In 2016, their work was published in the Journal of the Botanical Research Institute of Texas. Bob and Kim have documented 948 species from Enchanted Rock. Many of the specimens collected can be viewed on BRIT’s online digital herbarium. They provide the evidence that a plant was growing in a specific location at a specific time. These specimens were identified, labeled, glued to high quality paper, and filed into the herbarium. Starting in 2014, BRIT researcher Kim Taylor joined Bob in an effort to complete the project.Īll plant species encountered within the park were documented and collected as herbarium specimens. Research Associate Bob O’Kennon has worked at Enchanted Rock for approximately 30 years, collecting and documenting the plants that grow there. The goal of this project is to document, photograph, and collect herbarium voucher specimens for all of the plant species that grow at Enchanted Rock State Natural Area. This popular natural area supports a wide diversity of plants and animals and is one of the few remaining natural spaces in the region. This primarily granite region includes the majority of Llano and Mason counties, but extends into 8 additional bordering counties and covers approximately 5,180 km2 on the eastern margin of the Edwards Plateau. Enchanted Rock spans the border of southern Llano and northern Gillespie counties in the Llano Uplift of central Texas. Reaching a height of 137 m above the surrounding landscape, this is the highest point on the property. Within the park boundary sits Enchanted Rock, a large granite dome for which the park is named. Prior to its acquisition by the Nature Conservancy, the property was held by several private landowners and used for cattle ranching and tourism. The park opened as a state natural area in 1978. The land was purchased from private landowner Charles Moss by the Nature Conservancy of Texas in 1978 and was later sold to the state of Texas. Burk Children’s CollectionĮnchanted Rock State Natural Area is a 1,643 acre property owned by the state of Texas and managed for wildlife and tourism. The Stansbery Collection for Botanical Art.The Arader Natural History Collection of Art.
BRIT Collections, Labs & Library Exhibitions.It is said that her screams are the sounds heard every night. The story is also told of a woman who was captured by Native Americans and held captive on the dome. His unhappy spirit is one of the earliest said to haunt the area. However, his sacrifice was not acceptable, and the man was condemned to forever wander the surface of the rock. One such story was that of a Native American who, eager to win the favor of the gods, brought his young daughter to the top of the rock and offered her as a sacrifice. It is widely believed that human sacrifices were offered on the top of the formation and that the spirits continue to haunt it. In fact, it was the nightly sounds that led to the naming of the area. The Native Americans were the first to notice the almost supernatural activity that took place at Enchanted Rock. These sounds have, of course, been explained as the nightly cooling off and moving of the rocks, but for over a century, other explanations have been offered that are much more sinister. Moans and groans can be heard nightly at Enchanted Rock, eerily echoing off of the massive granite dome.
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