Which of these natural features can be found
Which of these natural features can be found in Texas? 1. deserts 2. canyons 3. mountains 4. beaches 5. meadows 6. swamps 7. pine forests
ALL OF THEM! 1. deserts – Chihuahuan Desert 2. canyons – Palo Duro Canyon 2 3. mountains – Guadalupe Mountains 4. beaches – Galveston Beach 7 3 1 5. meadows – Brenham 6. swamps – Daisetta Swamp, Liberty County 7. pine forests – Big Thicket 5 5 4 6
Ecoregions of Texas vocabulary word! ecoregion – a large area of land or water that contains a characteristic and distinct group of natural communities and species.
Ecoregions of Texas 1. Piney woods 2. Oak woods and prairies 3. Blackland prairie 4. Gulf coast prairies and marshes 5. Coastal sand plain 6. South Texas brush country 7. Edwards plateau 8. Llano uplift 9. Rolling plains 10. High plains 11. Trans pecos
Piney Woods
Piney Woods • Climate: Average annual rainfall of 36 to 50 inches is fairly uniformly distributed throughout the year, and humidity and temperatures are typically high. • Soil: Generally acidic and mostly pale to dark gray sands or sandy loams • Elevation: Ranges from 200 to 500 feet above sea level • Geography: Rolling terrain, swampy areas in the south • Vegetation: Pine and oak, tall hardwood forests with scattered areas of cropland, planted pastures, native pastures, and rich bottomlands
Piney Woods flora sweetgum palmetto blackjack oak southern yellow pine bald cypress loblolly pine
Piney Woods fauna water moccasin black bear grey squirrel wood pecker opossum raccoon cottontail whitetail deer
Piney Woods
Oak Woods and Prairies
Oak Woods and Prairies • Climate: Average annual rainfall averages 28 to 40 inches per year. • Soil: Upland soils are light colored, acidic sandy loam or sands. Bottomland soils may be light brown to dark gray and acidic with textures ranging from sandy loams to clays. • Elevation: Ranges from 300 to 800 feet above sea level • Geography: Gently rolling to hilly terrain • Vegetation: Oak savannah, where patches of oak woodland alternate with grassland. year.
Oak Woods and Prairies flora scarlet oak mockernut hickory pignut hickory pecan post oak walnut little bluestem elm
Oak Woods and Prairies fauna ringtail cat eastern spadefoot toad coyote collared peccary Cooper’s Hawk eastern bluebird least shrew mourning dove pocket gopher yellow mud turtle Texas blind snake
Oak Woods and Prairies
Blackland Prairies
Blackland Prairies • Climate: Average annual rainfall ranges from 28 to 40 inches. May is the peak rainfall month for the northern end of the region; however, the south-central part has a fairly uniform rainfall throughout the year. • Soil: Soils are uniformly dark-colored alkaline clays interspersed with some gray acidic sandy loams. • Elevation: Ranges from 300 to 800 feet above sea level • Geography: Gently rolling to nearly level terrain • Vegetation: Food and forage crops
Blackland Prairies flora Indian grass big bluestem Eastern gamagrass cottonwood juniper hackberry
Blackland Prairies fauna coyote ocelot Texas spiny lizard collared peccary turkey vulture eastern spadefoot toad pocket gopher yellow mud turtle cardinal
Blackland Prairies
Gulf Coast Prairies Marshes
Gulf Coast Prairies & Marshes • Climate: Annual rainfall varies from 30 to 50 inches per year, high humidity and warm temperatures • Soil: Acidic sands and sandy loams, with clays occurring in the river bottoms • Elevation: Nearly level, less than 150 feet above sea level, cut by streams and rivers flowing into the Gulf of Mexico • Geography: barrier islands along the coast, marshes near bays and estuaries, and prairies • Vegetation: Salt grass, tallgrass prairies, live oak woodlands, mesquite and acacias, oaks scattered along the coast, and tall woodlands in the river bottomlands
Gulf Coast Prairies & Marshes flora Indian grass big bluestem little bluestem live oak saltgrass cordgrass
Gulf Coast Prairies & Marshes fauna Hog-nosed skunk coyote lightning whelk bottlenose dolphin pelicans river otter gulls roseate spoonbill blue crab
Gulf Coast Prairies and Marshes
Coastal Sand Plains
Coastal Sand Plains • Climate: Average annual rainfall is 24 to 28 inches per year. • Soil: Primarily sands • Elevation: Fairly level with elevations less than 150 feet above sea level • Geography: Windblown sands and unstable dunes with grasslands, stands of oak, and salt marshes • Vegetation: Tallgrass prairie with live oak woodlands, mesquite savannah, and salt marshes
Coastal Sand Plains flora seacoast bluestem toothache tree crinkleawn gulfdune paspalum live oak big bluestem
Coastal Sand Plains fauna collared peccary coyote jackrabbit Texas tortoise whitetail deer Texas spiny lizard
Coastal Sand Plains
South Texas Brush Country
South Texas Brush Country • Climate: Average annual rainfall of 16 to 35 inches increases from the West to East. Summer temperatures are high, with very high evaporation rates. • Soil: Alkaline to slightly acidic clays and clay loams and shallow caliche soils • Elevation: Ranges from sea level to 1000 feet • Geography: Flat plains to gently rolling terrain • Vegetation: Thorny shrubs, trees, and cactus scattered with patches of palms and subtropical woodlands
South Texas Brush Country flora huisache prickly pear retama honey mesquite Texas mountain laurel live oak spanish dagger
South Texas Brush Country fauna javelina jackrabbit cougar ocelot whitetail deer green jay Texas tortoise indigo snake Texas spiny lizard
South Texas Brush Country
Edwards Plateau
Edwards Plateau • Climate: Average annual rainfall ranges from 15 to 34 inches. • Soil: Usually shallow with a variety of surface textures, underlain by limestone • Elevation: Ranges from slightly less than 100 feet to over 3, 000 feet above sea level • Geography: Many springs, stony hills, and steep canyons and caves; several river systems dissect the surface, creating a rough and well-drained landscape • Vegetation: Grasslands, juniper/oak woodlands, and plateau live oak or mesquite savannah
Edwards Plateau flora honey mesquite Texas madrone ashe juniper bigtooth maple Mexican plum Texas mountain laurel sycamore
Edwards Plateau fauna golden-cheeked warbler fox squirrel Texas blind salamander whitetail deer Mexican freetailed bat Brazilian freetailed bat
Edwards Plateau
Llano Uplift Enchanted Rock
Llano Uplift ¡Climate: Averages about 24 to 32 inches per year ¡Soil: Coarse textured sands, produced from weathered granite over thousands of years ¡Elevation: Ranges from 825 to 2, 250 feet above sea level ¡Geography: Hilly to rolling landscape. With some of the oldest rocks in Texas, the region contains unique minerals, rock formations, and large granite domes. ¡Vegetation: Oak-hickory or oak-juniper woodlands, mesquite-mixed brush savannah, and grasslands
Llano Uplift flora wild rye water pennywort Texas snowbell Texas wild rice boxelder switchgrass
Llano Uplift fauna muskrat black-capped vireo Guadalupe bass blue heron tarantula Rio Grande turkey
Llano Uplift
Rolling Plains
Rolling Plains • Climate: Average annual rainfall is 20 to 28 inches; dry summers with high temperatures and high evaporation rates • Soil: Varies from coarse sands along outwash terraces by streams to clays and shales • Elevation: Ranges from 800 to 3, 000 feet above sea level • Geography: Gently rolling hills and broad flats are cut by several rivers and their tributaries. • Vegetation: Mesquite and shortgrass savannah; various hardwood species along streams, juniper on steep slopes along rivers
Rolling Plains flora salt cedar buffalograss black willow shin oak Texas bluegrass plains cottonwood gamagrass
Rolling Plains fauna prairie chicken mule deer scissortail flycatcher swift fox prairie dog mountain plover quail
Rolling Plains
High Plains
High Plains • Climate: Extended droughts have occurred several times this century. • Soil: Surface texture of soils ranges from clays in the North to sands in the South; caliche underlies these surface soils at depths of two to five feet. • Elevation: ranges from 3, 000 to 4, 500 feet above sea level • Geography: Relatively level high plateau • Vegetation: Mostly irrigated cropland; native vegetation includes mesquite and juniper
High Plains flora plains cottonwood Colorado pinion pine lance-leaf sumac western wheatgrass teddy bear cholla buffalograss
High Plains fauna burrowing owl sandhill crane prairie dog geese ducks armadillo
High Plains
Trans Pecos
Trans Pecos ¡ Climate: 9– 15 inches of rain; semi-arid, warm, dry winters ¡ Soil: Generally shallow, saline, and unproductive ¡ Elevation: 2, 000 feet to mountain ranges. Highest peak is 8, 751 feet above sea level. ¡ Geography: Salt basins, sand hills, rugged plateaus, mountain slopes ¡ Vegetation: Desert grassland, desert scrub, coniferous and mixed hardwood forests at mountain peaks
Trans Pecos flora cacti honey mesquite desert willow red berry juniper creosotebush ocotillo
Trans Pecos fauna pronghorn bighorn sheep prairie dog mule deer scorpion rattlesnake roadrunner jackrabbit
Trans Pecos
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