Window Trail Stop #13

Look for the distinctive three-lobed seedpods.

NPS/C. Negele

Quick Facts

Location:

Big Bend National Park

As you travel this next section of trail, notice how the vegetation has become more dense and different species of trees and shrubs have appeared. The creek bed that parallels the trail will hold water beneath the surface long after it has disappeared from the surface. One of the main plants along the creek bed is the Mexican Buckeye. Bees love this beautiful shrub, no doubt attracted by the aroma of the pink flowers which bloom in the spring. The seed pods are an easily identifiable feature of this plant, being large, brown, and three-lobed. The seeds contained in the seed pods are shiny, black, and poisonous, if eaten. This shrub is not a true buckeye but is in the soapberry family.