Written by Mark Kramer

Have you ever seen a landscape that was so beautiful that it stopped you, made you take another look, or maybe made you sit down in admiration? We flatlander Houstonians (not flat-earthers) sometimes need a dose of that healing elixir. On occasion we even need to be taught “that is beautiful”. I’ve had prairie classes hike through acres of blooming wildflowers as if they were walking through the Walmart parking lot. Residents of coastal Texas don’t get the grandeur of mountain vistas; we don’t have the iconic plants of the Redwood Forest or the topography of the Grand Canyon. We do have beauty. The art of appreciating local nature is an exercise in valuing subtle beauty. The beauty of color in a field of grasses and wildflowers that is wind swept to the horizon. The beauty rich in hundreds of species of prairie grasses, flowers, insects, birds, reptiles, and mammals. A diverse assembly of prairie life, seldom seen and seldom truly appreciated. The beauty of 10,000 human hands who have painted the colors of that landscape through decades of prairie restoration. The rare beauty that comes from being the last of your kind. Prairies today are critically imperiled habitat and now this prairie view is one of the rarest views remaining in Texas. The art of appreciating the beauty of coastal Texas is also the act of cultivating a deeper understanding.

As Spring approaches Summer, a sea of vibrant color swells over the landscape. The next few weeks are peak bloom for the Texas Coneflower (Rudbeckia texana). Standing four to five feet tall with multiple large vivid yellow flowers, the plant can transform the prairie viewscape. A flower blooms transforming the landscape, sets its seed and withdraws below the soil surface, not seen again until next year. It’s replaced by a continuing rotation of successive beautiful blooming species.  One peak bloom after another scattered across the field with each unfolding summer. My favorite spot to reflect on the beauty of this moment is from the Prairie Observation Platform and to walk the Prairie Hiking Trail. 

People struggle to appreciate the view of just a field of grass. It turns out that prairies are much more than just grass. Wildflowers add a complex dimension of color which all people immediately relate to – as beautiful. ABNC has used these “charismatic mega-flora” such as the Texas Coneflower as an integral component of prairie restoration for decades. Beautiful blooming wildflowers are a gateway species that pull people into a deeper appreciation of the subtle beauty of our ecological heritage. Countless hours of dedicated management from ABNC Staff and Volunteers have produced a view worthy of reflection.

For a deeper dive into Coastal Prairies check out these videos: