The Rio Grande Valley's Nature Site

Rio Grande Valley Native Plants Links:
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Here in deep South Texas, we are indeed blessed with some very unique species of Rio Grande Valley fauna.  This is very much due to the LRGV native plants.  LRGV landscaping and LRGV xeroscaping, along with the exclusive use of Valley native plants, are so necessary in attracting all types of LRGV wildlife.

Native plants are almost always less expensive than non-native plants; require less maintenance and care; and most importantly, native plants require less water than non-native plants require.  The total Rio Grande Valley flora: RGV wildflowers, RGV grasses, RGV vines, RGV cacti, RGV succulents, RGV trees, RGV shrubs, RGV wetland plants, and RGV mosses all come together to make the Lower Rio Grande Valley the very special place that it is. 

The entire LRGV flora spectrum is the main reason the Rio Grande Valley has such great diversity in mammals, birds, herpetofauna, odonata, butterflies, and other insects.

Non-natives and exotic species, although often pretty to see, almost always produce little to no nectar, fruit or seeds that all forms of wild creatures depend on for their survival.  Non-natives and exotics are usually much more susceptible to low temperatures and freezes, and almost always require a lot of water.

No matter what size space that you have to work with, be it acres or an apartment flower pot, you can always "Go Native".

Rio Grande Valley growers-G, sellers-S, and native landscapers-L:    

Journey through the links, below, get out in the field...whether in the Rio Grande Valley or in your own area...and study, enjoy, and learn las plantas nativas.

GO NATIVE!
USE ONLY NATIVE PLANTS!

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To View Photos of LRGV Native Plants, CLICK HERE

FIELD GUIDES FOR THE LGRV:

  • Plants of Deep South Texas: A Field Guide to the Woody and Flowering Species, by Alfred Richardson and Ken King. (EXCELLENT)

  • Plants of the Rio Grande Delta by Alfred Richardson.

  • Field Guide to the Broad-Leaved Herbaceous Plants of South Texas, by James H. Everitt, D. Lynn Drawe, and Robert I. Lonard.

LRGV Butterfly Plants (pdf file)

  • Wildflowers and Other Plants of Texas Beaches and Islands, by Alfred Richardson.

  • Trees, Shrubs & Cacti of South Texas, by James H. Everitt, D. Lynn Drawe, and Robert I. Lonard.

  • Weeds in South Texas and Northern Mexico: A Guide to Identification, by James H. Everitt, Robert I. Lonard, and Christopher R. Little.

  • A Field Guide to Common South Texas Shrubs, by Richard R. Taylor, Jimmy Rutledge, and Joe G. Herrera.

  • Cacti of Texas and Neighboring States-A Field Guide, by Del Weniger.

  • Aquatic and Wetland Plants of the Western Gulf of Mexico, by Charles D. Stutzenbaker.

Information on Places to See Rio Grande Valley Native Plants:

All Valley Locations

Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail & Native Plant Study Sites -Lower Texas Coast (LRGV)

World Birding Center (9 LRGV Native Plant Study Sites)

Rio Grande Valley Native Plants Resources:

Google Images Search Engine

Christina Mild's Rio Delta Wild Website of Native LRGV Plants

Native Plant Project

Rio Grande Valley Master Naturalists (RGVCTMN)

Mike Quinn's Lower Rio Grande Valley Butterfly Plants and Caterpillar Food Plants Information Lists

Plants of Ornamental Value for the Rio Grande Valley

Native Plants of South Texas

South Texas Natives

Valley Native Tree Handbook Online

Valley Native Shrub Handbook Online

Valley Native Cacti, Ground Covers, and Vines Handbook Online

Valley Native Pond and Wetland Plants Handbook Online

Valley Butterfly Gardening with Native Plants Handbook Online (pdf)

Benito Trevino's Website

South Texas Native Plants List

Plants of the South Texas Sand Sheet

LRGV Tree Growing Guide

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Texas Native Plants Resources:

Google Images Search Engine

Books for the Study of Texas Native Plants

Native Plant Society of Texas

Native Plant Project (Valley)

Botanical Research Institute of Texas (BRIT)

Native Prairies Association of Texas (NPAT)

TAMU's AgExtServ's Native Texas Trees

Texas Tree Planting Guide

Texas Tree I.D.

Texas Cacti

North Central Texas Smartscape

UT's Flora of Texas Database

Native Texas Shrubs Website

TAMU's Texas AgriLife Extension Service

TAMU's Dept. of Ecosystem Science & Management

TAMU's Aggie Horticulture

TAMU's Vascular Plant Image Gallery

TAMU's Wildflowers in Bloom Photo Album

The Noble Foundation Plant Image Gallery

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center-Austin

Native American Seed (source)

Flora of Texas Consortium-Endemic Plants of Texas

Toxic Plants of Texas

Toxic Texas Rangeland Plants

Texas Master Gardener

USDOT's Texas Plant Listings

UTEP's Chihuahuan Desert Plant Database

Image Archive of Central Texas Plants

Texas Beneficial and Harmful Aquatic Plants Brochure (pdf file)

Texas Society for Ecological Restoration

Texas Aquatic Plant Management Society

Common Texas Invasive Plants

TPWD List of Invasive, Prohibited and Exotic Species of Aquatic Plants

Texas Grasses

Know Your Texas Grasses

Brush and Weeds of Texas Rangelands

Texas Milkweed Photos and Info

Texas Bamboo Society

Texas Discovery Gardens-Dallas

Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute TAMUK

Foraging Texas (Mark "Merriwether" Vorderbruggen's Texas Edible Plants Blog)

Texas Parks and Wildlife Dept.

Ethnobotany Sites:

Google Images Search Engine

Benito Trevino's Website

Ethnobotany of the South Texas Plains

Ethnobotany of the Lower Pecos Canyonlands of Texas

Etnobotany of the Plateaus and Canyonlands of Texas

Ethnobotany of the Trans Pecos Mountains and Basins of Texas

Native American Seed (source)

Native Seeds Search (source)

Native Seed Network (source)

United Plant Savers of Healing Herbs

Native American Ethnobotany Database

Ethnobotanical Dictionary

Ethnobotanical Leaflets

Medicinal Herb Uses and Picture Gallery

Native U.S. Medicinal Plants

Society of Ethnobiology

Hawaiian Ethnobotany Onlline Database

Additional Ethnobotany Plant Info (Store, but with some good info)

Herb Uses

Other North American Native Plant Resources:

Google Images Search Engine

Trees and Plants Images from U.S. Forest Service

Tree Encyclopedia Images and Information

Forest Genetics Glossary

Glossary of Botanical Terms

Aquatic, Wetland and Invasive Plant Glossary

Dictionary and Encyclopedia of Plants

Visual Dictionary of Plants

Flora of the U.S. & Canada (images/atlas/info)

Botanical Dictionaries Online (several)

Dictionary of Botanical Epithets

Botanicus Digital Library

Plant Systematics

Biota of North America Program (BONAP)

Biological Control of Insect, Disease, and Weed Pests

Invasive and Exotic Species of NA

National Invasive Species Information Center

Invasive Plant Atlas of the U.S.

ISSG's Global Invasive Species Database

USDA-NRCS Plants Database

USDoT-FHA States Plants Lists & Resources (excellent site)

Missouri Flora (Excellent Plant I.D. site)

Univ Cal-Berkley's Calphoto Database (82,345 images)

Calflora Image Database

World Grasses Database w/Images

USDA-Plant Hardiness Zone Map

AHS-Plant Heat Zone Map

New York Botanical Garden (NYBG)

NYBG's International Plant Science Center

American Public Gardens Association

Desert and Tropical Plant Info

Poisonous Plants Information Database

Floridata

South Florida Native Plant Images and Fact Sheets

Mushroom, Fungi, and Mycology of California

Idaho Mountain Wildflowers

Montana Plant Life

Wildflowers of the Pacific Northwest

Oklahoma Wildflowers

Oklahoma Fern Images

Oklahoma Fungi Images

Flora of North America Online

Center for Plant Conservation

Aquatic, Wetland, and Invasive Plants Line Drawings

Dave's Garden

Pollinator Resources Information

Virgina Tech's Plant Guide

Weed Photo Gallery

New York Botanical Garden (NYBG)

Plant Conservation Alliance

American Association of Botanical Gardens and Arboreta

The Botanical Society of America

Botanical Gardens Conservation International (BGCI)

American Bryological and Lichenological Society

Lichens of North America

North Anerican Lichens

Malvaceae Information

American Fern Society

American Bamboo Society

Bamboo of Mexico

Mycological Society of America

North American Native Plant Society

New England Wildflower Society

California's Theodore Payne Foundation for Wildflowers and Native Plants

Center for Plant Conservation

Prairies Forever

Weed Science Society of America

Oxford University Herbaria Database

International Carnivorous Plant Society

Angiosperm Phylogeny Website

National Registry of Big Trees

American Society of Plant Taxonomists

Gardening Questions Help for Natives & Non-natives

U.S. Native Plant Societies:

Google Images Search Engine

Alabama Wildflower Society

Alaska Native Plant Society

Arizona Native Plant Society

Arkansas Native Plant Society

California Native Plant Society

Colorado Native Plant Society

Connecticut Botanical Society

Delaware Native Plant Society

Florida Native Plant Society

Georgia Native Plant Society

Georgia Botanical Society

Hawaii Native Plants

Idaho Native Plant Society

Illinois Native Plant Society

Indiana Native Plant and Wildflower Society

Iowa Native Plant Society

Kansas Native Plant Society

Kentucky Native Plant Society

Louisiana Native Plant Society

Maine Native Plant List

Maryland Native Plant Society

Massachusetts New England Wildflower Soceity

Massachusetts Native Plants List

Michigan Botanical Club

Minnesota Native Plant Society

Mississippi Native Plant Society

Missouri Native Plant Society

Montana Native Plant Society

Nebraska Native Plant Society

Nevada Native Plant Society

New Hampshire Native Plants List

New Hampshire Native Trees, Shrubs, and Vines With Wildlife Value (pdf file)

New Jersey Native Plant Society

New Mexico Native Plant Society

New York Flora Association

North Carolina Native Plant Society

North Dakota Native Plants List

Ohio Native Plants List

Ohio Prairie Association

Oklahoma Native Plant Society

Oregon Native Plant Society

Pennsylvania Native Plant Society

Rhode Island Native Plant Society

South Carolina Native Plant Society

South Dakota Native Plants List

Tennessee Native Plant Society

Native Plant Society of Texas

Utah Native Plant Society

Vermont Native Plants List

Virginia Native Plant Society

Washington Native Plant Society

West Virginia Native Plant Society

Wisconsin Botanical Club

Wyoming Native Plant Society

Botanical Society of Washington D.C.

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