U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

10/06/2022 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 10/06/2022 10:29

Texas Prairie Dawn-flower: Every Flower Matters

There is a tiny relative to the sunflower that grows only on the salty bare soils of the open grasslands of Texas. Meet the Texas prairie dawn-flower (Hymenoxys texana). It is an endangered plant that blooms between February and April and every flower matters.

VIDEO: Met Jan, our expert leading recovery of the Texas prairie dawn-flower

Federal and state partners have conducted surveys for this plant since the 1980s. Private landowners join in the monitoring efforts whenever the Texas prairie dawn is discovered on their properties. In 2022, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Texas Coastal Ecological Services Field Office conducted an inventory to gather population numbers and understand threats to the plant's continued survival. Loss of habitat to development and exotic and invasive species invasive species
An invasive species is any plant or animal that has spread or been introduced into a new area where they are, or could, cause harm to the environment, economy, or human, animal, or plant health. Their unwelcome presence can destroy ecosystems and cost millions of dollars.

Learn more about invasive species are the main threats to this diminutive plant whose continued existence is an indicator of healthy ecosystems in Texas.

It is with the help of private landowners and other important federal and state partners that the Texas prairie dawn will continue to live on.