1. 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

2. ALL OF THEM!
1. deserts – Chihuahuan Desert
2. canyons – Palo Duro Canyon 1 3 2 4 6 7 5
3. mountains – Guadalupe
Mountains
4. beaches – Galveston Beach
5. meadows – Brenham
6. swamps – Daisetta Swamp,
Liberty County
7. pine forests – Big Thicket

3. 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.

4. 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

5. Piney Woods

6. 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

7. Piney Woods flora sweetgum bald cypress palmetto southern yellow pine
loblolly pine
blackjack oak

8. Piney Woods fauna wood pecker water moccasin black bear grey squirrel
whitetail deer
raccoon
cottontail
opossum

9. Piney Woods

10. Oak Woods and Prairies

11. 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.

12. Oak Woods and Prairies flora
little bluestem
scarlet oak
pignut hickory
post oak
pecan
mockernut hickory
elm
walnut

13. Oak Woods and Prairies fauna
ringtail cat
eastern spadefoot toad
eastern bluebird
least shrew
coyote
yellow mud turtle
Cooper’s Hawk
mourning dove
collared peccary
pocket gopher
Texas blind snake

14. Oak Woods and Prairies

15. Blackland Prairies

16. 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

17. Blackland Prairies flora
Indian grass
Eastern gamagrass
big bluestem
hackberry
juniper
cottonwood

18. Blackland Prairies fauna
coyote
turkey vulture
ocelot
Texas spiny lizard
eastern spadefoot toad
cardinal
collared peccary
yellow mud turtle
pocket gopher

19. Blackland Prairies

20. Gulf Coast Prairies Marshes

21. 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

22. Gulf Coast Prairies & Marshes flora
little bluestem
Indian grass
big bluestem
live oak
saltgrass
cordgrass

23. Gulf Coast Prairies & Marshes fauna
pelicans
Hog-nosed skunk
bottlenose dolphin
coyote
river otter
gulls
lightning whelk
blue crab
roseate spoonbill

24. Gulf Coast Prairies and Marshes

25. Coastal Sand Plains

26. 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

27. Coastal Sand Plains flora
live oak
crinkleawn
seacoast bluestem
gulfdune paspalum
toothache tree
big bluestem

28. Coastal Sand Plains fauna
whitetail deer
collared peccary
coyote
jackrabbit
Texas tortoise
Texas spiny lizard

29. Coastal Sand Plains

30. South Texas Brush Country

31. 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

32. South Texas Brush Country flora
huisache
Texas mountain laurel
retama
live oak
honey mesquite
spanish dagger
prickly pear

33. South Texas Brush Country fauna
whitetail deer
javelina
ocelot
jackrabbit
green jay
Texas tortoise
Texas spiny lizard
cougar
indigo snake

34. South Texas Brush Country

35. Edwards Plateau

36. 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

37. Edwards Plateau flora Mexican plum honey mesquite ashe juniper
bigtooth maple
Texas madrone
sycamore
Texas mountain laurel

38. Mexican free-tailed bat
Edwards Plateau fauna
Mexican free-tailed bat
golden-cheeked warbler
Texas blind salamander
fox squirrel
whitetail deer
Brazilian free-tailed bat

39. Edwards Plateau

40. Llano Uplift
Enchanted Rock

41. 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

42. Llano Uplift flora wild rye boxelder Texas snowbell water pennywort
switchgrass
Texas wild rice

43. Llano Uplift fauna tarantula muskrat Guadalupe bass black-capped vireo
Rio Grande turkey
blue heron

44. Llano Uplift

45. Rolling Plains

46. 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

47. Rolling Plains flora buffalograss plains cottonwood salt cedar
Texas bluegrass
shin oak
gamagrass
black willow

48. scissortail flycatcher
Rolling Plains fauna
scissortail flycatcher
prairie chicken
swift fox
quail
mountain plover
mule deer
prairie dog

49. Rolling Plains

50. High Plains

51. 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

52. High Plains flora teddy bear cholla plains cottonwood lance-leaf sumac
western wheatgrass
buffalograss
Colorado pinion pine

53. High Plains fauna burrowing owl ducks prairie dog geese armadillo
sandhill crane
geese
armadillo

54. High Plains

55. Trans Pecos

56. 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

57. Trans Pecos flora honey mesquite desert willow cacti ocotillo
creosotebush
red berry juniper

58. Trans Pecos fauna pronghorn roadrunner scorpion bighorn sheep
rattlesnake
mule deer
jackrabbit
prairie dog

59. Trans Pecos