Natural Features & Ecosystems

Big Thicket National Preserve lies in a large area in southeast Texas where the Piney Woods meet the coastal prairie. The overlap of ecosystems and ecological influences here enables a large diversity of species to coexist within a relatively small area. There are few places on earth where you can walk through a beech-magnolia-loblolly pine woodland and then see roadrunners darting between longleaf pines and cactus. Canoeists and kayakers may see alligators and egrets while paddling through a bald cypress-tupelo swamp, while hikers in upland forests may find lichens and mushrooms that are also native to the Arctic.

Learn more about the preserve's ecosystems below.

 

Ecosystems

Plant Communities

Learn more about the diverse plant communities found here.

Wetlands

Abundant rainfall creates ideal conditions for the Big Thicket's wetlands.