NATURAL AREAS AND REGIONS 



501 



the mountain sides are covered with 

 muscadines, the juicy fruit often being 

 as large as a Chickasaw plum. 



The plains country throughout the 

 spring, summer and fall, is a constantly 

 changing panorama of flowering forms, 

 too numerous to catalog here. The 

 prairie rose crawls about over the 

 ground; sensitive mimosas with their 

 delicate lavender-pink flowers and finely 

 compound leaves responding quickly to 

 any touch, are attractive and curious: 

 evening primroses, yellow or white, large 

 or small, occur everywhere in season: 

 buffalo beans, purple or yellow, are 

 conspicuously attractive plants. When 

 the wheat fields have been cut, the stub- 

 ble is soon hidden by a luxuriant growth 

 of coreopsis that makes them beautiful 

 to behold. The tall spikes of the creamy 

 white bell-like flowers of the yucca stand 

 out here and there in the arid regions, 

 while the rosy blossoms of the prickly 

 pear that sprawls ungracefully over the 

 ground are worthy a far better setting. 

 In the fall the composites in all shades 

 and colors and shapes cover the land- 

 scape. 



The gypsum hills and the margins of 

 the salt plains have each their own 

 peculiar flora. Over most of the state 

 ferns and other low types are conspicu- 

 ous for their absence, though aquatic 

 algae occur in all bayous and quiet 

 waters. 



In short, the observant eye will find 

 much to interest and the imagination 

 much to regret when contemplating the 

 present biota of Oklahoma. Many of 

 the changes have come about as the 

 result of wanton destruction at the hand 

 of civilized man; much with a little 

 foresight could have been preserved, 

 which is now gone forever, but by far 

 the most farreaching changes are due to 

 the inevitable effects of settlement, and 

 could not have been avoided. 



V. NATURAL AREAS 



There are few legal preserves in Okla- 

 homa. The Platt National Park, at 

 Sulphur, has been "developed" as a 



"health resort," and very little of the 

 natural remains. The Wichita National 

 Forest and Game Reserve is mostly in 

 its pristine condition. About 1,500,000 

 acres in the Ouachita Mountains was 

 reserved from "allotment" and still 

 remains the wildest and most natural 

 part of the state. Other areas not 

 reserved still comprise portions here 

 and there in their original condition 

 or nearly so. 



1. The Southern Coniferous Forest 

 Region. fOuachita Mountains. JTali- 

 hina (population less than 1000), on St. 

 Louis and San Francisco R. R., in Le 

 Flore County, is in the midst of this 

 region; go south or east (h)1f. 



2. The Deciduous Forest Region. 

 Ozark Mountains. JTahlequah (popu- 

 lation 2271), on the St. Louis and San 

 Francisco R. R., is in the southwestern 

 part of this region; go east or north (h) 

 or (a) if weather be dry^[. 



3. The Oak Grove Savannah Region. 

 JOkmulgee (population 17,430) is situ- 

 ated within a typical part of this region, 

 on the St. Louis and San Francisco R. R. 

 Go in any direction (a). 



4. The Dry Grassland Region, (a) 

 For typical plains: JEnid (population 

 16,576), on Chicago, Rock Island and 

 Pacific R. R. Go in any direction (a), 

 (b) For fArbuckle Mountains: go to 

 JDavis (population 1609), via Oklahoma 

 City, on the Atchison, Topeka and 

 Santa Fe R. R., then (a) about 12 mi. 

 southeast to Crusher (village) ; then east 

 or west _(w), (h), or (a). 



5. ^Wichita National Forest and Game 

 Reserve. Go through tLawton (popu- 

 lation 8930) on St. Louis and San Fran- 

 cisco R. R. about 15 mi. to Cache; take 

 (a) to Reserve . 



6. Gypsum Hills. Go to JWeather- 

 ford (population 1929), via Oklahoma 

 City, on the Chicago, Rock Island and 

 Pacific R. R., then 5 mi. northwest. 



7. Sand Desert. From Kiowa, Kansas, 

 go through JWoodward (population 

 3849) to Shattuck (population 1365), 

 on the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe 

 R. R., then west (a) 10 to 15 mi.. 



8. Salt Plains. fGreat Salt Plains 

 on the Cimmarron River: go to tAlva 

 (population 3913) on the Atchison, 

 Topeka and Santa Fe R. R. from Kiowa, 

 Kansas, then (a) "across country" 

 west by north for about 40 mi. If; a 

 smaller salt plain, in Blaine County, 

 is more accessible : go to JWatonga (popu- 

 lation 1678), on the Chicago, Rock Island 

 and Pacific R. R., from Enid, or Okla- 



