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 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

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 bald cypress palmetto southern yellow pine loblolly pine blackjack oak

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

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.

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

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

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 Eastern gamagrass big bluestem hackberry juniper cottonwood

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

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 little bluestem Indian grass big bluestem live oak saltgrass cordgrass

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

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 live oak crinkleawn seacoast bluestem gulfdune paspalum toothache tree big bluestem

Coastal Sand Plains fauna whitetail deer collared peccary coyote jackrabbit Texas tortoise 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 Texas mountain laurel retama live oak honey mesquite spanish dagger prickly pear

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

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 Mexican plum honey mesquite ashe juniper bigtooth maple Texas madrone sycamore Texas mountain laurel

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

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 boxelder Texas snowbell water pennywort switchgrass Texas wild rice

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

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 buffalograss plains cottonwood salt cedar Texas bluegrass shin oak gamagrass black willow

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

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 teddy bear cholla plains cottonwood lance-leaf sumac western wheatgrass buffalograss Colorado pinion pine

High Plains fauna burrowing owl ducks prairie dog geese armadillo sandhill crane geese 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 honey mesquite desert willow cacti ocotillo creosotebush red berry juniper

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

Trans Pecos