So while rockhounding in the Edwards Plateau region, I should take care to understand the impact my presence may create. I love living here and just getting into Lapidary. I think it's amazing how expansive the ecosystems of Texas really are.
Lots of misinformation here. starts off as a promo for the Edwards Plateau then turns into an anti-cedar campaign: First, the Edwards Plateau and the Hill Country are NOT the same regions. The Hill Country a PART of the Edwards Plateau. It is located approximately in the eastern half of the Edwards Plateau, it is classified as sub-humid, not semi-arid, and it is more hilly and has more shallow soils. There is no eco-region map that recognizes the Hill Country. The Hill Country contains all or parts of three Edwards Plateau eco-regions. The western Edwards Plateau was mostly open grassland and prairies (grasslands with and/or defined by wooded areas). The Hill Country was at least 52% wooded. Reports of oak parklands and savannas came mostly from the Blackland Prairies to the east of the Balcones Escarpment. Ashe Junipers (also called Mountain Cedars) did not just occur in small numbers in drainage areas. The pole-like Mountain Cedars that grew in those drainage areas were so abundant they helped jumpstart the Hill Country economy in the 1800s. Beyond drainage ways, they were more often reported covering hillsides. Sometimes exclusively. They were most abundant along the Balcones escarpment where they were reported to grow in the millions. Lack of fire contributes to woody plant spread, but it's not the main reason. Healthy soils covered by a dense cover of late succession grasses and forbs and managed by migratory grazing animals are much more effective at preventing the spread of woody plants. In the Hill Country, it is important to realize that when soils are degraded, the underlying karst also degrades. As erosion happens, the seed bank is also washed away. So when Mountain Cedars spread as pioneering (NOT invasive) thickets of bushy-cedars, they are working to restore soil and karst function. So Ashe Juniper isn't "the winner"....it's a blessing. Contrary to this video, Ashe Junipers are highly valued by wildlife as a food source. Since their fruits ripen in the winter, they provide an important source of carbs to countless birds and mammals. Even deer are often seen consuming the fruits. The wildlife that consumed the most seeds is the Cedar Waxwings, American Robins, and Black-tailed Jack Rabbitts. In spring, when new leaves emerge, deer will often lightly browse the leaves. It is likely the foliage is consumed more as a medicinal food, rather than primary food source. Ashe Junipers normally grow as trees inside wooded areas. This is where you find prime Golde-cheeked Warbler habitat. But where rangelands have become severely degraded on rolling and steeper terrains, the pioneering thickets of bushy-cedars take over. These are NOT invasive nor "second growth." They are serving a unique role. That being said, where new Ashe Juniper can be seen popping up inside wooded areas (stick-cedars) these are just wooded area regrowth and NOT pioneering thickets. Canopy interception of pioneering thickets of bushy-cedars is comparable to the canopy interception of a dense stand of tall prairie grasses. Previous interception percents of 70-80% include soil water, so that skewed the numbers. Updated research revealed about 40% and this is common for most woody cover. It is important to point out that a dense cover of vegetation is extremely important to maintain in the Hill country since we get flash floods. Removing dense stands of Ashe Junipers does not lessen the strain on the Edwards Aquifer. This statement is based on erroneous outdated research that put politics ahead of science. Hydrologists at Texas A&M have since discovered that since the 1940s, as woody cover has increased, river baseflows have either stayed constant or have even increased. Also, soil infiltration is higher under Ashe Juniper,e ven bushy-cedars than the typical surrounding sparse grass cover growing in degraded soils. This means the rain that reaches the soil will mostly soak into the ground and recharge groundwaters rather than runoff. The irony is that this video condemns Ashe Junipers while supporting warblers...the very birds that depend on Ashe Junipers. Kelly Bender had the best information. Learn more by reading my book Wanted! Mountain Cedars: www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wanted-mountain-cedars-elizabeth-mcgreevy/1139347125?ean=9780578843322
RANDOM THING- So basically for Halloween, our school surprised us by making teachers dress up, and one old, mean guy teacher had to dress up as a carebear (he got the rainy one which is ironic) and it was hilarious! Ex. English- Grammar police History- Carebears Math- Something Pi/Pie related Science- Something periodic table of elements related Spanish Teacher- Full on skeleton for Dia De Los Muertos So if your parents or relatives work in a school, tell them this fun idea!
Life pain, school pain, work pain.
fr
Anyone doing school work at home in 2020 :/
So while rockhounding in the Edwards Plateau region, I should take care to understand the impact my presence may create. I love living here and just getting into Lapidary. I think it's amazing how expansive the ecosystems of Texas really are.
wow such great comments
Lots of misinformation here. starts off as a promo for the Edwards Plateau then turns into an anti-cedar campaign:
First, the Edwards Plateau and the Hill Country are NOT the same regions. The Hill Country a PART of the Edwards Plateau. It is located approximately in the eastern half of the Edwards Plateau, it is classified as sub-humid, not semi-arid, and it is more hilly and has more shallow soils. There is no eco-region map that recognizes the Hill Country. The Hill Country contains all or parts of three Edwards Plateau eco-regions.
The western Edwards Plateau was mostly open grassland and prairies (grasslands with and/or defined by wooded areas). The Hill Country was at least 52% wooded. Reports of oak parklands and savannas came mostly from the Blackland Prairies to the east of the Balcones Escarpment.
Ashe Junipers (also called Mountain Cedars) did not just occur in small numbers in drainage areas. The pole-like Mountain Cedars that grew in those drainage areas were so abundant they helped jumpstart the Hill Country economy in the 1800s. Beyond drainage ways, they were more often reported covering hillsides. Sometimes exclusively. They were most abundant along the Balcones escarpment where they were reported to grow in the millions.
Lack of fire contributes to woody plant spread, but it's not the main reason. Healthy soils covered by a dense cover of late succession grasses and forbs and managed by migratory grazing animals are much more effective at preventing the spread of woody plants. In the Hill Country, it is important to realize that when soils are degraded, the underlying karst also degrades. As erosion happens, the seed bank is also washed away. So when Mountain Cedars spread as pioneering (NOT invasive) thickets of bushy-cedars, they are working to restore soil and karst function. So Ashe Juniper isn't "the winner"....it's a blessing.
Contrary to this video, Ashe Junipers are highly valued by wildlife as a food source. Since their fruits ripen in the winter, they provide an important source of carbs to countless birds and mammals. Even deer are often seen consuming the fruits. The wildlife that consumed the most seeds is the Cedar Waxwings, American Robins, and Black-tailed Jack Rabbitts. In spring, when new leaves emerge, deer will often lightly browse the leaves. It is likely the foliage is consumed more as a medicinal food, rather than primary food source.
Ashe Junipers normally grow as trees inside wooded areas. This is where you find prime Golde-cheeked Warbler habitat. But where rangelands have become severely degraded on rolling and steeper terrains, the pioneering thickets of bushy-cedars take over. These are NOT invasive nor "second growth." They are serving a unique role. That being said, where new Ashe Juniper can be seen popping up inside wooded areas (stick-cedars) these are just wooded area regrowth and NOT pioneering thickets.
Canopy interception of pioneering thickets of bushy-cedars is comparable to the canopy interception of a dense stand of tall prairie grasses. Previous interception percents of 70-80% include soil water, so that skewed the numbers. Updated research revealed about 40% and this is common for most woody cover. It is important to point out that a dense cover of vegetation is extremely important to maintain in the Hill country since we get flash floods.
Removing dense stands of Ashe Junipers does not lessen the strain on the Edwards Aquifer. This statement is based on erroneous outdated research that put politics ahead of science. Hydrologists at Texas A&M have since discovered that since the 1940s, as woody cover has increased, river baseflows have either stayed constant or have even increased. Also, soil infiltration is higher under Ashe Juniper,e ven bushy-cedars than the typical surrounding sparse grass cover growing in degraded soils. This means the rain that reaches the soil will mostly soak into the ground and recharge groundwaters rather than runoff.
The irony is that this video condemns Ashe Junipers while supporting warblers...the very birds that depend on Ashe Junipers.
Kelly Bender had the best information.
Learn more by reading my book Wanted! Mountain Cedars: www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wanted-mountain-cedars-elizabeth-mcgreevy/1139347125?ean=9780578843322
You first stated they weren’t the same region and then said they are a part of each other, aka the same region, damn dummy lol
Kelly Bender, now Simon, reading your comment. 🥹
RANDOM THING-
So basically for Halloween, our school surprised us by making teachers dress up, and one old, mean guy teacher had to dress up as a carebear (he got the rainy one which is ironic) and it was hilarious!
Ex.
English- Grammar police
History- Carebears
Math- Something Pi/Pie related
Science- Something periodic table of elements related
Spanish Teacher- Full on skeleton for Dia De Los Muertos
So if your parents or relatives work in a school, tell them this fun idea!
lol amazing comments
It's named Edwards Plateau because Edward ate a sandwich called Plateau.
New video, more work for school
dose anyone know the word that used to describe the topography of the Edwards Plateau?
Karst topopgraphy
I like chicken
chimken is yummy
@@elizabethhedgepeth5266 chimken
School work in 2021 be like:
Even in 2023 I have to do a project over an ecosystem in Texas.
im hungry
go eat
Bored hungry only here for school
Grammer police
hi
Hi
@@satx_jake9003 hi. looks like everyone in rice is doing this...
im bored