TEMPERATE WOODLAND & SHRUBLAND

AKA…CHAPARRAL

*Occur 30-40 degrees south latitude and 30-50 degrees north latitude

*Cool, moist during fall, winter, spring

*Hot, dry during summer

*Frequent, intense fires (burns out ever 30-40 years)

*10-17 inches of rain/year (70% falls in the 6 winter months)

*30-100 degrees Fahrenheit temperature range (64 degree average during coldest months)

*Lie in belt of prevailing westerly winds. This is why chaparrals tend to be located on the west sides of continents.

Evergreen shrub; 3-10 feet tall; leaves usually have short, sharp or spiny teeth

*Lifespan of a century; grows very slowly

*40-60’ tall; 25-40’ wide

*Produces edible Pinon nuts

*1 pound cones measuring 4-6” long

*Mature tree has roots up to 200’ long!

Arctostaphylos manazanita ~Perennial shrub

~Grows 6-12 feet high

~Found at elevation between 250-6,500 feet

~Flowers February to April

~Seeds will not germinate unless burned by fire

Oldest known cultivated tree in history!

Can live for hundreds of years; some up to 1,000!!

Evergreen tree with gray-green leaves

25-30 feet tall

MOUNTAIN MAHOGANY

Cercocaarpus montanus

*Small deciduous tree/shrub

*Grows to 12 feet tall

*Can “dwarf” in order to survive

*Nicknamed “Hardtack” because it can NOT be killed by axe, drought or fire

Perennial, deciduous shrub

2-12 feet tall

Leaves with a 3-toothed edge

Small white or yellow flowers in groups called

florets

Ceanothus is a genus

consisting of about 20 different

species of evergreen

shrubs (.5-3m tall) or small trees (6-7m

tall)

~2-12 foot high evergreen shrub

~Contains highly flammable resins

~Grows quickly from its root crown following fire

~Releases toxins into the soil to inhibit growth of other plants and reduce competition

~Sheds branches & bark during hot summer months

AKA: Christmas berry and California Holly

*Scientific name: Heteromeles arbutifolia

*2-5 meter tall evergreen, perennial shrub

*Sharply toothed leaves

*Small, red, berry-like fruit that persists well into winter

*INCORRECTLY, some believe Hollywood derives its name from the numerous “California Holly” bushes that cover the Hollywood hills

Large, rounded, evergreen shrub

10-15 feet tall

Commonly found on dry ridges and canyons below 3,000 feet in elevation

Very susceptible to frost and is often planted by citrus growers as a frost indicator

Nocturnal omnivore.

Prey: ground squirrels, gophers, birds, lizards, nocturnal rodents, hares and rabbits, and some vegetation such as grasses.

Predators: coyotes, red foxes, and man.

Size: 22-30 cm tall at shoulder, 51 cm length with additional 30 cm long tail, 5 pound weight

Reproduction: litters of 3-5 pups, lifespan in the wild of 7 years

Youtube video

Scientific name crotalus is derived from Greek for “rattle or little ball” and

exsul from latin meaning “to be exiled or banished”

Average 2.5-3.5 feet in length.

Commonly found in areas of rock and brush.

Prey: rodents, rabbits, small mammals and occasionally birds and lizards.

Predators: Red-tailed hawk.

Reproduction: Mate in April and give birth to 3-20 young during summer.

Youtube video

Also known as the valley quail, it is the state bird of

California

Feed on seeds, buds, and sometimes insects in flocks called coveys during the early morning hours.

Predators include hawks, owls, jays, ravens, skunks, foxes, bobcats, and humans.

Lay 12-16 eggs in a shallow hollow or scrape in the ground lined with grass. Incubation takes about 3 weeks. Both parents care for the chicks which are able to fly within 10 days of hatching.

Youtube video

Diet: Insects and spiders

Predators: hawks, owls, and snakes

Nesting: 5-7 eggs in a stick nest built in a cavity

Named after Thomas Bewick, an English naturalist.

Youtube video

A 5-7.2 cm long lizard that is primarily found at elevations below 850m.

Dependent on a single species of termite (Western Subterranean Termites) for its principal food source.

Their speed reduces risk of predation, so major threats are habitat destruction and introduction of invasive exotic species, like Argentine ants, that displace many native insects that are in the whiptails specialized diet.

Clutch sizes of 2-3 eggs that take 50-55 days to incubate

Worlwide population as of May 2013: 435 with 237 free-

flying in California, Arizona and Baja California, Mexico

Size: Largest bird in N. America with a wingspan of 9.5 feet!

Diet: Carrion (prefer large animals like deer, cattle and sheep)

Lifespan: 45-80 years (average 60)Youtube video

Nocturnal animal that

hops on large hind legs much

like a kangaroo.

247mm in total length (over

half of which is its tail) and

weighing 40-50 grams.

Lives in large dens dug into

the ground with 6-12

entrances.

Diet: seeds, leaves, stems and insects

Predators: coyotes, foxes,

badgers, snakes, and

owls

Reproduction: 3 or more litters per year of 1-5 pups each; 3-5 year life span.

Youtube video

Range in CaliforniaAKA: California Whipsnake

3-4 feet long; rarely to 5

Exceptional speed

Prey: lizards, small mammals, nesting birds, and other snakes (including rattlesnakes)

Threats: habitat destruction

Reproduction: lay 6-11 eggs in late May to July that hatch between August through October

Youtube Video

Truly a hare. Hares are different than rabbits because their babies are born with all their fur and their eyes open.

Can run at bursts up to 36 mph.

Conserve water by eating food twice (2nd time after defecating the first).

Size: 9-13 pounds; 16-28 inches long

Diet: tough grasses, leaves, twigs,

sagebrush and cacti

Predators: coyotes, foxes, bobcats,

badgers and weasels

Reproduction: Litters of 1-6 every

3-4 months

Smallest type of skunk. 21-25 inches long.

2 anal glands filled with musk; used for defense only after 2 warnings are ignored.

Prey: rats and other small rodents, vegetation, insects, fruits and berries

Predators: Great Horned Owls and Bobcats

Breeding: mate in October and give birth to an average of 6 pups in March or April; female skunks can delay the birth date until food is plentiful.

Large ears act as radiators to cool animals in hot

climates.

Hairy leaves collect moisture

out of the air and insulate against high

heat.

Seeds that will not

germinate without heat

of fire cracking

their casings.

Leathery leaves lock in moisture.

Nocturnal behavior avoids

high temperatures of

daytime sun.

Urban sprawl destroys natural

habitat.

Fire suppression builds up dead woody debri which fuels stronger,

more destructive fires in the future.

Deforestation for firewood and rangeland

destroys natural chaparral habitat.

~http://www.californiaherps.com/lizards/pages/a.h.beldingi.html

~http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orange-throated

~http://www.gsd.harvard.edu/studios/brc/report/21_whiptail.html

~http://ecoregion.ucr.edu/full.asp?sp_num=29

~http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Canis_latrans.html

~http://www.wildlifevideo.com/sounds/Coyo1.wav

~http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/kangaroo_rat.htm

~http://www.nsrl.ttu.edu/tmot1/dipomerr.htm

~ http://www.californiaherps.com/snakes/pages/m.l.lateralis.html

~ http://pick4.pick.uga.edu/mp/20q?search=Masticophis+lateralis&guide=Snakes

~ http://www.enature.com/fieldguides/detail.asp?recnum=AR0104

~ http://www.nhptv.org/Natureworks/blacktailedjack.htm

~ www.mun.ca/.../delta/ arcticf/car/www/caceal.htm

~http://www.werc.usgs.gov/fire/seki/ffs/images/Arctostaphylos_patula_seedlings_P5_small.jpg

~ mcstoppp.org/ images/toyon.jpg

~ japurcell.wordpress.com/ files/2006/09/moon.png

~ www.passion4geography.co.uk/ quotephotos/URBAN…

~ encyclopedia.quickseek.com/ images/C-130_fight…

~http://infohost.nmt.edu/~biology/biomespresent/tsld033.htm

~http://infohost.nmt.edu/~biology/biomespresent/sld039.htm

~http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/chaparral.htm

~http://www.enature.com/flashcard/show_flash_card.asp?recordNumber=TS0179

~http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&safe=active&q=Ceanothus&btnG=Search

~http://images.google.com/images?svnum=10&hl=en&safe=active&q=California+Lilac&btnG=Search

~http://www.enature.com/flashcard/show_flash_card.asp?recordNumber=TS0336

~http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyon

~http://www.calflora.net/bloomingplants/laurelsumac.html

~http://www.sdnhm.org/fieldguide/herps/crot-exs.html

~http://www.nhptv.org/natureworks/californiaquail.htm

~http://www.baynature.com/2002apriljune/quail_2002apriljune.html

~http://www.naturesongs.com/caqu1.wav

~http://www.birdsofoklahoma.net/Bewkwren003.htm

~http://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/id/htmwav2/h7190so.mp3

~ www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/ fr/IMG/jpg/05-03-2.jpg