Wildlife of Proto-Town/Plants

Wildlife guide: Overview · Plants · Fungi · Animals · Birds · Bugs · Microbial life

Edibility disclaimer: An edibility label says only that the organism is conventionally eaten in Western foodways or is recognized as a survival food. It is not an identification guarantee, permission to harvest, legal guidance, preparation instructions, or a statement that a particular specimen is safe. Misidentification, disease, contamination, pesticides, allergies, spoilage, season, protected status, hunting and foraging rules, landowner authorization, and required processing can all make consumption unsafe or illegal. Do not forage, hunt, trap, harvest, butcher, or eat anything based only on this guide. Consult Proto-Town management for current foraging or hunting information before attempting it yourself, and follow all applicable laws and expert safety guidance.

This page covers representative plants of the prairie, pasture, disturbed ground, and light woodland around Lockhart. Presence at a particular Proto-Town location should be confirmed by observation.

Post oak

Post oak

Type	Tree
Scientific name	Quercus stellata
Texan regional name	Post oak; iron oak
Origin	Native
Conservation status	Not federally listed
Edibility	SURVIVAL FOOD — PROCESSING REQUIRED Acorns. Correct identification and substantial processing, including leaching bitter tannins, are required before use as food.
Hazard	No special hazard label

Post oak is one of the defining trees of the Post Oak Savannah. Its thick, cross-shaped leaves and rounded crown are common on dry uplands and woodland edges; the acorns feed deer, squirrels, and many birds. Mature trees tolerate poor soil and drought but are sensitive to root disturbance and abrupt grade changes.

Cedar elm

Cedar elm

Type	Tree
Scientific name	Ulmus crassifolia
Texan regional name	Cedar elm; Texas cedar elm
Origin	Native
Conservation status	Not federally listed
Hazard	No special hazard label

Cedar elm is a widespread Central Texas shade tree with small rough leaves and corky ridges on some branches. It tolerates clay, seasonal wetness, drought, and urban conditions, so it often persists around roads, buildings, and drainage areas. Its late-season seeds support birds and small mammals.

Little bluestem

Little bluestem

Type	Native bunchgrass
Scientific name	Schizachyrium scoparium
Texan regional name	Little bluestem
Origin	Native
Conservation status	Not federally listed
Hazard	No special hazard label

Little bluestem is a characteristic warm-season grass of Texas prairies. Its stems turn coppery or reddish in autumn and retain fluffy silver seed heads into winter. Dense clumps provide nesting material and cover for insects, birds, and small mammals while deep roots improve soil structure.

Texas bluebonnet

Texas bluebonnet

Type	Annual wildflower
Scientific name	Lupinus texensis
Texan regional name	Bluebonnet
Origin	Native
Conservation status	Not federally listed
Hazard	NUISANCE / USE CARE Seeds and other parts should not be eaten; lupines contain alkaloids that can be toxic in sufficient quantities.

The Texas bluebonnet is a winter annual that produces blue flower spikes in spring on sunny, well-drained ground. It is a nitrogen-fixing legume and the best-known state flower of Texas. Roadside displays should be viewed without trampling or collecting plants on land where permission has not been given.

Poison ivy

Poison ivy

Type	Vine or shrub
Scientific name	Toxicodendron radicans
Texan regional name	Poison ivy
Origin	Native
Conservation status	Not federally listed
Hazard	PAINFUL OR SIGNIFICANT DANGER Urushiol oil can cause severe allergic dermatitis. Oil remains active on tools, gloves, clothing, pets, and dead vines; smoke from burning plants can injure the lungs.

Poison ivy grows as a low plant, shrub, or climbing vine in woodland edges, fencelines, and disturbed shade. Leaves usually occur in groups of three, but shape and color vary, so the rhyme “leaves of three” is a warning rather than a complete identification test.

Encounter guidance: Do not touch or burn it. If contact may have occurred, wash exposed skin promptly with soap or a purpose-made urushiol cleanser and clean contaminated clothing and tools separately. Seek medical advice for severe, widespread, facial, eye, or breathing symptoms.

Johnsongrass

Johnsongrass

Type	Perennial grass
Scientific name	Sorghum halepense
Texan regional name	Johnsongrass
Origin	Introduced; invasive
Conservation status	Noxious agricultural weed; not federally endangered
Hazard	NUISANCE / USE CARE Sharp leaf edges can cut skin. Wilted or frost-damaged growth can contain dangerous cyanide levels for grazing livestock.

Johnsongrass is a tall, fast-spreading grass with broad leaves, open purplish seed heads, and persistent underground rhizomes. It colonizes roadsides, ditches, pasture edges, and disturbed soil, where it can displace native vegetation and be difficult to eradicate.

King Ranch bluestem

King Ranch bluestem

Type	Perennial grass
Scientific name	Bothriochloa ischaemum var. songarica
Texan regional name	KR bluestem; King Ranch bluestem
Origin	Introduced; invasive
Conservation status	Not federally listed
Hazard	NUISANCE / USE CARE Ecological nuisance; dense stands reduce native plant diversity and alter grassland habitat.

King Ranch bluestem was introduced for forage and erosion control and is now widespread on Central Texas roadsides and pastures. It forms relatively uniform stands that can crowd out the varied native grasses and wildflowers used by grassland wildlife.

Giant ragweed

Giant ragweed

Type	Annual forb
Scientific name	Ambrosia trifida
Texan regional name	Giant ragweed; bloodweed
Origin	Native
Conservation status	Not federally listed
Hazard	NUISANCE / USE CARE Pollen is a major seasonal allergen; sap and rough hairs can irritate sensitive skin.

Giant ragweed grows rapidly in moist disturbed soil, drainage corridors, fence rows, and field margins. It can exceed the height of a person and has large, usually three-lobed leaves. The plant supports some wildlife, but its abundant late-summer pollen is a common cause of hay-fever symptoms.

Field sandbur

Field sandbur
No image available
Type	Annual or short-lived perennial grass
Scientific name	Cenchrus spinifex
Texan regional name	Grassbur; sandbur; stickerbur; sticker weed
Origin	Native; several related native sandbur species occur in Texas
Conservation status	Not federally listed
Hazard	NUISANCE / USE CARE The mature seed burs have stiff, fishhook-like spines that puncture skin, footwear, clothing, bicycle tires, and animal paws.

Field sandbur is the plant responsible for many of the hard, painfully spiny “sticker bugs” found in dry lawns, roadsides, disturbed ground, and thin pasture. The green burs form along the seed head and harden as they mature, allowing seeds to travel on fur, fabric, and tires. Texas also has closely related longspine and southern sandburs, so species-level identification may require the whole plant.

Encounter guidance: Wear gloves and closed shoes when clearing mature plants. Remove burs from fur or fabric before entering buildings; use tweezers or pliers for deeply embedded spines and check an animal’s paw carefully if it begins limping.

Lindheimer prickly pear

Lindheimer prickly pear

Type	Succulent shrub; cactus
Scientific name	Opuntia engelmannii var. lindheimeri (also classified as Opuntia lindheimeri)
Texan regional name	Lindheimer prickly pear; Texas prickly pear; cactus pear
Origin	Native
Conservation status	Not federally listed
Edibility	EDIBLE AFTER PROPER PREPARATION Young pads (nopalitos) and ripe fruit (tuna). All spines and glochids must be completely removed, and safe identification and preparation are essential.
Hazard	NUISANCE / USE CARE Long spines can cause puncture wounds. Nearly invisible clusters of tiny barbed spines called glochids detach easily, lodge in skin, and are especially hazardous to the eyes. Even pads that appear spineless can carry glochids.

Lindheimer prickly pear is a familiar native cactus of Central and South Texas. Its flattened green pads store water and produce showy yellow flowers followed by red to purple fruit. The plant supplies fruit, shelter, pollen, and nectar for wildlife and pollinators. It is not an introduced invasive species, although dense stands can expand on disturbed or overgrazed ground. Properly prepared pads and fruit are eaten as nopalitos and tuna, but wild material should never be handled or eaten without fully removing the spines and glochids.

Encounter guidance: Do not brush against or handle the plant with bare skin. For necessary grounds work, use eye protection, long tools or tongs, and puncture-resistant gloves that are kept away from the face. Do not rub embedded glochids; remove visible ones carefully with tweezers, clean punctures with soap and water, and seek prompt medical care for eye exposure, deeply embedded spines, or signs of infection.

Sources