Welcome to the Chaparral!

Have you ever dreamed of visiting the old Wild West?You are probably picturing chaparral.

What is chaparral?• A semi-arid scrub forest biome

populated by dry-loving plants• It’s kind of a stage between

desert and grassland• It can be quite variable,

including mountainous areas, rolling hills, and flat terrain

• Because it is found in areas with dry summers, it is periodically subject to fires and plants are adapted to occasional fires.

Where is chaparral found?

• located on the western coast of North and South America, around the Mediterranean, and on the western coast of South Africa and Australia.

Chaparral - California• In the U.S. most chaparral is found in

California and defines much of its coastline along with the also unique redwood forests. It can be very beautiful and full of life but can

also look so dry to be

on the verge of fire

Climate of the chaparral

• Hot very dry summers, drought

• Mild, wet winters

• Annual rainfall: 14-30 inches

• Average temperature 50-65 degrees, but can get to 110 degrees in summer, cooler but not cold in winter

Chaparral animals

Animals adapted to chaparral need to be able to move around or burrow to avoid the dry heat of summer days. Challenging conditions of the chaparral mean less diversity than you would find in a forest biome. But reptiles like snakes and lizards that thrive in hot dry areas are found in abundance in addition to mammals from mice to mountain lions and a wide array of birds.

Mountain lion

• Also known as puma, cougar,

panther

Mountain lions are the largest

cat in North America. Males weigh up to 200 pounds and can leap up to 15 feet in a single bound. Solitary hunters, mountain lions attack from behind and break their prey’s neck. They then bury the kill and return at a later time to feed.

Mountain lions roam large territories. They occupy a variety of habitats and their ability to move around allows them to take advantage of the best elements in each. The chaparral biome offers plenty of prey—deer, woodrats, rabbits—and the big cats can just move to more hospitable territory to avoid midday summer heat.

Female lions give birth to 2 to 4 kittens and nurse them for 2 months. After that they travel with her and she teaches them to hunt. The cubs live with their mother for 1 ½ to 2 years.

Chaparral vegetation

Chaparral plants are known as sclerophyllic or hard leaved. Their adaptations include waxy coating of the leaves, thicker cell layers, and recessed pores to limit evaporation. Plants that grow in chaparral areas do not require fire, but have adaptations that allow them to recolonize quickly following a fire.

ChamiseChamise is an evergreen bush that grows from 2 to 12 feet tall. It has grey bark that comes off in strips and needle like leaves. From February to July, the plant blooms with small white flowers. The bush grows thickly and covers hillsides of south facing slopes. Chamise is the most dominant plant of the chaparral ecosystem.

Chamise provides food for rabbits and deer in chaparral territory. They especially like the new shoots that spring up after a fire.

Places to visitEl Moro Elfin Forest at Morro Bay

The Elfin Forest supports more than 200 species of plants, as well as 110 kinds of birds, 22 species of mammals and 13 species of reptiles and amphibians.  It is home to rare plants, butterflies, snails and birds.