County: Wood

Acres: 16

Year Acquired: 2009


TLC's involvement with the Soutendijk Bog began in 2006 as part Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) Program. The Soutendijk Bog represents our second endeavor with NRDA which offsets environmental damages by protecting similar properties that have been polluted or damaged. The NRDA Trustees identify high quality environmental sites for protection through conservation easements or restoration projects.  The bog was chosen as a valuable conservation property, the value of which would offset a crude oil spill in Wood County back in 2002.  The protection of the Soutendijk's 16 acres is an important and valuable step towards protecting Wood County.


The Soutendijk Bog represents a unique wetland which has four distinct vegetation communities including a stream valley bog along Glade Creek, a lower hillside seepage bog, a seep forest in wooded and an oak/hickory woodland.

Bogs are known for their biodiversity , and the Soutendijk Bog does not disappoint; the bog contains over 120 species of plants. Of particular interest is the presence of trumpet pitcher plants (Sarracenia alata), which makes this the first conservation easement in Texas with these unique carnivorous plant (pictured). While not an endangered species, pitcher plants are a rare find in Texas.  They use a musky odor to attract small insects. Once lured to the "mouth" of the plant, the insect tumbles over the slippery edge into the stem, which has digestive juices that dissolve the insect's body into digestible nutrients.

Another notable plant found at Soutendijk is the purplestem aster (Aster puniceus var. Scabricaulis), a herbaceous perennial with blue or purple flowers found in boggy areas. Globally, only a few populations exist in Texas and Louisiana. The Scabricaulis variety of Aster puniceus is imperiled globally because of vulnerability to extinction due highway mowing during bloom time, invasive grasses, and alterations of drainage patterns in and around their bog habitat.