Mississippi Valley Loess Plains

The Mississippi Valley Loess Plains run as a band along the eastern edge of the Delta through western Mississippi and Tennessee, including Jackson, Grenada, Vicksburg, and Oxford. Wind-deposited loess gives the region deep, fine-textured soil that erodes badly once it is left bare, which makes groundcover matter more here than in most places. Natives such as white wild indigo, sweetbay magnolia, and yaupon holly hold that soil and take the long humid summers.

Conditions: Deep wind-deposited loess, highly erodible when exposed, 50–58 inches of rain, hot humid summers and mild winters.

Cities and areas: Jackson, Grenada, Greenwood, Vicksburg, Oxford, Batesville.