© Louis Vest (LandScope Texas Banner)
Ecosystems and Habitats
By far the largest of the contiguous states, Texas is as dazzlingly diverse as it is expansive, boasting 10 climate zones, 14 soil types, and 11 distinct ecological regions. Nearly 200,000 miles of rivers and streams slice through the Texas countryside, from cypress swamps in the east to the prairies of central Texas, to the subtropical climes fringed by 600 miles of coastline, to semiarid plains that rise up to rough highlands capped by 91 mountains peaks in the west.
Featured Ecosystems
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© Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (Texas Wetlands photo)
Watersheds in Texas
Fifteen major rivers and 3,700 named streams meander 191,000 miles through the Texas landscape.
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© Robert Nunnally (Plant community photo)
Rare Plant Communities of Texas
The state of Texas harbors a wide diversity of rare plant communities, including 152 different upland community types and 58 different wetland community types.
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© Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (Texas Coastal Fisheries Ecosystems map)
Texas Coastal Fisheries Ecosystems
The Texas Parks and Wildlife's Coastal Fisheries Division manages the marine fishery resources of Texas. These resources include four million acres of saltwater, including the bays and estuaries, and out to nine nautical miles in the Gulf of Mexico.