1. Ecoregions of Texas

2. What Is An Ecoregion?
Ecoregion- a major area with distinctive landforms, characteristic plants and animals, and receives uniform solar radiation and precipitation
Smaller than a biome

3. Where Are They? Region 1: Pineywoods
Region 2: Cross Timbers or Oak Woods and
Prairies
Region 3: Blackland Prairies
Region 4: Gulf Coast Prairies and Marshes
Region 5: Coastal Sand Plains
Region 6: South Texas Brush Country

4. Where Are They? Region 6: South Texas Brush Country
Region 7: Edwards Plateau
Region 8: Llano Uplift
Region 9: Rolling Plains
Region 10: High Plains
Region 11: Trans Pecos

6. Region 1
Piney Woods
Climate: average annual rainfall of inches is fairly uniformly distributed throughout the year, and humidity and temperatures are typically high
Soil: generally acidic
Geography: rolling terrain
Vegetation: pine and oak tall hardwood forests, timber and cattle production are important industries, swamps are common in southern part

7. Piney Woods
Caddo Lake
Athens
Tyler
Palestine
Rusk

8. Cross Timbers or Oak Woods & Prairies
Region 2
Cross Timbers or Oak Woods & Prairies
Climate: Average annual rainfall averages inches per year
Soil: Upland soils are light colored, acidic sandy loam or sands. Bottomland soils may be light brown to dark gray and acidic with textures ranging from sandy loams to clays
Geography: gently rolling to hilly terrain
Vegetation: patches of oak woodland alternate with grassland, cattle ranching is major industry

9. Region 3 Blackland Prairies
Climate: average annual rainfall ranges from inches. May is the peak rainfall month for the northern end of the region; however, the south-central part has a fairly uniform rainfall throughout the year.
Soil: soils are uniformly dark-colored alkaline clays
Geography: gently rolling to nearly level terrain
Vegetation: Rich fertile soils produce food and forage crops, crop production and cattle ranching are main industries

10. Oak Woods, Prairies & Blackland Prairies
Waco, Dallas, Lake Dallas, Killeen, College Station, Huntsville

11. Gulf Coast Prairies and Marshes
Region 4
Gulf Coast Prairies and Marshes
Climate: annual rainfall varies from inches per year, high humidity and warm temperatures
Soil: acidic sands and sandy loams, with clays occurring in the river bottoms
Geography: barrier islands along the coast, marshes near bays and estuaries, and prairies
Vegetation: salt grass, tallgrass prairies, live oak woodlands, important habitat for migratory birds and spawning areas for fish and shrimp

12. Region 5 Coastal Sand Plains
Climate: Average annual rainfall is inches per year
Soil: primarily windblown
Geography: windblown sands and unstable dunes with grasslands, stands of oak, and salt marshes
Vegetation: tallgrass prairie with live oak woodlands, mesquite savannah, and salt marshes, formerly known as “Wild Horse Prairie” now it is mostly grazed by cattle

13. Gulf Coast Prairies and Marshes
Padre Island
Brownsville
Houston
Corpus Christi
Galveston

14. South Texas Brush Country
Region 6
South Texas Brush Country
Climate: average annual rainfall of inches increases from west to east. Summer temperatures are high, with very high evaporation rates
Geography: flat plains to gently rolling terrain
Vegetation: thorny shrubs, trees, and cactus scattered with patches of palms and subtropical woodlands, home to many species of wildlife from Mexico to grasslands and deserts

15. South Texas Brush Country
Laredo, San Antonio

16. Region 7 Edwards Plateau
Climate: average annual rainfall ranges from inches
Soil: usually shallow with a variety of surface textures, underlain by limestone
Geography: many springs, stony hills, and steep canyons and caves; several river systems dissect the surface, creating a rough and well-drained landscape
Vegetation: grasslands, juniper/oak woodlands, and plateau live oak or mesquite savannah, ranching is main industry

17. Region 8 Llano Uplift Climate: averages about 24-32 inches per year
Soil: coarse textured sands, produced from weathered granite over thousands of years
Geography: some of the oldest rocks in Texas, the region contains unique minerals and rock formations and large granite domes( Enchanted Rock near Fredricksburg); hilly to rolling landscape
Vegetation: oak-hickory or oak-juniper woodlands, mesquite-mixed brush savannah, and grasslands

18. Edwards Plateau Llano Uplift
Austin
Bastrop
San Marcos
Round-Rock

19. Region 9
Rolling Plains
Climate: average annual rainfall is inches; dry summers with high temperatures and high evaporation rates
Soil: vary from coarse sands along outwash terraces by streams, to clays and shales
Geography: gently rolling hills and broad flats are cut by several rivers and their tributaries
Vegetation: mesquite and shortgrass savannah; various hardwood species along streams, juniper on steep slopes along rivers

20. Region 10
High Plains
Climate: extended droughts have occurred several times this century
Soil: surface texture of soils ranges from clays in the north to sands in the south; Caliche underlies these surface soils at depths of two to five feet
Elevation: ranges from 3,000-4,500 feet above sea level
Geography: relatively level high plateau
Vegetation: mostly irrigated cropland; native vegetation includes mesquite and juniper

21. Panhandle Plains
Amarillo, Wichita Falls, Lubbock, Abilene

22. Region 11
Trans Pecos
Climate: Less than 12 inches of rain; semi-arid, warm, dry winters
Soil: generally shallow, saline, and unproductive
Elevation: 2,500 feet to mountain ranges, highest peak is 8,751 feet above sea level
Geography: salt basins, sand hills, rugged plateaus, mountain slopes
Vegetation: desert grassland, desert scrub, coniferous and mixed hardwood forests at mountain peaks

23. Trans Pecos
El Paso, Midland, Odessa

24. My Ecoregion Which region do you live in?
Have you ever visited another region?