Nash Prairie Preserve

Texas

Yellow wildflowers with dark brown centers rise above native prairie grasses in a sunlit grassland, with a field of blooming flowers stretching into the distance. — Nash Prairie This 347-acre preserve is untouched by people or plow. © Sean Fitzgerald

Phone: 409-941-9114
Email: atjelmeland@TNC.ORG
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This unplowed 347-acre preserve offers a snapshot of Texas as it once used to be.

Video

Daytripping with TNC Texas: Grasslands

Daytripping with TNC Texas: Grasslands (26:19) Explore one of North America’s most biodiverse—and most endangered—landscapes: grasslands. Within TNC’s grassland nature preserves in Texas, discover hidden worlds, connecting the dots between the Blackland Prairie, coastal prairies and desert grasslands.

Overview

Description

Roughly 70 miles southwest of Houston, lies The Nature Conservancy's (TNC) Nash Prairie Preserve. This 347-acre tract is one of the last remaining segments of coastal tallgrass prairie in Texas. Less than 200 years ago, the Great Coastal Prairie spanned six million acres between Lafayette, Louisiana and Corpus Christi, Texas; yet today, less than 1% of this system still exists. Untouched by people or plows, Nash Prairie remains a unique gem, unchanged by time.

Located in the Brazos River watershed, this gently rolling landscape was once a productive hay meadow for the historic KNG Ranch run by Houston socialite Kittie Nash Groce. As a result, the acreage was spared from development, allowing silvery-tipped switchgrass, golden bursts of Indiangrass and other native species to reclaim the land.

Access

CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC

Location

Brazoria County, Texas

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Size

347 acres

Explore our work in Texas

Pristine Prairie TNC's Nash Prairie Preserve is the largest parcel of intact coastal tallgrass prairie left in Texas and Louisiana, supporting native pollinators with its diverse plant life. © Sean Fitzgerald

Why This Place Matters

This pristine prairieland lies amid the Columbia Bottomlands, a four-county expanse of wetlands, bayous and floodplains on the mid-Texas coast. The preserve harbors over 300 plant species in an area facing developmental pressures from the sprawl of nearby Houston. Among the native plants found here are several that are rare, such as coastal gayfeather, rain-lily and meadow rue, as well as at least one type of grass thought extinct in Texas since the 1800s.

These native plants provide habitat for wildlife such as the nine-banded armadillo, prairie kingsnake and Gulf fritillary butterfly, along with many other pollinators. In addition, the small-but-bold Savannah sparrow and more than 120 other types of birds, many of which are in serious decline, call Nash Prairie Preserve home. The prairie also contributes to the watershed function of the Brazos River, minimizing runoff and reducing erosion.

Photos from Nash Prairie Preserve

Discover the diverse plant life and wildlife at this coastal tallgrass prairie remnant.

A yellow-flowered prairie plant with feathery green leaves and seed pods grows among tall grasses against a soft green background.

A man and woman walk through tall green grass.

A field of longstem grass with feathery ends grows in a field.

Delicate spider webs stretch between prairie grasses, glowing in warm golden light at sunrise.

Yellow prairie wildflowers bloom above tall grasses in golden evening light.

A dragonfly with patterned wings perches among tall green prairie grasses illuminated by sunlight.

Tall spikes of small purple flowers rise above green prairie grasses against a softly blurred background.

A small bird with brown mottled feathers and a white chest sits camouflaged in tall brown grass.

Rattlesnake master stems with round, spiky flower buds rise above native prairie grasses against a softly blurred green background.

Native grasses and wildflowers stretch across an expansive coastal tallgrass prairie beneath a pale blue sky.

FOOD FOR FORAGERS: Partridge pea, also known as sensitive plant, provides valuable food for wildlife, with seeds eaten by birds and foliage browsed by deer. © Sean Fitzgerald

PROTECTING TEXAS PRAIRIES: TNC has preserved this untouched land in perpetuity. © Jerod Foster

GRASSES AND FORBS: Many grasses from switchgrass to Indiangrass grow here. © Sean Fitzgerald

PART OF THE PRAIRIE FOOD WEB: Spiders help maintain prairies by preying on insects and serving as an important food source for birds and other wildlife. © Sean Fitzgerald

IN BLOOM: Native Texas coneflower blooms at the preserve. © Sean Fitzgerald

APEX INSECT: Dragonflies are important insect predators that help keep prairies healthy and balanced. © Sean Fitzgerald

A BLAZE OF COLOR: Sharp blazing star brightens Texas coastal prairies with striking tall purple blooms. © Sean Fitzgerald

POWERING POLLINATORS: Rattlesnake master is a favorite of pollinators, drawing a wide variety of bees, butterflies and other insects with thousands of tiny flowers on a single plant. © Sean Fitzgerald

Native Seed Nash Prairie is an important source of native seed for prairie restoration projects along the Texas Gulf Coast, including the Memorial Park Land Bridge in Houston. © Sean Fitzgerald

What TNC Is Doing

Protecting the preserve’s natural systems is critical to supporting biodiversity, as well as the local and regional communities that rely on the Brazos River. This biodiversity was rediscovered in 2003, when ranch stewards, including members of St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in nearby West Columbia, conducted a survey here and found a stunning array of plant and animal life.

The healthy, diverse array of plants at the preserve also offers a natural seed source for other prairies in need. To further conservation efforts, TNC and its partners regularly harvest native seeds here to restore prairies along the Texas Gulf Coast.

Learn More

Nash Prairie Preserve is closed to the public. Visitation is limited to volunteer workdays and various special events throughout the calendar year. An appointment is needed for visits outside of these organized events. For more information, contact Restoration Program Director Aaron Tjelmeland (atjelmeland@TNC.ORG).