A collection of essays on the ecology, biodiversity, and restoration of the Texas Hill Country.

For most of five decades, evolutionary biologist David Hillis has studied the biodiversity of the Texas Hill Country. Since the 1990s, he has worked to restore the natural beauty and diversity of his Mason County ranch, the Double Helix. In his excursions around his ranch and across the Edwards Plateau, Hillis came to realize how little most people know about the plants and animals around them or their importance to our everyday lives. He began thinking about how natural history is connected to our enjoyment of life, especially in a place as beautiful and beloved as the Hill Country, which, not coincidentally, happens to be one of the most biodiverse parts of Texas.

Featuring short nontechnical essays accompanied by vivid color photos, Armadillos to Ziziphus is a charming and casual introduction to the environment of the region. Whether walking the pasture with his Longhorn cattle, explaining the ecological significance of microscopic organisms in springtime mud puddles, or marveling at the local Ziziphus (aka Lotebush, a spiny shrub), Hillis guides first-time visitors and long-term residents alike in an appreciation for the Hill Country’s natural beauty and diversity.

David M. Hillis is the director of the Biodiversity Center at the University of Texas at Austin’s College of Natural Sciences. He was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship in 1999 and was elected to the US National Academy of Sciences in 2008. He is also known for his discovery of numerous new species, including Austin’s iconic Barton Springs Salamander.

Harry W. Greene is a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at Cornell University and the author of Tracks and Shadows: Field Biology as Art, among other books.

• Foreword by Harry W. Greene
• Preface
• I. The Texas Hill Country: A Naturalist’s Paradise
  • 1. Geological Setting of the Edwards Plateau
  • 2. From Acid Sands to Alkaline Clays
  • 3. Hill Country Weather: Droughts, Floods, and Severe Storms
  • 4. Some Texas Icons Haven’t Been Here All That Long
  • 5. Hill Country Endemics
  • 6. What Is the Value of Biodiversity?
• II. The Seasonal Life of a Vernal Pool
  • 7. Tilting at Tiny Windmills
  • 8. Crustacean Wonders
  • 9. The Fascinating Flora of Vernal Pools
  • 10. Those Who Live in Glass Houses
  • 11. A Season of Symphonies
  • 12. What Happened to All Our Frogs?
• III. Flowing Waters: Aquifers, Caves, Springs, and Rivers
  • 13. Life without Light
  • 14. Lanterns of Summer
  • 15. Musings about Mussels
  • 16. The Last Wild River
• IV. Life of a Grassland
  • 17. Why Do Some Grasses Grow in the Winter, but Others in the Summer?
  • 18. Butterflies, Hummingbirds, and Other Pollinators
  • 19. The Noble Life of a Dung-Roller
  • 20. Where Have All the Quail Gone?
  • 21. Grasshoppers, Locusts, and Plagues
  • 22. The History of Texas Cattle Written in Their DNA
• V. In the Woodlands and Brushlands
  • 23. Containing and Preventing Oak Wilt
  • 24. The Challenges of Being an Oak Tree in the Hill Country
  • 25. How Do Trees Sense When It Is Time to Leaf Out and Bloom?
  • 26. The Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde of Trees
  • 27. Spring Is Here, and So Are the Snakes
  • 28. Songs of the Summer Dog Days
  • 29. Going Batty
  • 30. Deer Densities on the Edwards Plateau
  • 31. Bucks in Velvet
  • 32. The Future of Hill Country Deer Populations
  • 33. The Carbon Cycle and How It Affects Our Daily Lives
• VI. Backyard Biology
  • 34. The Remarkable Life of Hummingbirds
  • 35. Ways to Attract and Increase Bird Populations
  • 36. The Unexpected Beauty and Diversity of Lichens
  • 37. There Is More to Mistletoe than Kissing
  • 38. The Ups and Downs of Ants
  • 39. A Pattern in the Web
  • 40. Caterpillar Plagues and Their Connection to the Weather
  • 41. Predators and Second Chances
• VII. Climatic Adaptations
  • 42. Toadally Cool
  • 43. The Surprising Life Cycle of a Monarch Butterfly
  • 44. How Do Animals Survive the Winter? Part 1: Migrating
  • 45. How Do Animals Survive the Winter? Part 2: Keeping Warm and Active
  • 46. How Do Animals (and Plants) Survive the Winter? Part 3: Waiting Out the Cold
• VIII. Restoration and the Future of the Hill Country’s Natural Resources
  • 47. The Restoration and Benefits of Native Grasses
  • 48. The Pros and Cons of Brush Control
  • 49. Recovery of a Texas Icon: The Texas Horned Lizard
  • 50. Avoiding the Dangers of Lead Poisoning in Game Meat
  • 51. Our Climate Future in Central Texas
  • 52. If the Earth Is Warming, Why Did We Just Have a Record Cold Snap?
  • 53. Practical, Painless, and Significant Solutions to Climate Change
  • 54. Six Resolutions for Supporting Native Plants and Animals
• Index