Visit the Chaparral

Pristine Adventures Co.

WHERE IS THE CHAPARRAL?

Northern CaliforniaMediterranean coastlineSouthern AustraliaMidwest United StatesChile, South AmericaSouth AfricaCostal Europe

LOCATIONS

Hard, dry under saturated soilDrought ridden plants and earth Inland from coast but not quite desertDominated by shrubs and small treesWildfi res occur often in summer monthsLocated on foothills and small plainsPlants have hard sclerophyllous evergreen leaves

(evaporation resistant)

FEATURES

Warm, moist climate in winterArid, dry climate in summerMild temperatures and low rainfall throughout the yearAverage annual temperature: 61°FAverage annual rainfall: 21 cm

CLIMATE

CHAPARRAL PLANTS

Sage Brush: Strong, tall, drought resistant bush that dominates the foothills

Coyote Bush: Small bush that dominates the ground level, wiry and woody plant

Blue Oak: One of the largest trees in California, stores lots of moisture, provides food for many species

French Broom: blooms mostly in winter months, tall beautiful yellow flower

CHAPARRAL ANIMALS

Black Tailed Jackrabbit: Small wiry hare, prefers open areas, survives on grass, leaves, and twigs

Golden Jackal: Small wolf like animal that eats half meat (hares, rodents, birds) and half plants (leaves, twigs, fruits)

Puma: larger member of the cat family, eats deer, rodents, and plants, adaptable to many climates

Cactus Wren: non-migratory, exploratory birds that survive on insects and small fruit

The Chaparral features many plants that are capable of surviving intense droughts and attacks from predators

The South African Chaparral has 6,000 plant species found nowhere else on earth

Chamiso plant: A small tree like plant that convers itself in a wax substance to trap in moisture to survive during the dry months. The wax, however, is highly flammable and burns like oil which serves as a disadvantage during forest fi res

UNIQUE PLANTS

Most of the animals in the Chaparral are scavengers and omnivores, surviving on what they can find available to them in the surrounding plant community

There are a very small number of predators because of the scarcity of food

Kangaroo Rat: does not drink hardly any water and instead conserves its metabolic water by not sweating, producing little urine. It takes dust baths to stay clean and remains mostly inactive throughout its life.

UNIQUE ANIMALS

Best time to visit: Winter and FallWith its mild to warm temperatures and moist winter

climate, the Chaparral off ers the perfect getaway from those cold wet winter months!

Abundant wildlife can be seen year round Flowers bloom in winter months along with the

emergence of newborn jackals and pumas from their dens

SEASONAL INFORMATION

The chaparral off ers many beautiful hiking trails ranging in diffi culty from beginner to advanced

Mountain biking trails line the valleys and ridges and provide a great opportunity for some high speed fun

Off road vehicle rock climbing and trail riding for those who like to live on the edge (Warning: drive at your own risk)

ACTIVITIES

Lumber companies are cutting down ancient trees and burning the shrub land

Cities are fast being developed right on top of the homes of many indigenous Chaparral plant and animal species

Climate change is taking the already dry Chaparral climate and making it even more uninhabitable to an decreasing number of wildlife

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/chaparral.htmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaparralhttp://

www.ehow.com/list_7516571_environmental-problems-chaparral-biomes.html

REFERENCES

Jake Rogers