SAN ANTONIO— The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today proposed to protect the bushy whitlow-wort as endangered under the Endangered Species Act and designate nearly 42 acres of critical habitat. The bushy whitlow-wort is a flowering plant that lives in just two places in Jim Hogg County in South Texas.

“I’m so glad that these beautiful plants and the places they live will finally be protected,” said Michael Robinson, a senior conservation advocate at the Center for Biological Diversity. “The bushy whitlow-wort is a painter’s dream with tiny yellow flowers aggregating to a splendid whole. I’m heartened to know they’ll have an excellent chance to continue brightening their sparse, rocky habitat for generations to come.”

The bushy whitlow-wort grows on rocky outcroppings in the semi-arid hot shrublands of South Texas. The flower’s survival is imperiled by expanding oil and gas wells and infrastructure as well as wind-energy development. The plant’s highly limited habitat — with the two remaining populations little more than 1 mile apart — also puts it at risk of a single wildfire destroying both populations.

Critical habitat designation prohibits the federal government from issuing development permits that would lead to the destruction of the plant’s habitat. Even where federal permitting is not required, conservationist landowners may choose to develop elsewhere.

The Center sued the Service in 2020 to protect the bushy whitlow-wort under the Endangered Species Act. Today’s proposal is a result of that lawsuit.

After a species is designated as endangered, the Service develops a recovery plan to guide management of the plant or animal.

Peer-reviewed research shows that species with critical habitat and those with recovery plans are approximately twice as likely to move toward recovery as those for which no critical habitat was designated or recovery plans written.

“The bushy whitlow-wort is part of what makes South Texas special,” said Robinson. “The Endangered Species Acts has protected so many species from extinction, but we need to protect it from short-sighted politicians trying to weaken this lifesaving law.”