Bastrop State Park
Flora and fauna
Flora and fauna
---------------

[thumb\|Loblolly pines are prevalent throughout the park.](/wiki/File:Loblolly_Pine_at_Bastrop_State_Park%2C_Texas_1.jpg "Loblolly Pine at Bastrop State Park, Texas 1.jpg")
Bastrop State Park hosts a wide variety of plants and animals not commonly seen in other areas of [Central Texas](/wiki/Central_Texas "Central Texas"). The park is in the heart of the [Lost Pines](/wiki/Lost_Pines_Forest "Lost Pines Forest"), an ecological area of over  of loblolly pines. This pine woodland is isolated from the main body of [East Texas](/wiki/East_Texas "East Texas") [Piney Wood](/wiki/Piney_Woods "Piney Woods") ecoregion by about , hence its name. Portions of the Lost Pines are located in Bastrop and Buescher State Parks. In addition, the park is part of the [Post Oak Savannah](/wiki/Post_Oak_Savannah "Post Oak Savannah"), an ecological region of  of hilly lands that includes scattered oaks, mainly post oaks and [blackjack oak](/wiki/Quercus_marilandica "Quercus marilandica"). Most of this ecoregion is somewhat arid due to its clay soil, but the area in Bastrop is an exception. The Carrizo sand found in Bastrop provides fertile harbor for loblolly pine, post oak, and blackjack oak.

In 1937, Bastrop State Park officials worked with UT Austin to help them classify about 500 plant specimens. A collection was made to also study the various types of insects at the park and include them in the park's [herbarium](/wiki/Herbarium "Herbarium"). Park officials said they started this initiative so that they would have all plants classified. More than 200 species of birds have been spotted in Bastrop State Park. Among the most common is the [pileated woodpecker](/wiki/Pileated_woodpecker "Pileated woodpecker"), the largest of all woodpecker species. The pine warbler, [barred owl](/wiki/Barred_owl "Barred owl"), [yellow\-throated vireo](/wiki/Yellow-throated_vireo "Yellow-throated vireo"), [northern parula](/wiki/Northern_parula "Northern parula"), [black\-and\-white warbler](/wiki/Black-and-white_warbler "Black-and-white warbler"), and the [red\-shouldered hawk](/wiki/Red-shouldered_hawk "Red-shouldered hawk") live in the park year\-around. In the winter season, other bird species can be found as well, including the [red\-breasted nuthatch](/wiki/Red-breasted_nuthatch "Red-breasted nuthatch"), [solitary vireo](/wiki/Solitary_vireo "Solitary vireo"), [golden\-crowned kinglet](/wiki/Golden-crowned_kinglet "Golden-crowned kinglet"), [purple finch](/wiki/Purple_finch "Purple finch"), and the [hermit thrush](/wiki/Hermit_thrush "Hermit thrush"). There are also over 280 insects, millipedes, centipedes, spiders, scorpions, mollusks, and worms species recorded in Bastrop State Park and the surrounding Lost Pines region. Some of the species found in Bastrop State Park were first discovered there by biologists.

The seasonally moist sandy soil in Bastrop State Park and the entire Lost Pines provides a critical habitat for the endangered [Houston toad](/wiki/Houston_toad "Houston toad"). The Houston toad was designated as an endangered species in 1970\. Loss of habitat, mostly due to urbanization, has caused a large decline in its population. Bastrop State Park is home to the largest mating group of Houston toads on public land. Areas of the park are closed to the public during the toad's mating season in February, March, and April. The park also has [white\-tailed deer](/wiki/White-tailed_deer "White-tailed deer"), [rabbits](/wiki/Rabbit "Rabbit"), [squirrels](/wiki/Squirrel "Squirrel"), [Virginia opossums](/wiki/Virginia_opossum "Virginia opossum"), and [nine\-banded armadillos](/wiki/Nine-banded_armadillo "Nine-banded armadillo"). [Northern cardinals](/wiki/Northern_cardinal "Northern cardinal") are one of the species of birds found in the park.

In the forested areas, numerous species of [fungi](/wiki/Fungi "Fungi") may be found, such as *[Pycnoporus cinnabarinus](/wiki/Pycnoporus_cinnabarinus "Pycnoporus cinnabarinus")*.

Bastrop State Park is located on [Mount Selman](/wiki/Mount_Selman_Formation "Mount Selman Formation") geological formation, making a lot of its soil have a dark red and yellow composition.


How does the park's flora and fauna compare to other areas of Central Texas?