Texas Ecoregions

Key Vocabulary Ecoregion Plateau Panhandle Plains Prairie

Texas Ecoregions Texas is divided into 7 ecoregions.

Texas Ecoregions Gulf Coast The Gulf Coast stretches along the Gulf of Mexico for hundreds of miles. Cities such as Corpus Christi, Galveston, and Houston are in the Gulf Coast region. Near the gulf waters you can see marshes, barrier islands, estuaries (where salty sea water and fresh river water meet), and bays. As you travel west, you can see prairies and grasslands. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pq9AS9fMk3E

Texas Ecoregions Pineywoods The East Texas region is primarily a thick forest of pines, hence the name Pineywoods! The terrain is rolling with lower, wetter bottomlands that grow hardwood trees such as elm, mesquite and ash. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUZ8v53M3H0&feature=relmfu

Texas Ecoregions South Texas Plains The South Texas plains and brush country stretches from the edges of the Hill Country into the subtropical regions of the Lower Rio Grande valley. Much of the area is dry and covered with grasses and thorny brush such as mesquite and prickly pear cacti. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5LFfG4J3Gw&feature=relmfu

Texas Ecoregions Prairies and Lakes The Prairies and Lakes region is in north central and central Texas. This area is a transition between the plains of the West Texas Panhandle and the Pineywoods of East Texas. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KaA6q6U13nQ&feature=relmfu

Texas Ecoregions Hill Country The Texas Hill Country is located in Central Texas. The land is rolling to hilly grassland. It sits on the Edwards Plateau. A plateau is high, flat land. The Edwards Plateau region comprises an area of central Texas commonly known as the Texas Hill Country There are also hidden, underground lakes in the Edwards Aquifer http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEu9cZZeD9k&feature=relmfu San Marcos Underground Springs

Texas Ecoregions Big Bend Country/Trans Pecos West Texas has wide-open spaces with rugged plateaus (plat-toes) and desert mountains. The plateaus have short grasses and brush. The desert is dry and hot in the day and cool at night. Plants and animals are adapted for the desert. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPnXS69INRM&feature=relmfu

Texas Ecoregions Panhandle Plains The northernmost area of Texas is called the Panhandle. This region has mostly flat, grassy land or plains. The Panhandle goes from gently rolling hills to rough and dissected with canyons. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=804mKiZhBqQ&feature=relmfu