Called the "biological crossroads of North America," Big Thicket is where Eastern deciduous forests, Gulf coastal prairies, Southwestern deserts, and Southern pine forests converge, creating extraordinary biodiversity — over 1,000 plant species, 300 bird species, and four carnivorous plant species including the pitcher plant and sundew. The preserve protects a dozen separate units of the thicket that once covered 3 million acres and has been reduced to a fraction of its former extent.