Seeded 2018
Indiangrass
Sorghastrum nutans
Logged Aug 2019
A tall, golden-plumed tallgrass. One of the stars of the seed mix.
Representative photo, not taken here. (c) Erica Fraley, CC BY-NC, via iNaturalist.
Flight 2 · Close-ups
Shrike's Field Guide
A few favorites from more than 100 species logged at Stokes Prairie.
Shrike says
Gold badge = we planted it in 2018. Green badge = it moved in on its own. Rust badge = we're keeping an eye on it. Dates are when it was logged on iNaturalist.
So far, 14 of the 19 seeded species have been confirmed on iNaturalist. Species photos with a credit line are representative iNaturalist photos (CC BY or CC BY-NC), not photos taken here. Cards marked “Photo coming soon” are waiting for a photo we're allowed to use, ideally one from Stokes Prairie itself.
Close-ups
Grasses
Photo coming soon
Seeded 2018
Big bluestem
Andropogon gerardi
Logged Aug 2021
Nicknamed “turkeyfoot” for its three-pronged seed heads.
Photo coming soon
Seeded 2018
Sideoats grama
Bouteloua curtipendula
Logged Jun to Jul 2018
Seeds dangle along one side of the stem, like tiny flags.
Photo coming soon
Showed up on its own
Texas wintergrass
Nassella leucotricha
Logged Apr 2019
A native cool-season grass that showed up on its own. Locally called spear-grass.
Close-ups
Wildflowers
Seeded 2018
Maximilian sunflower
Helianthus maximiliani
Logged 2018
Tall late-summer sunflower. A seed buffet for birds.
Representative photo, not taken here. (c) smwhite, CC BY-NC, via iNaturalist.
Seeded 2018
Indian blanket (firewheel)
Gaillardia pulchella
Logged May 2018
Red-and-yellow pinwheels. Bloomed the very first spring.
Representative photo, not taken here. (c) TexasEagle, CC BY-NC, via iNaturalist.
Seeded 2018
Black-eyed Susan
Rudbeckia hirta
Logged 2018 and 2019
In both seed mixes. Yellow petals, dark button center.
Representative photo, not taken here. (c) germangirl, CC BY-NC, via iNaturalist.
Seeded 2018
Purple prairie clover
Dalea purpurea
Logged May 2023
A legume that adds nitrogen to the soil. Bees love it.
Representative photo, not taken here. (c) dleaon1, CC BY-NC, via iNaturalist.
Photo coming soon
Seeded 2018
Mexican hat
Ratibida columnifera
Logged May 2023
Drooping petals around a tall cone, like a sombrero.
Photo coming soon
Seeded 2018
Lanceleaf coreopsis
Coreopsis lanceolata
Logged Apr 2024
Cheerful yellow daisies from the wildflower blend.
Photo coming soon
Showed up on its own
Green antelopehorn milkweed
Asclepias viridis
Logged May 2018
A milkweed. Large milkweed bugs were found clustered on it.
Showed up on its own
Snow-on-the-prairie
Euphorbia bicolor
Logged 2018 and Sep 2026
White-edged leaves make it look frosted in late summer. Careful: milky sap.
Representative photo, not taken here. (c) Marcia Cirillo, CC BY-NC, via iNaturalist.
Showed up on its own
Prairie false foxglove
Agalinis heterophylla
Logged 2018 and Oct 2026
Pink fall trumpets on wiry stems.
Representative photo, not taken here. (c) Bryan, CC BY-NC, via iNaturalist.
Photo coming soon
Showed up on its own
Bonesets & false boneset
Eupatorium sp.; Brickellia eupatorioides
Logged Oct 2021 and Oct 2026
Fuzzy white fall flowers that pollinators crowd around.
Photo coming soon
Showed up on its own
Texas pricklypear
Opuntia lindheimeri
Logged Oct 2026
A cactus! Handy thorns for a shrike, ouch for everyone else.
Close-ups
Birds
Possible, unconfirmed
Loggerhead Shrike (that's me?)
Lanius ludovicianus
Possible sign, Sep 2026
A headless mouse on barbed wire looks like a shrike pantry. Not confirmed... yet.
Cartoon mascot, not a photo.
Photo coming soon
Showed up on its own
Western Meadowlark
Sturnella neglecta
Logged Feb 2021 (ID pending)
A grassland songbird, the kind PUB is meant to help.
Showed up on its own
Wild Turkey
Meleagris gallopavo
Game camera, May 2018
Caught strutting on a game camera.
Representative photo, not taken here. (c) Matt K, CC BY-NC, via iNaturalist.
Showed up on its own
Snow Goose
Anser caerulescens
Flyover, Jan 2019
About 100 flew over, honking. They didn't stop to visit.
Representative photo, not taken here. (c) Miguel A Mejias, PhD., CC BY-NC, via iNaturalist.
Close-ups
Reptiles
Photo coming soon
Showed up on its own
Copperhead
Agkistrodon contortrix
Logged Apr 2026
Venomous. Admire from a distance and watch your step.
Showed up on its own
Speckled kingsnake
Lampropeltis holbrooki
Logged Jun 2018
Black with yellow freckles. Kingsnakes even eat other snakes.
Representative photo, not taken here. (c) Yinan Li, CC BY-NC, via iNaturalist.
Showed up on its own
Texas ratsnake
Pantherophis obsoletus
Logged 2018 and 2019
A big, good climber and an expert rodent catcher (a colleague, really).
Representative photo, not taken here. (c) jbpeters, CC BY-NC, via iNaturalist.
Photo coming soon
Showed up on its own
Mud turtle
Kinosternon sp.
Logged Sep 2020
A small aquatic turtle that likes muddy, shallow water.
Close-ups
Insects
Showed up on its own
Large milkweed bug
Oncopeltus fasciatus
Logged Jun 2018
Orange and black, clustered on the green antelopehorn milkweed.
Representative photo, not taken here. (c) Katja Schulz, CC BY, via iNaturalist.
Photo coming soon
Showed up on its own
Texas ironclad beetle
Zopherus nodulosus haldemani
Logged Jun 2020
One of the toughest-shelled beetles around. Even I can't crack it.
Showed up on its own
Io moth (caterpillar)
Automeris io
Logged Oct 2018
Spiny and green. Don't touch: the spines sting.
Representative photo, not taken here. (c) Anita, CC BY-NC, via iNaturalist.
Photo coming soon
Showed up on its own
Honey bee on goldenrod
Apis mellifera
Logged Oct 2026
Introduced, not native, but a busy fall visitor on the goldenrod.
Close-ups
Fungi
Photo coming soon
Showed up on its own
Texas Star
Chorioactis geaster
Logged Dec 2023
The Texas state fungus, known only from Texas and Japan. It splits open into a star.
Photo coming soon
Showed up on its own
Puffballs
Lycoperdaceae
Logged May 2025
Little round fungi that puff out spores when they're ripe.
Not on the guest list
The watch list
Invasives, plus one native tree that's moving in where it shouldn't. Prairie restoration is partly a weeding job.
King Ranch bluestem
Bothriochloa ischaemum
The exotic grass this field used to be. Logged here in 2020 and still on the watch list.
Johnsongrass
Sorghum halepense
Invasive. Spreads by deep roots, so we spot-treat it.
Balloon vine
Cardiospermum halicacabum
Invasive vine. We pull or treat it before it sets seed.
Bastard cabbage
Rapistrum rugosum
Invasive mustard, logged here in 2018. On the watch list.
Cedar elm (encroaching)
Ulmus crassifolia
Native tree, but it invades open prairie. Being cleared in 2026.