Meadow Habitat

A meadow is an area dominated by non-woody (herbaceous) plants such as grasses, sedges, and wildflowers. The presence of a meadow, or grassland ecosystem, is determined primarily by soil types and climate. Grasslands found in the Great Plains region of the United States usually have too little rainfall to support trees. The presence of meadows and prairies in our area (the Gulf Coast) is determined more by soils, fires, and large grazers than a lack of moisture.

The meadow at the Houston Arboretum & Nature Center is a demonstration grassland habitat, although results of soil surveys show that there was once a natural Gulf Coast Prairie in this area. Since that time, pine trees had moved in. These pines were killed by bark beetles and were removed to create this meadow. The presence of pine-specific soil fungi and the absence of large grazers such as deer and buffalo make it necessary to maintain the meadow by occasional mowing. Among the plants which we are encouraging are sunflowers, liatris, bluestem grasses, asters, coreopsis, gaillardia, and basketflowers.