[ Main ] Educator's Guide
Outreach Initiatives
[ Site Map ]
Geology | Lehigh River Watershed Explorations | Weather | Environmental Issues | Data Collection Activities
 
Chaparral (Mediterranean Scrubland)

Did You Know?

  • Long hot summers encourage the growth of a special kind of vegetation here.
  • Yearly rainfall is usually moderate.
  • Under natural conditions, the chaparral tends to be burnt every 30-40 years.
  • This area is rich in wildflowers and birds.
  • Insect-eating birds are especially abundant in the summer.
  • A characteristic tree of these lands in the cork-oak, which is also planted for its valuable bark.
  • A beautiful bird found here is the azure-winged magpie.

Where is the Chaparral biome?

Chaparral is found in the dense shrubland on dry slopes and ridges from southern Oregon to Baja California.  Elsewhere in the world, similar vegetation occurs around the Mediterranean Sea, on the souther coast of Australia, at the souther tip of Afirca and in central Chile.

What organisms (plant or animal) are typically found in the chaparral biome?

  • Scrub oak and buckthorns are typically found here.
  • Trees include small oaks and pines.
  • Brush rabbit, mule deer, kangaroo rats and deer mice are common animals.
  • Lizards and snakes are common in chaparral and include the southern alligator lizard and the striped racer.

 

Introduction | What are biomes? | Middle School Student | Whole Group Discussion | Teacher Resources | References
LEO EnviroSci Inquiry is brought to you by LEO and the SERVIT Group at Lehigh University
Copyright ©2000-2002 LEO and the SERVIT Group at Lehigh University. All rights reserved.