The Pecan Creek Pollinative Prairie
Explore the prairie restoration project at the University of North Texas
What is the Pollinative Prairie?
UNT Native Plant Tour
- The Pecan Creek Pollinative Prairie is a native North Central Texas tallgrass prairie reconstruction project located on four acres at the University of North Texas Discovery Park Campus.
- In May 2016, UNT Ecology staff and students initiated the project to provide a space for students, faculty, and staff on the UNT Campus to promote conservation and sustainable urban landscaping of native habitats for declining pollinator populations.
- The prairie is a place for the UNT community to enjoy nature, and receive hands on education & experience.
Prairies in North Texas
- North Central Texas once had 40,000 acres of productive prairie land boasting 2,223 species of native plants.
- Today, only around 1% of that habitat remains. It's important that remaining prairie habitat is protected because they support thousands of species.
- Never seen a prairie? Go out and explore these wild places to see the beauty yourself !
Click the map pinpoints to view a few of the remaining prairie's across North Texas.
Importance of Prairies
Land Use
The way the land is used affects species abundance and dispersion. Green spaces in areas with rapid urbanization provide needed habitat, and safe breeding & nesting locations.
Denton County 2001 & 2016 NLCD Land Cover
Legend
DFW 2001 & 2016 NLCD Land Cover
While the Pollinative Prairie is only 4 acres, it is one of many small & essential green spaces throughout DFW needed to sustain native species.
Species at the Prairie
Plants at the Pollinative Prairie
Indian Blanket
- The flower is named for its bright red, gold, and bronze shades, similar to Native American Blankets in the Southwest. They are perennial and begin blooming in May and can continue through August.
- Blanket-flower is an attractive, showy, native wildflower that is tolerant of drought conditions within its range of adaptation It has utility as a cover and food source for pollinators, wildlife, and livestock.
Standing Cypress
- Standing cypress attracts hummingbirds, and other pollinators. It is Biennial (A plant that takes two years to complete the flowering cycle). The flower typically grows vegetatively the first year and flowers and fruits during the second year before dying.
Maximillian Sunflower
- Maximilian sunflower is a perennial plant, native to central North America. The sunflower is used in conservation planting for habitat development, prairie restoration, landscaping, and range and pasture maintenance.
- Butterflies, beetles, and bees consume the nectar or pollen produced by the flowers of Maximilian sunflower. Butterfly caterpillars feed on the foliage while moth caterpillars bore through the stems.
Basketflower
- Its common name comes from the underside of the flower, which has a basket weave pattern on it and on the flower buds.
- The Basketflower is an annual flower that is recognized by pollination ecologists as attracting large numbers of native bees.
Clasping Coneflower
- Clasping Coneflower is an native annual that is easily established from seed, is drought tolerant, and will self-seed in the garden or wildflower meadows. It provides feeding sites for young ground nesting birds.
Echinacea
- Echinacea is a group of herbaceous flowering plants in the daisy family. The genus Echinacea has ten species, which are commonly called coneflowers. Native Americans used it to treat wounds and infections. Today you can find it in pills and teas.
- Echinacea is a perennial native to Texas. They attract pollinators like butterflies, moths, bees, and hummingbirds.
Big Blue Stem
- Provides cover for at least 24 species of songbirds and nesting sites or seeds for sparrows, as well as nesting sites for Sedge Wrens and Western Meadowlarks.
- The grass also provides nesting material/structure to native bees
Milkweed
- Milkweeds are named from the sticky white sap that oozes from the leaves when they are damaged. More than 100 species of this herbaceous perennial are native to the U.S. and Canada.
- Nectar and pollen from milkweeds are important food sources for many pollinators, in addition to monarch butterflies.
Birds at the Pollinative Prairie
Eastern Meadowlark
- Eastern Meadowlarks walk on and nest on the ground, often concealed by grasses or crops. Males sing beautiful, flute-like songs from exposed perches, particularly fence-posts.
- Their flight is a distinctive sequence of rapid fluttering and short glides, usually low to the ground. In winter you may see flocks of meadowlarks hunting insects in fields. Eastern Meadowlarks live in farm fields, grasslands, and wet fields.
American Kestrel
- The American kestrel is the smallest and most common falcon in North America. Its diet typically consists of grasshoppers and other insects, lizards, mice, and small birds.
- The presence of the American Kestrel indicates that the Polinative Prairie houses an abundant number and diversity of food sources.
Bird Box Footage
Resident American Kestrels at the Pollinative Prairie
Video by Jordan Curtis shows nesting pair and their five eggs in the prairie's bird box.
Click the video to start and stop
They Hatched!
Two of the eggs have hatched and are being feed by the adult Kestrel.
Growing American Kestrels
The two babies now have feathers and are exploring their home.
For more Footage visit UNT Ecology Facebook page
Observations using GIS
Volunteers/Students use the application iNaturalist to observe species found at the prairie and on the UNT campus. This is how we monitor species diversity & abundance to make predictions on the overall quality of the ecosystem.
iNaturalist observation projects at UNT
The Prairie Today
01 / 06
How to get Involved
The Prairie is always looking for volunteers to help continue the project. To get involved with this North Texas Prairie reconstruction project, you can:
- Visit the prairie's webite
- Join the Volunteer Mailing List
- For questions contact Jaime Baxter-Slye at Jaime.slye@unt.edu
