 longleaf pines. The National Park Service lists more than one thousand species of flowering plants and ferns that can also be found in the thicket, including 20 orchids and four types of carnivorous plants
.

Fauna

During the

North American megafauna
.

Well over 500 species of vertebrates occur in the Big Thicket region, including more than 50 mammals, 300 birds, 60 reptiles, 30 amphibians, and over 90 fishes. The records and numbers below for mammals, reptiles, and amphibians are based on county records for Hardin, Jasper, Liberty, Montgomery, Polk, San Jacinto, Tyler, and Walker counties, which in a few cases may reflect marginal, peripheral, and

vagrant records for a given species in the region and not all of the species are ubiquitous or evenly distributed throughout the Big Thicket.[30][31]

Mammals: About 54 species of mammals occur in the Big Thicket (not counting extirpated species), including such species as the Virginia opossum (

Harry Church Oberholser reported what he considered reliable accounts of jaguars in east Texas, including one killed south of Jasper a few years earlier, along the Neches River near Beaumont, and in the timber south of Conroe.[30]

Although once common in the Big Thicket, the American black bears (

Ursus americanus
) was the target of a concerted effort to extirpate them from east Texas in the late nineteenth century. Reports of field naturalists in 1902 indicated:

  • Conroe: "A few still found in the big thicket 15 mile south of here."
  • Beaumont: "A few still found in the forest northwest of here."
  • Sour Lake: "Still common in the swamps near here; a few killed every year."
  • Rockland: "Now very rare or quite extinct."

Vernon Bailey, chief naturalist for the

U.S. Biological Survey, interviewed a hog farmer and bear hunter named Ab Carter in 1904. Carter reported that in 1883, he and a neighbor set out to exterminate the bears in the Tarkington Prairie area of Liberty County that preyed on their free ranging hogs in the forest. That same year 182 bears were killed within a 10-mile (16 km) radius of Tarkington Prairie and annual hunting continued until 1900 when the last two bears were killed in that area. Currently, extremely rare bear sightings in east Texas are believed to be wandering individuals from reintroduction efforts in adjacent areas of Louisiana. They are now a threatened species in Texas[32] and the National Park Service list them as "probably present".[7][30]

Conversely other species have been introduced to the area like the nutria (

swine fever. Their forging habits involve rooting up and disturbing soils, reducing both the numbers of individual plants and animals and the number species in any given area.[30]

  • Mammal gallery
  • Nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus)
    Nine-banded armadillo (
    Dasypus novemcinctus
    )
  • American beaver (Castor canadensis)
    American beaver (
    Castor canadensis
    )
  • Southern flying squirrel (Glaucomys volans)
    Southern flying squirrel (
    Glaucomys volans
    )
  • Rafinesque's big-eared bats (Corynorhinus rafinesquii)
    Rafinesque's big-eared bats (
    Corynorhinus rafinesquii
    )
  • Eastern spotted skunk (Spilogale putorius)
    Eastern spotted skunk (
    Spilogale putorius
    )
  • River otter (Lontra canadensis)
    River otter (
    Lontra canadensis
    )
  • Bobcat (Lynx rufus)
    Bobcat (
    Lynx rufus
    )

Birds: Three hundred species of migratory and nesting birds occur in the Big Thicket including the red-cockaded woodpecker, a state and federal endangered species.[32] The extinct ivory-billed woodpecker once occurred in the Big Thicket.[33]

  • Bird gallery
  • Red-cockaded woodpecker
    Red-cockaded woodpecker
  • Bachman's sparrow (Peucaea aestivalis), Hal Scott Reserve, Florida
    Bachman's sparrow (Peucaea aestivalis), Hal Scott Reserve, Florida
  • Scissor-tailed flycatcher (Tyrannus forficatus) in Walker County
    Scissor-tailed flycatcher (Tyrannus forficatus) in Walker County
  • Painted bunting (Passerina ciris), Texas
    Painted bunting (Passerina ciris), Texas
  • Yellow-crowned night-heron (Nyctanassa violacea) in Harris County
    Yellow-crowned night-heron (Nyctanassa violacea) in Harris County
  • White ibis (Eudocimus albus) adult and immature plumage, Trinity River National Wildlife Refuge
    White ibis (Eudocimus albus) adult and immature plumage, Trinity River National Wildlife Refuge

Reptiles: Sixty-one species of reptiles are known from the Big Thicket area including the alligator, 15 turtles, 12 lizards, and 33 snakes. Along with birds, reptiles are among the more commonly seen wildlife and they are an important part of the forest community or ecosystems. The American alligator (

Alligator mississippiensis), although somewhat uncommon, occurs throughout the Big Thicket where sufficient water is found. However, alligators are abundant in the open marshland of Chambers and Jefferson counties to the south, where they bask in the sun unobstructed by forest trees.[31]

Turtle diversity in the American Gulf Coast states is among the highest in the world. The red-eared slider (

Macrochelys temminckii). The alligator snapping turtle is the largest freshwater turtle in North America and one of the larger freshwater turtles in the world. One record sized individual with a 31.5-inch (80 cm) shell has been documented, and another 251-pound (114 kg) captive specimen recorded, however, 35–100 pounds (16–45 kg) and 12–20 inches (30–51 cm) is the typical adult size.[34] Alligator snapping turtles are protected as a threatened species in Texas.[32]

Lizards commonly seen include green anoles (

Hemidactylus turcicus), are found there.[31]

  • Reptile gallery
  • American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) in Chambers County
    American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) in Chambers County
  • Razorback musk turtle (Sternotherus carinatus) in Hardin County
    Razorback musk turtle (Sternotherus carinatus) in Hardin County
  • Sabine map turtle (Graptemys sabinensis) in Orange County
    Sabine map turtle (Graptemys sabinensis) in Orange County
  • Three-toed box turtle (Terrapene carolina) in Walker County
    Three-toed box turtle (Terrapene carolina) in Walker County
  • Five-lined skink (Plestiodon fasciatus) in Liberty County
    Five-lined skink (Plestiodon fasciatus) in Liberty County
  • Prairie lizard (Sceloporus consobrinus) in Hardin County
    Prairie lizard (Sceloporus consobrinus) in Hardin County
  • Green anole (Anolis carolinensis) in Polk County
    Green anole (Anolis carolinensis) in Polk County

Snakes: With 33 species, the highest diversity among the reptiles are the snakes. Some of the more common species include the eastern hognose snake (

Geomys breviceps), both for prey and its burrows for shelter, and both species occupy longleaf pine uplands, savanna, and sandyland, habitat which is dependent on periodic cycles of wildfires to maintain an open understory.[32][31][37][38]

There are five species of venomous snakes in the area. Two rattlesnakes, the pygmy rattlesnake (

Agkistrodon contortrix) and cottonmouth (Agkistrodon piscivorus). Venomous snakes deserve caution and respect, but are safely observed when distances of 15–20 feet are maintained.[31][38]

  • Snake gallery
  • Diamondback watersnake (Nerodia rhombifer) in San Jacinto County
    Diamondback watersnake (Nerodia rhombifer) in San Jacinto County
  • Rough greensnake (Opheodrys aestivus) in Tyler County
    Rough greensnake (Opheodrys aestivus) in Tyler County
  • Texas rat snake (Pantherophis obsoletus) in Liberty County
    Texas rat snake (Pantherophis obsoletus) in Liberty County
  • Prairie kingsnake (Lampropeltis calligaster) in Tyler County
    Prairie kingsnake (Lampropeltis calligaster) in Tyler County
  • Texas coral snake (Micrurus tener) in Houston County
    Texas coral snake (Micrurus tener) in Houston County
  • Copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix) in Liberty County
    Copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix) in Liberty County
  • Cottonmouth (Agkistrodon piscivorus) in Liberty County
    Cottonmouth (Agkistrodon piscivorus) in Liberty County

Amphibians: There are 31 species of amphibians found in the Big Thicket area, including 11 species of

Desmognathus auriculatus), once widespread in Southeast Texas, now appears to be in serious decline.[31][39]

Common toads and frogs include the Gulf Coast toad (

Rio Grande Valley and Mexico but, it does not appear pose an ecological threat to other species as invasive species often do.[31][40]

  • Amphibian gallery
  • Small-mouthed salamander (Ambystoma texanum) in Liberty County
    Small-mouthed salamander (Ambystoma texanum) in Liberty County
  • Dwarf salamander (Eurycea quadridigitata) in Polk County
    Dwarf salamander (Eurycea quadridigitata) in Polk County
  • Eastern newt (Notophthalmus viridescens) in Walker County
    Eastern newt (Notophthalmus viridescens) in Walker County
  • East Texas toad (Anaxyrus velatus or woodhousii × fowleri) in Hardin County
    East Texas toad (Anaxyrus velatus or woodhousii × fowleri) in Hardin County
  • Eastern narrow-mouth toad, (Gastrophryne carolinensis) in Liberty County
    Eastern narrow-mouth toad, (Gastrophryne carolinensis) in Liberty County
  • Gray treefrog (Hyla versicolor) in Montgomery County
    Gray treefrog (Hyla versicolor) in Montgomery County
  • Green treefrog (Hyla cinerea) in Hardin County
    Green treefrog (Hyla cinerea) in Hardin County

Fishes: Well over 90 species of fishes are known from the area. The Big Thicket National Preserve inventoried 92 species in the preserve's waters and another 20 species are noted as possible occurrences.[41] The National Park Service checklist includes 104 species.[42] Others source note 98 species[5] and 94 species.[43] In the smaller tributaries the most abundant species are minnows, killifishes, darters, bass, and bullhead catfish, while larger creeks and bayous are dominated by channel, blue, and flathead catfish, sunfishes, largemouth and spotted bass, and crappie.[41]

Insects: Studies have documented nearly 1,800 species of Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths) in the Big Thicket.[44]

Dragonflies and damselflies (

Anax junius) can be seen in their adult form year round. Others are limited to a few weeks or mouths each year like the calico pennant (Celithemis elisa) flying April - August and Needham's skimmer (Libellula needhami) flying May - September. The Texas emerald (Somatochlora margarita) and the rare and sarracenia spiketail (Cordulegaster sarracenia) are endemic to southeast Texas and adjacent areas of Louisiana.[45][46]

  • Dragonflies and damselflies (Odonata) gallery
  • Common green darner (Anax junius), male, Liberty County
    Common green darner (Anax junius), male, Liberty County
  • Ebony jewelwing (Calopteryx maculata), male, San Jacinto County
    Ebony jewelwing (Calopteryx maculata), male, San Jacinto County
  • Needham's skimmer (Libellula needhami) female, Harris Co County
    Needham's skimmer (Libellula needhami) female, Harris Co County
  • Calico pennant (Celithemis elisa) male, Chambers County
    Calico pennant (Celithemis elisa) male, Chambers County
  • Roseate skimmer (Orthemis ferruginea), male, Liberty County
    Roseate skimmer (Orthemis ferruginea), male, Liberty County
  • Widow skimmer (Libellula luctuosa), female, Houston County
    Widow skimmer (Libellula luctuosa), female, Houston County
  • Sarracenia spiketail (Cordulegaster sarracenia) Rapides Parish, Louisiana
    Sarracenia spiketail (Cordulegaster sarracenia) Rapides Parish, Louisiana

History

In pre-Columbian times, people of the

Alabama-Coushatta, originally two closely associated tribes living in adjacent areas of Alabama, began a westward migration about 1763 due to the encroachment of Europeans. The Alabama-Coushatta settled into the northern sections of the Big Thicket area by 1780, prior to the acquisition of their reservation in 1854.[47][48][49][50][51][52]

Historical limits of the Big Thicket region defined by the Spanish prior to the Texas Revolution in the 1830s. Deforestation has dramatically reduced its size.

The Spaniards ruled the region c. 1521–1810, defining the Big Thicket's boundaries with the north as

El Camino Real de los Tejas (Old San Antonio Road), a trail from central Texas to Nacogdoches; in the south as the Atascosito Road running from southwest Louisiana to Southeast Texas; to the west by the Brazos River; and to the east by the Sabine River.[9] The Spanish established a settlement called Atascosito on the Atascosito Road at the Trinity River in 1756, renamed Villa de la Santissima Trinidad de la Libertad (Village of the Most Holy Trinity of Liberty) in 1831, later shortened to Liberty. However, this was little more than an outpost on the road and a stop on the river and interior areas were not developed in colonial times. Likewise, Beaumont (Tevis Bluff) was established in 1826 and Fort Teran, a long abandoned site in Tyler County on the Neches River were both primarily stops for river traffic.[5][53]

After Mexican independence (c. 1810–1836), the region remained largely undeveloped. One of the earliest European naturalists to survey Texas was

Jayhawkers, outlaws, and such.[9][56][57][58][59]

Oil derricks in Sour Lake, Hardin County c. 1903

The 1860 census showed there were about 200 sawmills statewide, but most were located near the Gulf Coast or north of the Big Thicket. Compared to other states, lumber production in Texas was small. As late as 1870, the majority of the forest of East Texas remained untouched. However that soon changed as the "bonanza era" (c. 1880–1930) of Texas lumbering began, facilitated by a rapidly developed railroad system. In 1877

lumber industry, as evidenced by names like Lumberton established in the 1890s,[61] Kirbyville (1895) was named after John Kirby:[62] Silsbee, (1894), was named for Nathan D. Silsbee an east coast investor in the railroads,[63] others include Kountze (1882),[64] Camden (1889),[65] and Diboll (1894).[66][67][68]

The Southern Pine Lumber Company sawmills near Diboll, Texas in 1907

William Goodrich Jones (1860–1950), "the father of Texas forestry" was a bank president and civic leader in Temple, Texas. He had some exposure to good forestry practices in Germany and understood the commercial benefits of well-managed forests and he was appalled with what he saw in East Texas. He was not a conservationist, he advocated for sustainable forestry methods as a good business practice, including reforestation, maintaining soils, grasses, wildlife, and establishing parks. In 1898 the United States Bureau of Forestry asked Jones to write a report on the status of forestry in Texas. Jones condemn the destructive and wastefulness of the logging industry and predicted the forest would be gone in 25 years without changes. He recommended state and federal regulations with sustainable harvest and reforestation programs. In 1914 Jones formed the Texas Forestry Association with public officials, lumbermen, and conservationists. In collaboration with the

Texas Forest Service.[69]

What came to be a 50-year struggle to protect a portion of the Big Thicket for posterity begin in 1927 when R. E. Jackson, a railroad conductor, formed the East Texas Big Thicket Association (ETBTA) which sought to preserve 435,000 acres (1,760 km2). With Don Baird, of the Texas Academy of Science, the ETBTA instigated a biological survey that was conducted by Hal B. Parks and Victor L. Cory in 1936 defining the Big Thicket as a 3,350,000-acre (13,600 km2) area of East Texas.

Sam Houston State College, had been studying the Big Thicket for several years and completed a manuscript about the time a National Park survey team arrived in 1966 to develop the proposal.[13] McLeod's research, which mapped over 1,500,000 acres (6,100 km2) acres across nine counties, was used as the basis for the National Park's report. It was only after seven years and another 27 Big Thicket bills were introduced in Congress, both pro and con, that a resolution was reached. Congress passed the Big Thicket National Preserve legislation in 1974 which was finally signed by President Gerald Ford.[70]

Protected and public land

Don't plan to hike the Big Thicket. A hiker expects to cover distance. Plan to stroll the Thicket - or saunter, to use Thoreau's word, pausing often to let your eyes squint and your ears pick up rustling and callings.

— Howard Peacock[5]

The headquarters of Big Thicket National Preserve (BTNP) are located 8 miles (13 km) north of

United States National Park System when both were authorized by the United States Congress on October 11, 1974. Senator Ralph Yarborough was its most powerful proponent in Congress and the bill was proposed by Charles Wilson and Bob Eckhardt that established the 84,550-acre (342.2 km2) preserve.[9] The BTNP was also designated as a biosphere reserve by UNESCO
in 1981. National preserves differ from national parks in that some public hunting, trapping, oil/gas exploration and extraction are permitted.

Ghost Road

Main article: Light of Saratoga

A dirt road leading north out of the town of

swamp gas
, and automobile headlights filtering through the trees.

Notable people

  • John Alexander (born 1945, Beaumont, Jefferson County), American painter that often draws inspiration and paints the landscape of Southeast Texas
  • Brian Philip Babin (born 1948, resident of Woodville, Tyler County) U.S. representative from Texas's 36th congressional district since January 2015
  • Annette Gordon-Reed (born 1958, Livingston, Polk County) historian and Pulitzer Prize winning author
  • George Glenn Jones
    (1931, Saratoga, Hardin County – 2013) country musician and songwriter
  • Margo Jones (1913, Livingston, Polk County – 1955) stage and theater director nicknamed "The Texas Tornado"
  • Aubrey Wilson Mullican (1909, Polk County – 1967) known as "Moon Mullican, King of the Hillbilly Piano Players", country-western musician and songwriter

Bibliography

University of North Texas Press, Temple Big Thicket Series

The University of North Texas Press, Denton, co-published with The Big Thicket Association and the assistance of T.L.L. Temple Foundation, a series of books on the Big Thicket (Maxine Johnston, series editor). The series included both new works and reprints of outstanding books of continuing interest, with subjects ranging from folklore, to cultural history, to biology and botany.[79]


See also

References

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  2. ^ "NPS Annual Recreation Visits Report". National Park Service. Retrieved May 14, 2012.
  3. ^ "Sam Houston State University Archives Collection - The Big Thicket". Texas Archive of the Moving Image. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
  4. S2CID 85602718
    .
  5. ^
    ISBN 978-0-8909-6596-2
    .
  6. ^
    ISBN 978-0-8909-6064-6. Archived
    from the original on December 12, 2023. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
  7. ^ a b "Big Thicket National Preserve". National Park Service. October 25, 2021. Archived from the original on October 26, 2019. Retrieved October 23, 2019.
  8. ^ "Big Thicket, Plants". National Park Service. July 13, 2020. Archived from the original on December 22, 2019. Retrieved December 22, 2019.
  9. ^ a b c d Abernethy, Francis Edward (September 30, 2020) [1976]. "Big Thicket". Handbook of Texas. Texas State Historical Association. Archived from the original on November 11, 2021. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
  10. ISBN 1-57441-175-6. Archived
    from the original on December 12, 2023. Retrieved May 30, 2016.
  11. ^
    ISBN 978-1-5744-1214-7. Archived
    from the original on December 12, 2023. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
  12. ^ a b c Parks, H. B.; Cory, V. L.; et al. (1936). Biological survey of the East Texas Big Thicket area: The fauna and flora of the Big Thicket area. Special Publication sponsored by the Texas Academy of Sciences. Privately Published.
  13. ^ a b c d McLeod, C. A. (1972). The Big Thicket Forest of Eastern Texas: A Brief Historical Botanical and Ecological Report. Huntsville, Texas: Sam Houston State University.
  14. ^ MacRoberts, Michael H.; MacRoberts, Barbara R. (March 2004). "The Big Thicket: Typical or Atypical?". East Texas Historical Journal. 42 (1): 42–51. Archived from the original on July 9, 2020. Retrieved December 22, 2019.
  15. ^
    ISBN 0-292-72479-9
  16. ^ a b Geology of Texas, Bureau of Economic Geology, The University of Texas, Austin (Accessed 7 December 2019)
  17. ^ Cozine (2004) p. x.
  18. ^ Big Thicket National Preserve: The Climate of Big Thicket Archived December 8, 2019, at the Wayback Machine (accessed 7 December 2019)
  19. ^ US Climate Data: Climate, Kountze, Texas Archived December 8, 2019, at the Wayback Machine (accessed 7 December 2019)
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  26. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p P. A. Harcombe, P. A., J. S. Glitzenstein, R. G. Knox, S. L. Orzell, & E. L. Bridges. (1993). Vegetation of the Longleaf Pine Region of the West Gulf Coastal Plain. 83-104 pp. Archived December 21, 2019, at the Wayback Machine In Hermann, Sharon M. (ed.). Proceedings of the Tall Timbers Fire Ecology Conference J. No. 18, The Longleaf Pine Ecosystem: ecology, restoration and management.
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  29. ^ Texas Parks and Wildlife: Bald Cypress (Taxodium distichum Archived December 21, 2019, at the Wayback Machine)
  30. ^
    ISBN 0-292-70241-8
  31. ^
    ISBN 978-160344-734-8
  32. ^ a b c d e f Texas Parks & Wildlife, Federal and State Listed Species in Texas Archived December 28, 2019, at the Wayback Machine, accessed 2 November 2019
  33. ^ Michael Graczyk (February 21, 2007). "Big Thicket searches seek giant woodpecker that might be extinct". USA Today. Archived from the original on July 26, 2023. Retrieved October 25, 2015.
  34. ^
    ISBN 978-0-8018-9121-2
  35. ^ Axtell, Ralph W. (1994) Interpretive Atlas of Texas Lizards: No. 13. Cnemidophorus sexlineatus. Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville. 31 pp.
  36. ^ Axtell, Ralph W. (1996) Interpretive Atlas of Texas Lizards: No. 16. Phrynosoma cornutum. Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville. 52 pp.
  37. ^ Himes, John G., Laurence M. Hardy, D. Craig Rudolph, and Shirley J. Burgdorf (2006) Movement patterns and habitat selection by native and repatriated Louisiana pine snakes (Pituophis ruthveni): implications for conservation. Herpetological Natural History. 9 (2): 103–116.
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    ISBN 0-292-79130-5
  39. ISBN 1-56098-828-2
  40. ISBN 978-1-4214-0633-6
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  43. ISBN 978-1-58544-570-7
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  45. ISBN 978-0-292-71449-6
  46. ISBN 978-0-292-71448-9
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  53. ISBN 0-292-76015-9
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External links

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