SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 402
WHEREAS, Two staff members at Big Bend National Park, Deb
Manley and Cathy Hoyt, have captivated the botanical world with
their discovery of a new plant species, the "wooly devil"; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Manley, a volunteer in the park's botany
program, and Ms. Hoyt, a supervisory interpretive park ranger,
first encountered the plant while on a hike in the park's
backcountry in March 2024; nestled among the desert rocks, the
plant featured fuzzy foliage and narrow, maroon-colored petals
that were unlike any species they had seen before; the discovery
elicited tremendous interest among botanists, and park staff
were eventually joined by representatives from California
Academy of Sciences, Sul Ross State University, and Centro
Interdisciplinario de Investigación para el Desarrollo Integral
Regional in studying and classifying the species; and
WHEREAS, Researchers dubbed the plant the "wooly devil" in
reference to its hairy leaves and hornlike florets, and it was
designated with the official name Ovicula biradiata in a new
genus within the daisy family; diminutive in size, the wooly
devil ranges from half an inch to three inches across, and it has
been identified in just three small sections in Big Bend's
portion of the Chihuahuan Desert; as an annual plant that blooms
after desert rains, it has likely struggled to survive in the
midst of prolonged droughts in its habitat, making its discovery
all the more remarkable to the scientific community; and
WHEREAS, Uncovering not only a new species but an entirely
new plant genus is a rare and exciting scientific breakthrough,
and Deb Manley and Cathy Hoyt may indeed take pride in the role
they played in bringing this tiny marvel to light and furthering
the study of the fascinating biodiversity found within Big Bend
National Park; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 89th
Legislature, hereby commemorate the discovery of a new plant
species at Big Bend National Park and commend Deb Manley and
Cathy Hoyt for their vital contribution to this undertaking.
Gutierrez
Blanco Flores Kolkhorst Blanco Flores Kolkhorst
Blanco Flores Kolkhorst
Cook Hinojosa of Hidalgo Menéndez Cook Hinojosa of Hidalgo Menéndez
Cook Hinojosa of Hidalgo Menéndez
Eckhardt Johnson Zaffirini Eckhardt Johnson Zaffirini
Eckhardt Johnson Zaffirini
Patrick, President of the Senate
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President of the Senate
I hereby certify that the
above Resolution was adopted by
the Senate on April 15, 2025.
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Secretary of the Senate
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Member, Texas Senate
Blanco Flores Kolkhorst
Cook Hinojosa of Hidalgo Menéndez
Eckhardt Johnson Zaffirini