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
Evergreen tree with graygreen leaves
25-30 feet tall
Oldest known cultivated tree in
history!
Can live for hundreds of years;
some up to 1,000!!
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
*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
AKA: Christmas berry
and California Holly
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
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 320 young during
summer.
Scientific name crotalus is
derived from Greek for
“rattle or little ball” and
exsul from latin meaning
“to be exiled or banished”
Youtube video
Also known as the valley
quail, it is the state bird of
California
Youtube video
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.
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 freeflying 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)
Youtube video
Lifespan: 45-80 years (average 60)
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
Youtube Video
AKA: 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
Range in California
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.
Seeds that
will not
germinate
without heat
of fire
cracking
their
casings.
Hairy leaves
collect moisture
out of the air
and insulate
against high
heat.
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