Miller County Sandhills

Pinewoods lily (Alophia drummondii) © Scott Simon

Why You Should Visit
Miller County Sandhills—a landscape named for its deep deposits of ancient marine sand—is one of the few remaining sandhill sites in Arkansas. The sands create a very open forest character because of the difficult conditions for tree seedling establishment. The site harbors several rare plants specially adapted to the areas of deepest sands. Beautiful spring wildflower displays peak in early June.

Location
Miller County

Size
184 acres. Includes property owned by the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission and The Nature Conservancy, and additional land under conservation management agreement.

How to Prepare for Your Visit
Miller County Sandhills consists of mostly open woodlands with gently rolling terrain. There are no marked trails.

Sturdy hiking shoes and insect repellant are recommended. Carry plenty of drinking water.

Directions

• From Texarkana, take Highway 237 south
• After crossing the Sulphur River, continue for about four miles, passing Highway 134 on the right (west)
• Approximately 0.5 mile past the Hwy 134 intersection is a residence on the right
• The preserve is located on the right (west) side of Highway 237, about 100 yards past the residence
• Park on the side of the road.

What to See: Plants
Among the spring flowers to see are:

• spiderwort (Tradescantia ohiensis)
• evening primrose (Oenothera heterophylla)
• yellow fringed orchid (Platanthera cilliaris)
• twistflower (Streptanthus hyacinthoides)
• butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa).

Major tree species at Miller County Sandhills are bluejack oak (Quercus incana) and margaretta oak (Q. stellata var. margaretta).

Twenty-one plant species listed as Arkansas Special Plants have been found at Miller County Sandhills. Four of these—climbing milkweed (Matelea cynanchoides), little-leaved prairie clover (Dalea phleoides var. microphylla), hairy grama (Bouteloua hirsuta) and tragia (Tragia smallii)—are found nowhere else in Arkansas. One other, prairie clover (Dalea villosa var. grisea), is known from only one other site in the state.

What to See: Animals
A variety of migratory and resident bird species, such as vireos, warblers, sparrows, woodpeckers, and thrushes can be found on the preserve, as well as the red-shouldered hawk (Buteo lineatus), a rare species in Arkansas. Numerous kinds of butterflies can also be observed among the wildflowers.

Why the Conservancy Selected This Site
Miller County Sandhills is considered the largest and best example of the Northeast Texas sandhill woodland/sand barrens community known in Arkansas. Its rare plant community is of high significance.

Prior to protection as a natural area, many of the old trees had been removed. Part of the site was cultivated and grazed, and a portion was planted in loblolly pine. These past disturbances changed the structure of the sandhill plant community; however, the original components of the community remained.

What the Conservancy Has Done/Is Doing
Fire has been reintroduced as an important ecological process in maintaining the naturally occurring sandhill structure and species. Miller County Sandhills is now recovering from past disturbances, with young bluejack and margaretta oaks growing throughout the site and the understory supporting grasses and forbs typical of the sandhill community.