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May 18, 2001

By Dale Rollins
Extension Wildlife Specialist

Don't forget to 'read' the range...

Reading is fundamental. It's a foundation as important for ranching as it is for any occupation. Consider the advice of tallgrass prairie ecologist J.E. Weaver:

"Nature is an open book for those willing to read. Upon each grass-covered hillside is revealed the history of the past, the conditions of the present, and the predictions of the future."

The trouble is, most of the landowners I've run across in the last 15 years are functionally illiterate when it comes to "reading their range." If a conversation was restricted to plant names, there would be a lot of "uhs", "duhs", "ahs", "hmmms", and "you knows."

Although most ranchers can guess the live weight of a steer within 20 pounds, and probably interpret its heritage, they are stymied when it comes to identifying the basic components of their "factory" (i.e., plants). Those are pretty strong words.

So what do I base this criticism on? Recently, I heard a fellow rangeman claim that the average Texas rancher can only name four grasses: sideoats grama (if it has a seedhead on it); mesquite grass (a generic name for any sod-forming grass—could be either buffalograss or curly mesquite); wintergrass (another assemblage for any cool-season grass); and johnsongrass. If you can name more than 10 plants in your county, you're probably on the honor roll.

Aside from trivia contests, why should one learn to identify plants on the back 40? Until you learn the vocabulary (i.e., plant names), you can't begin to decipher the sagas that are written across your rangelands. As you become botanically literate and able to appreciate ecological "compositions," you'll find there are lots of Pulitzer prize winning novels awaiting you on the rangelands of Texas—sagas of trial and tribulation that Zane Gray, Louis L'amour and even Elmer Kelton would have a tough time outdoing.

So, how does one read his rangelands? First you have to develop a "vocabulary" and the words therein are plants. The more powerful your vocabulary, the more conversant you'll be in interpreting the historical record inscribed by your management.

You must develop a range plant vocabulary just as you did when learning to read your first grade primer. Concentrate on the essential ingredients, the "nouns and verbs," if you will. Don't try to learn the whole dictionary at first! In any given plant community there are probably 20 or 30 "words" (i.e., species) that it will behoove you to know. Such key species are the nouns and verbs of most range "sentences." After you've mastered them, try to learn a few new adjectives and adverbs each time you're afield.

Every time I'm in the field and harping on plant identification, someone comes up later and wants to know of some good field guides to assist budding botanists. There are several excellent wildflower field guides and some good ones for woody plants (depending on where you live). Some assistance on forbs, woody plants and Texas grasses is available at the TEXNAT website:

http://texnat.tamu.edu

Unfortunately, there's not a good one for forbs (i.e., wildflowers that may not have a showy flower); fellow biologist Steve Nelle and I are working to rectify that void.

Not all plants were created equal in the eyes of the grazing cow, nesting bobwhite or browsing deer. Accordingly, while a cow may think the world of sideoats grama, quail or deer don't hold it in high esteem.

Remember what a homonym is from your school days? Homonyms are words that sound the same but have different meanings. Homonyms are very common in the range plant vernacular. For example, if you're wearing a camouflaged cap, "ragweed" means excellent quail food (its Latin name, ambrosia, means food for the gods). But, with a cowboy hat on, "ragweed" means less grass for cattle. The two words sound the same, but they can mean different things depending upon one's perspective.

As you discover new plants, make records of them either as plant mounts or color photographs. Such tools will help you learn the lingo and also share your discoveries with your colleagues. When I mentioned this to James and Jimmie Currie of Garden City 20 years ago, they took me seriously. Now they have a photo collection of most of the plants that can be found on their Glasscock County ranch. Bob Knaus, a rancher in the Abilene vicinity, carries a digital camera with him everywhere and is assembling plant profiles for his personal Web pages.

For each species, strive to become aware of its value for different kinds of animals (livestock as well as wildlife) and for different uses (nesting, feeding, escape). Seek out a good "librarian (i.e., a skillful range plant specialist) who can help you. I'll bet that individual will bend over backwards to help you become a better student of the range. I will always treasure my opportunities afield with some good librarians (botanists)—folks like Jake Landers, Steve Nelle, Barron Rector, Ernie Snook, Gene Miller and Bill Armstrong. Take every opportunity to learn from such folks, but don't be content to let them "read you a story" from now on. Take the initiative to be conversant with them.

And don't pass up opportunities to visit some great "libraries" like the Kerr Wildlife Management Area and the Texas A&M Experiment Station in Sonora.

Although range management (for livestock or wildlife) encompasses many tools and disciplines, it essentially boils down to two key points:

(1) know your plants;

(2) know how to manipulate them. Please notice which of those I listed first.

A piece of rangeland is not unlike a V-8 engine. Oh, you don't need to know the internal workings if you just want to drive, but if something goes wrong it pays to have some basic mechanical troubleshooting skills. And like an astute mechanic, the ability to diagnose problems before they happen and have them repaired is so much better than a breakdown in a traffic jam (drought, in range terms).

The only prerequisite for becoming a better student in applied ecology is to have an inquiring mind. As G.K. Chesterton said:

"There is a great deal of difference between an eager man who wants to read a book, and the tired man who wants a book to read."

Strive to be the former. School is now in session.