Sabal minor 'McCurtain' Street View

[PalmTreeDude]

I looked around southern McCurtain county, Oklahoma and found some palms on street view in Google Maps. It is like an online Easter egg hunt!

https://www.google.com/maps/@33.6794725,-94.5471893,3a,32.8y,243.65h,71.07t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1syCHi6aNfxLcuOPDDAdd91Q!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

https://www.google.com/maps/@33.7219178,-94.5989145,3a,32.8y,109.2h,74.27t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sV1-iKm5SXPOZPQibhyLT_g!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

https://www.google.com/maps/@33.722279,-94.5988984,3a,18.9y,251.4h,70.47t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sC_H9vm7hG0idLWmMHTjHwg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

Edited October 31, 2017 by PalmTreeDude

[kinzyjr]

Nice work @PalmTreeDude!

[Rightstuff15]

Does anyone know if there is a specific area in McCurtain County where the Sabal's are densely populated ?  Or are they just scattered throughout in a random fashion?

[PalmTreeDude]

  On 11/1/2017 at 6:09 PM, Rightstuff15 said:

Does anyone know if there is a specific area in McCurtain County where the Sabal's are densely populated ?  Or are they just scattered throughout in a random fashion?

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I think you will like this: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JoRCjQdQEBc

[Ben G.]

  On 11/1/2017 at 6:09 PM, Rightstuff15 said:

Does anyone know if there is a specific area in McCurtain County where the Sabal's are densely populated ?  Or are they just scattered throughout in a random fashion?

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I've been to see the native Sabal minors in McCurtain county before and I've spoken quite a bit with a couple of Tulsa area palm enthusiasts (one is Wes from PalmTreeDude's linked YouTube video) who have made lots of trips there over  a lot of years. 

While minors can be found in various locations in the county, most are in the southeast part of the county around Idabel and the Red Slough wildlife management area. This is a lowland area near the Red River. Though another person has told me they can also be found in isolated populations in higher elevation areas near Broken Bow.

From my own observations, there are lots of areas around there that look like perfect habitat for minors, but you won't find any in most of those places. It seemed kind of random to me. I was told exactly where to go to find some. They were all over the sides of the road in that area, but I had passed lots of similar areas to get there that had no palms at all. 

I hope that helps.

Ben

[Ben G.]

  On 10/31/2017 at 7:34 PM, PalmTreeDude said:

I looked around southern McCurtain county, Oklahoma and found some palms on street view in Google Maps. It is like an online Easter egg hunt!

https://www.google.com/maps/@33.6794725,-94.5471893,3a,32.8y,243.65h,71.07t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1syCHi6aNfxLcuOPDDAdd91Q!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

https://www.google.com/maps/@33.7219178,-94.5989145,3a,32.8y,109.2h,74.27t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sV1-iKm5SXPOZPQibhyLT_g!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

https://www.google.com/maps/@33.722279,-94.5988984,3a,18.9y,251.4h,70.47t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sC_H9vm7hG0idLWmMHTjHwg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

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Great find. They aren't always easy to spot down there from a car, so you've done well to find them from your computer.

[Ben G.]

  On 11/1/2017 at 6:35 PM, PalmTreeDude said:

I think you will like this: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JoRCjQdQEBc

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That's a great video. I first saw it when I was still in college. I was able to meet Wes from the video before I graduated ,and he was kind enough to share the location of some of the McCurtain county minors with me...he also shared a lot of palm seedlings. Like most gardeners that I've met, he's a very nice guy.

[PalmTreeDude]

  On 11/2/2017 at 2:46 AM, Ben OK said:

That's a great video. I first saw it when I was still in college. I was able to meet Wes from the video before I graduated ,and he was kind enough to share the location of some of the McCurtain county minors with me...he also shared a lot of palm seedlings. Like most gardeners that I've met, he's a very nice guy.

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Shhh!! Don't tell people you don't trust! They may go rip the place up.  But glad to hear you met him and he was nice! Are the Sabal minor 'McCurtain' found through out most of McCurtain county or just the southern part? From about Idabel and south? Well, where do they seem to stop, to word it better, just now seeing your other reply.

Edited November 2, 2017 by PalmTreeDude

[Ben G.]

  On 11/2/2017 at 7:34 PM, PalmTreeDude said:

Shhh!! Don't tell people you don't trust! They may go rip the place up.  But glad to hear you met him and he was nice! Are the Sabal minor 'McCurtain' found through out most of McCurtain county or just the southern part? From about Idabel and south? Well, where do they seem to stop, to word it better, just now seeing your other reply.

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I'm not really sure. I've only gotten to make that one trip down to McCurtain county. It's not unbelievably far out of the way, but it is not really on the way to... anywhere really. So with my family obligations, I don't get too many chances to go off the beaten path on palm hunts.

I would like to make another trip down there though. The one time I did go, we we're coming back from Texarkana and still went out of our way to spend about an hour or so checking out roadside palms.

I'd also like to see if two mature butias I saw NW of Idabel are still alive. They were at planted in front of a farm house set back a ways from the highway, but I was very surprised to see them.

[PalmTreeDude]

I randomly looked around the area on street view again when I had some free time this afternoon. I found these small tucked away Sabal minor, it looks dry. 

https://www.google.com/maps/@33.6852944,-94.5538403,3a,15.3y,224.39h,77.03t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sOQBWMvFPdZIYz7jOE1TzzQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

https://www.google.com/maps/@33.6844229,-94.5524357,3a,26y,221.7h,69.97t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1su6ezh1Zzl0lwhHQmMfLVFw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

https://www.google.com/maps/@33.6824081,-94.5500347,3a,15.6y,231.96h,67.44t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1swEdTJtrvI4RTdnGPDv2OlA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

https://www.google.com/maps/@33.6824684,-94.5500871,3a,19y,212.04h,76.91t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sJt1Gpl5DPs7oEkP8TwtVTw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

 

[NC_Palms]

It is amusing to see Sabal minors grow in dry deciduous forest. I am used to them being found in wetlands and mixed forest here in NC. 

[PalmTreeDude]

  On 12/10/2018 at 1:48 AM, NC_Palms said:

It is amusing to see Sabal minors grow in dry deciduous forest. I am used to them being found in wetlands and mixed forest here in NC. 

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I would love to know where the Northern most population of Sabal minor in McCurtain County are. Someone once said that someone found some North of Broken Bow by (or maybe in) Hochatown State Park. I believe there may be written reports of it. Here is some research done on Sabal minor in McCurtain County, OK that might have more about it. https://www.jstor.org/stable/23028113?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents

[NC_Palms]

  On 12/10/2018 at 4:37 AM, PalmTreeDude said:

I would love to know where the Northern most population of Sabal minor in McCurtain County are. Someone once said that someone found some North of Broken Bow by (or maybe in) Hochatown State Park. I believe there may be written reports of it. Here is some research done on Sabal minor in McCurtain County, OK that might have more about it. https://www.jstor.org/stable/23028113?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents

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That’s an interesting article. I never knew that McCurtain county Sabals are threatened. 

[Henoh]

  On 12/10/2018 at 4:37 AM, PalmTreeDude said:

I would love to know where the Northern most population of Sabal minor in McCurtain County are. Someone once said that someone found some North of Broken Bow by (or maybe in) Hochatown State Park. I believe there may be written reports of it. Here is some research done on Sabal minor in McCurtain County, OK that might have more about it. https://www.jstor.org/stable/23028113?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents

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Erik Terdal, professor of biology shot them in the Beavers Bend State Park, north of Broken Bow.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/drterdal/9889039565/in/album-72157635785933785

Edited December 10, 2018 by Henoh

[Ben G.]

  On 12/10/2018 at 1:48 AM, NC_Palms said:

It is amusing to see Sabal minors grow in dry deciduous forest. I am used to them being found in wetlands and mixed forest here in NC. 

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A lot of southeast Oklahoma is a mixed pine and hardwood forest including much of the area in and around McCurtain County. As far as it being dry, that's probably relative. While mid to late summer can get hot and dry in this part of the country, the town of Idabel averages almost 52" inches of rain annually. That may be drier than their habitat in your area though. (I am certainly not an expert on the climate or geography of North Carolina)

https://www.usclimatedata.com/climate/idabel/oklahoma/united-states/usok0272

There are areas of higher elevation in the hills around Broken Bow, and there are flat fairly low-lying areas near the Red River (like Idabel and Red Slough)

 

[Dave_OK]

This is really cool. I've driven that same road from the Ark. border into Tom, Okla., and seen Sabal minor on the side of the road. It's literally the farthest southeast road in the entire state. You could just abut throw a football into the Red River/Texas to the South. Never found pics of palms on Google like this though, so that's really cool. I've also seen Sabal minor along the Lower Mountain Fork River in Beaver's Bend State Park. Really cool to find native palms in your home state! 

[NC_Palms]

  On 12/10/2018 at 10:07 PM, Ben OK said:

A lot of southeast Oklahoma is a mixed pine and hardwood forest including much of the area in and around McCurtain County. As far as it being dry, that's probably relative. While mid to late summer can get hot and dry in this part of the country, the town of Idabel averages almost 52" inches of rain annually. That may be drier than their habitat in your area though. (I am certainly not an expert on the climate or geography of North Carolina)

https://www.usclimatedata.com/climate/idabel/oklahoma/united-states/usok0272

There are areas of higher elevation in the hills around Broken Bow, and there are flat fairly low-lying areas near the Red River (like Idabel and Red Slough)

 

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1

Greenville and Idabel have similar climates, for the most part, but Idabel actually receives a few more inches of precipitation. I just notice Sabal minor here prefer wetter sites here than in Oklahoma. I could be wrong though, I haven't explored the forest of McCurtain County (yet lol).