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Edwards Plateau savanna
Edwards Plateau savanna
RESOLVE 391
The Edwards Plateau savanna — the limestone-and-juniper country of central Texas, anchored by the city of Austin and the broader Texas Hill Country. Live oak, post oak, ashe juniper, and Texas red oak on the uplands; native bunchgrasses and a rich spring wildflower flush (bluebonnet, Indian paintbrush, Mexican hat) on the open savanna. Karst hydrology — the Edwards Aquifer underlies the ecoregion — is regionally load-bearing for water supply.
Edwards Plateau savanna location on world map
Marker placed inside the RESOLVE 2017 polygon at 30.6°N, 99.9°W.
Climate snapshot for this ecoregion
USDA zone range (now)
8a-9a
USDA
What seed packets and nursery tags reference. Coldest-day survival semantics.
Plotwright projection (2041–2070)
11a-11b
Plotwright
Where CHELSA models say the typical winter month is heading.
Average warming this ecoregion is on track for: +4.1°F by mid-century. SSP3-7.0 (current trajectory) · CHELSA v2.1 bio06 sampled across 10 of 10 points within this ecoregion's bounding box.
Multi-year drought-flood whiplash is the dominant climate signal here; the 2010s-2020s drought + flash-flood pattern is on-trajectory for the projected envelope.
Ashe juniper encroachment under fire suppression has dramatically increased woody cover over the past century; warming and CO2 fertilization both favor woody encroachment.
Garden-relevant: Hill Country natives (Texas mountain laurel, cenizo, Texas star hibiscus, Mexican feathergrass, native salvias) are a model palette for warming + drought-prone southern US gardens.
At a glance
States / provinces
Texas
Dominant biome
Temperate Grasslands, Savannas & Shrublands
Realm
Nearctic
Approximate area
28,968 sq mi
Elevation range
500 – 3,000 ft
Climate type
Humid subtropical to semi-arid (Köppen Cfa east, BSh west)
Conservation tier
Nature Could Reach Half Protected (Dinerstein NNH 2)
About the temperate grasslands, savannas & shrublands biome
Temperate prairies, steppes, and pampas of grasses and forbs with few trees, under continental climates of hot summers and cold winters. Their deep, fertile soils have made them among the most extensively converted biomes for agriculture.
National refinement sub-regions
Within this RESOLVE ecoregion, national agencies recognise finer-grained sub-regions. Plotwright assigns each sub-region polygon to its containing RESOLVE polygon by centroid.
EPA Level III (US-only) — 1 sub-region
30 · Edwards Plateau
Source: USGS / EPA via Omernik (1987).
What's native here
Catalog plants whose Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center native-distribution range overlaps the 1-state/province roster for this ecoregion. Distinct from the “suited” section below — these are plants that belong here, not just plants that will grow here.
Grain caveat: native here means “native to at least one state / province this ecoregion crosses,” not necessarily native to this ecoregion's specific habitat. A plant tied to wet meadows that crosses Ontario will surface for any Ontario-spanning ecoregion. Finer per-ecoregion native-status data is a future arc.
Catalog plants suited to this ecoregion
Computed from each plant's stated USDA zone range against this ecoregion's USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023 (1991-2020 climatology) via ArcGIS FeatureServer published current zone range, with the CHELSA mid-century warming delta applied for the projection. Plants whose stated range falls outside both the current and projected zone end up dropped; the rest land in one of the three buckets below.
Climate-resilient picks · 172
These plants fit this ecoregion today AND remain in range under the mid-century SSP3-7.0 projection. Lead with these for a planting that holds up as the climate shifts.
Adam's needle
American elderberry
American hazelnut
American holly
American hophornbeam
American persimmon
American sweetgum
American sycamore
Annabelle hydrangea
Arugula
Asian persimmon
Asparagus
Autumn-joy stonecrop
Bald cypress
Bay laurel
Bearded iris
Big bluestem
Bigleaf hydrangea
Black cherry
Black tupelo (black gum)
Black walnut
Black willow
Black-eyed Susan
Blackhaw viburnum
Bleeding heart
Blue elderberry
Blue false indigo
Blue flag iris
Blue grama
Blueblossom
Bok choy
Borage
Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
Butterfly weed
Cabbage
Calendula (pot marigold)
California fuchsia
California poppy
Camellia
Canada goldenrod
Cantaloupe
Cardinal flower
Carolina allspice (sweetshrub)
Cauliflower
Chives
Christmas fern
Cilantro
Clematis
Coast live oak
Collard greens
Common fig
Common hackberry
Common manzanita
Common milkweed
Common olive
Common thyme
Common witch hazel
Common yarrow
Common zinnia
Cosmos
Crape myrtle
Cutleaf coneflower
Dahlia
Dill
Eastern cottonwood
Eastern prickly pear
Eastern red cedar
Eastern redbud
Eggplant
English lavender
European plum
Fennel
Flowering dogwood
Fragrant plantain lily
Fremont cottonwood
French marigold
Garden mum
Garden rose
Garden strawberry
Gardenia
Garlic
Ginger
Gladiolus
Globe artichoke
Grapefruit
Ground cherry
Groundnut
Hairy alumroot
Hardy hibiscus
Hollyhock
Indian grass
Indian pink
Jujube
Key lime
Kiwifruit
Lacinato kale
Lady fern
Lamb's ear
Leek
Lemon
Little bluestem
Maypop (purple passionflower)
Morning glory
Mountain laurel
Nasturtium
New York ironweed
Northern spicebush
Oakleaf hydrangea
Okra
Oregano
Oregon white oak
Pacific dogwood
Pansy
Parry's agave
Parsnip
Pawpaw
Pecan
Peppermint
Pomegranate
Potato
Prairie dropseed
Pumpkin
Radish
Red maple
River birch
Rosemary
Russian sage
Salal
Sassafras
Scarlet bee balm
Shasta daisy
Side-oats grama
Snapdragon
Southern live oak
Southern magnolia
Spearmint
Spinach
Stiff goldenrod
Summer savory
Summersweet (sweet pepperbush)
Sunchoke
Swamp milkweed
Swamp sunflower
Sweet alyssum
Sweet corn
Sweet Joe-Pye weed
Sweet marjoram
Sweet orange
Sweet pea
Sweet potato
Sweet William
Sweetbay magnolia
Switchgrass
Tall verbena
Threadleaf coreopsis
Toyon
Tulip tree (yellow poplar)
Turmeric
Turnip
Virginia bluebells
Virginia sweetspire
Watermelon
Western redbud
Western sword fern
White clover
White oak
Wild bergamot
Wild geranium
Wild senna
Wine grape
Winterberry
Wildlife your native plants here support
What this surface IS — and isn't
Inferred from the relationships catalog plants native to this region have with wildlife. We don't carry direct wildlife-range data per ecoregion — this lists what your native plant palette here can support, not a verified checklist of what occurs here. Cross-check the range note on each wildlife's detail page before treating a row as a presence claim.
Only plants with structured native-distribution data contribute here. Old World cultivars and most vegetables are excluded by design — this view shows “what your native palette supports,” not “what your whole garden does.” It will grow as more plants gain native-range data.
Larval hosts · 28
Plants that caterpillars and other larvae feed on while growing.
Moth
Polyphemus moth
Antheraea polyphemus
22 native plants here: American basswood, American hophornbeam, American persimmon + 19 more
Butterfly
Eastern tiger swallowtail
Papilio glaucus
15 native plants here: Black cherry, Black willow, Eastern cottonwood + 12 more
Butterfly · Specialist support
Skipper butterflies
Hesperiidae (family-level entry)
13 native plants here: Adam's needle, Big bluestem, Blue grama + 10 more
Butterfly · Specialist support
Monarch butterfly
Danaus plexippus
9 native plants here: Butterfly weed, Swamp milkweed, Aromatic aster + 6 more
Moth
Hummingbird clearwing moth
Hemaris thysbe
7 native plants here: Arrowwood viburnum, Black cherry, Blackhaw viburnum + 4 more
Moth
Imperial moth
Eacles imperialis
7 native plants here: Black walnut, Bur oak, Red maple + 4 more
Butterfly
Mourning cloak
Nymphalis antiopa
7 native plants here: Black willow, Common hackberry, Eastern cottonwood + 4 more
Butterfly
Spring azure
Celastrina ladon
7 native plants here: Arrowwood viburnum, Black cherry, Blackhaw viburnum + 4 more
Moth
Io moth
Automeris io
6 native plants here: Black willow, Common hackberry, Eastern cottonwood + 3 more
Moth
Luna moth
Actias luna
6 native plants here: American persimmon, American sweetgum, Black walnut + 3 more
Butterfly
Red-spotted purple
Limenitis arthemis astyanax
6 native plants here: Black cherry, Black willow, Chokecherry + 3 more
Moth
Cecropia moth
Hyalophora cecropia
5 native plants here: Black cherry, Black willow, Chokecherry + 2 more
Butterfly
Common buckeye
Junonia coenia
5 native plants here: Blue vervain, Foxglove beardtongue, Canada goldenrod + 2 more
Moth · Specialist support
Hawkmoths
Sphingidae (family-level entry)
5 native plants here: Bald cypress, Black cherry, Chokecherry + 2 more
Butterfly
Pearl crescent
Phyciodes tharos
5 native plants here: Aromatic aster, Smooth blue aster, Black-eyed Susan + 2 more
Butterfly · Specialist support
Great spangled fritillary
Speyeria cybele
4 native plants here: Common blue violet, Blue vervain, Boneset + 1 more
Butterfly
Viceroy
Limenitis archippus
4 native plants here: Black willow, Eastern cottonwood, Fremont cottonwood + 1 more
Butterfly
Silvery checkerspot
Chlosyne nycteis
3 native plants here: Black-eyed Susan, Cutleaf coneflower, Purple coneflower
Butterfly · Specialist support
Spicebush swallowtail
Papilio troilus
3 native plants here: Northern spicebush, Sassafras, Tulip tree (yellow poplar)
Butterfly
Cloudless sulphur
Phoebis sennae
2 native plants here: Groundnut, Wild lupine
Butterfly · Specialist support
Gulf fritillary
Agraulis vanillae
1 native plant here: Maypop (purple passionflower)
Moth · Specialist support
Milkweed tussock moth
Euchaetes egle
2 native plants here: Butterfly weed, Swamp milkweed
Butterfly
Painted lady
Vanessa cardui
2 native plants here: Hardy hibiscus, Purple coneflower
Butterfly
Black swallowtail
Papilio polyxenes
1 native plant here: Golden alexanders
Butterfly
Eastern comma
Polygonia comma
1 native plant here: Common hackberry
Butterfly
Eastern tailed-blue
Cupido comyntas
1 native plant here: Wild lupine
Butterfly · Specialist support
Karner blue
Plebejus melissa samuelis
1 native plant here: Wild lupine
Butterfly · Specialist support
Zebra swallowtail
Protographium marcellus
1 native plant here: Pawpaw
Collections for this ecoregion
Curated multi-plant collections whose members all fit this ecoregion's zone range — no won't-grow members smuggled in. Overall fit class shown per collection is the weakest link across its members.
Currently suited · 2 plants
Bright shade foundation
A part-shade starting point with shrub structure and low foliage contrast.
Annabelle hydrangea
Coral bells
+4
Currently suited · 8 plants
Climate-resilient natives for warming zones (eastern NA)
A pollinator-supporting palette of eastern NA natives whose USDA zone range and broad continental distribution score high on the climate-resilience composite. Every plant tolerates 6-7 USDA zones and is native across 15+ US states + multiple Canadian provinces. Holds up under the SSP3-7.0 mid-century projection without the gardener trading wildlife value for resilience.
Switchgrass
Little bluestem
Common milkweed
Black-eyed Susan
Wild bergamot
Sweet Joe-Pye weed
Cutleaf coneflower
New England aster
+2
Currently suited · 6 plants
Mediterranean drought-tolerant edible
A low-water edible palette of culinary herbs + a hardy grape for hot dry sunny sites. Mediterranean-origin plants thrive on neglect; their primary failure mode is overwatering, not underwatering.
English lavender
Rosemary
Garden sage
Oregano
Common thyme
Fox grape
+5
Currently suited · 9 plants
Native pollinator border (eastern US)
A continuous-bloom native pollinator strip for eastern North America. Covers spring through frost with host + nectar plants spanning monarchs, native bees, hummingbirds, and specialist Lepidoptera. Little bluestem provides the matrix grass + Hesperiidae host.
Butterfly weed
Common milkweed
Purple coneflower
Wild bergamot
Scarlet bee balm
Little bluestem
Sweet Joe-Pye weed
Swamp sunflower
Smooth blue aster
Currently suited · 4 plants
Sunny pollinator border
A durable sunny border with summer bloom, seedheads, and upright winter texture.
English lavender
Purple coneflower
Black-eyed Susan
Switchgrass
Plotwright
Climate-aware plant planning — every plant checked against your zone now and in 2050.
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