# Texas stork's bill (*Erodium texanum*) Texas stork's bill is a small plant with pretty pink flowers. It grows close to the ground and has unique, long seed pods that look like little storks' bills! - **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low - **Snaps:** 3 - **Habitat:** Grasslands ![Texas stork's bill](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Erodium_texanum_1.jpg&width=800) Photo: Stan Shebs, CC BY-SA 3.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Erodium_texanum_1.jpg) ## Appearance The Texas stork's bill is a low-growing plant with deeply lobed, fern-like leaves. It has small, five-petaled flowers, typically pink to purplish-pink, often with darker veins. Its most distinctive feature is its long, pointed, stork-bill-shaped fruit that stands upright. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Plantae - **Phylum:** Tracheophyta - **Class:** Magnoliopsida - **Order:** Geraniales - **Family:** Geraniaceae - **Genus:** Erodium ## Interesting facts - Its fruit looks just like a stork's long, pointed beak, giving the plant its unique name! - Native American tribes sometimes used the leaves of this plant for traditional remedies. - This plant is a wild cousin to the colorful geraniums you might see in gardens. - You can find its tiny pink flowers blooming even during mild winter days! ## Special abilities - **Seed Spear:** Texas stork's bill has seeds with a coiled, corkscrew tail that can drill into the soil, planting themselves deep and safe. - **Hitchhiker Seeds:** Its seeds are designed to attach to animal fur or feathers, allowing them to travel far and colonize new areas. - **Desert Tough:** Texas stork's bill can thrive in dry, disturbed soils where other plants struggle, thanks to its quick lifecycle and robust roots. ## Measurements & details - **Height:** 5-30 cm - **Spread:** 5-20 cm - **Flower Size:** 0.5-1.5 cm - **Bloom Season:** Late winter to spring - **Edible:** Yes - **Toxicity:** None - **Lifecycle:** Annual - **Pollination Method:** Insect ## Ecological connections - **Pollinates:** Honey bee (*Apis mellifera*) — collects nectar and pollen - **Pollinates:** Common eastern bumblebee (*Bombus impatiens*) — helps transfer pollen - **Eaten by:** [White-tailed deer](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-tailed-deer) (*Odocoileus virginianus*) — forages on its leaves - **Eaten by:** [House mouse](https://www.snappit.app/explore/house-mouse) (*Mus musculus*) — eats its protein-rich seeds ## Traits - [Flowering](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/flowering): Flowering plants are any plants that produce flowers as part of their reproductive cycle. - [Biennial](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/biennial): Biennial plants complete their life cycle over two growing seasons, typically forming foliage in the first year and flowering/seeding in the second. - [Spring Blooming](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/spring-blooming): Spring blooming plants produce their flowers during the spring season, often signifying the end of winter and the start of new growth. - [Drought Tolerant](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/drought-tolerant): Drought-tolerant plants can survive and flourish in conditions with limited water availability. - [Edible](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/edible): Edible plants are those parts of a plant that are considered safe for human consumption. - [Grassland](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/grassland): Grassland habitats are terrestrial biomes dominated by grasses and herbaceous plants, supporting a variety of grazing animals. - [Pollinator Magnet](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator-magnet): Describes plants that are particularly attractive and beneficial to a wide range of pollinating organisms. ## Collections - [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants) ## Safety **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low Always look but don't pick plants unless an adult says it's okay. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify Texas stork's bill? Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### How tall is Texas stork's bill? 5-30 cm ### How wide does Texas stork's bill spread? 5-20 cm ### How big are the flowers on Texas stork's bill? 0.5-1.5 cm ### When does Texas stork's bill bloom? Late winter to spring ### Is Texas stork's bill edible? Yes ### Is Texas stork's bill toxic? None ### What is Texas stork's bill's lifecycle? Annual ## Where to spot - [Calico Early Man Site](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/calico-early-man-site) — California, US · Historic District - [Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/lady-bird-johnson-wildflower-center) — Texas, US · Botanical Garden - [Pace Bend Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/pace-bend-park) — Texas, US · Park [View all places to see Texas stork's bill](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/texas-storks-bill) ## More Plants - [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*) - [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*) - [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*) - [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*) --- Source: [Texas stork's bill: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/texas-storks-bill)