My Chaparral
By: Elizabeth Holm
Precipitation and temperature
The chaparral only gets about 10-17 inches of rain each year, most of it comes in the winter. In the winter temperatures can get as low as 30 degrees Fahrenheit and in the summers it can get up to 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
Soil composition
The soil in the chaparral is very nutrient poor. This leaves the soil nutrient poor and vulnerable to erosion. Once the soil is eroded away, either by wind or rain, the ground under soil is usually bare rock, very thin, or clay.
The first layer is serpentine, the second layer is non-serpentine soil, the third layer is vernal pools, the fourth layer is gabbro. A layer which is found only near rivers and steams is the allvial soil layer.
Plants and animals
Some of the plants in the chaparral are blue oak, coyote brush and common sagebrush. Some of the animals in the chaparral are black-tailed jackrabbit, cactus wren, and golden jackal.
Blue oak
The blue oak is native to the state of California on the western coast of North America. In its natural habitat it grows in the valleys and lower slopes of the Coast Ranges, the lower western foothills of the Sierra Nevada, and the other slope of the San Gabriel Mountains. Blue oak covers about 3 million acres and is one of the largest ancient forest type in California.
Coyote brush
Coyote brush is a common chaparral plant in California in Oregon. It can be found all over California from San Diego Country to Oregon, coastal sage scrub and chaparral, hillsides and in canyons below 2500 feet. Coyote brush is part of the sunflower family even thought it looks nothing like a sunflower.
Common sagebrush
The chaparral biome is one of the environments where sagebrush can be found. Sagebrush can also be found on the dry plains of the western U.S. and the drier southern side of mountains. Sagebrush grows in dry places where other plants do not, but it prefers well drained soils in sheltered areas.
Black-tailed jackrabbit
Jackrabbits live in the extreme environments of the desert and chaparral. Jackrabbits have huge ears. It can regulate its body heat by increasing or decreasing the blood flow through its ears. This helps the jackrabbit absorb heat or cool off. They prefer to live in open areas where they can see predators coming. With its long, rangy legs it can run in bursts of up to 36mph. Their incredible speed helps them outrun many of their enemies.
Cactus wren
The Cactus wren lives in the arid and semi-aired deserts of southwestern United States and the Chaparral of southern California and northern Mexico. The Cactus wren is usually found below 4,000 feet. It is the largest wren in the United States. Their throats are white, and their beaks are dark, long and slightly curved. Cactus wren don't migrate and are considered permanent residents of the region they live in.
Golden jackal
The Jackal is much like a small wolf. It has long hair with a long and fluffy tail. It stands as tall as a moderately tall dog and has bone structure common to the Canis family. It has long pointed ears and a medium sized pointed snout. The body length of a Jackal is 70 to 80 cm. and its tail is about 25 cm. When standing its about 40 cm. high.