Big Spring and Howard County are located in an area where three ecological regions merge. To the north and east are the Western Rolling Plains, to the south is the Edwards Plateau, and to the north are the Southern High Plains (also know as the Llano Estacado or the Staked Plains). The merging of these ecological regions results in a variety of plant and animal life with representatives from each region overlapping in Howard County. The merging of these regions has also created some very scenic terrain around Big Spring, including Scenic Mountain offering a panoramic view of Big Spring, South Mountain and Signal Peak.
The region consists mostly of level plains with some canyons interspersed over the landscape. The Caprock escarpment in the region is caused by surface erosion. Along the edge of the high plains, this escarpment is a striking feature rising abruptly 2,500 feet above sea level and as much as 1,000 feet above the plains creating dramatic vistas.
The plains are fairly dry with low lying bushes, small areas of grass, and small clusters of wooded plants. On the Southern High Plains, the dominate vegetation types are woody plants and grasses. The woody plants consist of mesquite, lotebush, catclaw, junipers, and shinery oak. The grasses are primarily of the buffalo grass and plains bristle types. Grain sorghum, cotton, and a variety of small grains have been successfully cultivated. The Western Rolling Plains accommodate similar vegetation to the Southern High Plains with the addition of chinaberry, pecan and little leaf sumac. Prickly pear cactus and cottonwood are common in this area.
Soil types are dominated by sandy loams and clays. Howard County is located in the
Colorado River watershed.
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| Regions | |||||
| 1 | Piney Woods | 5 | Coastal Sand Plains | 9 | Rolling Plains |
| 2 | Oak Woods & Prairies | 6 | 10 | High Plains | |
| 3 | Blackland Prairies | 7 | 11 | Trans |
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| 4 | 8 | Llano Uplift | |||
| Source: |
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