forest at trwry asssswhb W/l -»4 J. Three biomes meet in Minnesota

Transcription

1 prairie deciduous forest at trwry asssswhb W/l -»4 J. Three biomes meet in Minnesota

2 Busy Biomes BY JANICE WELSH ILLUSTRATIONS BY VERA MING WONG What kind of place is live here. Wherever we live Minnesota? It does not in a city, on a farm, by a lake have mountains. It is not a we are part of a large plant and desert. It is not near the ocean. animal community called a Minnesota is a land of lakes biome. Minnesota has three (more than 12,000), rivers biomes: coniferous forest, (more than 90,000 miles), deciduous forest, and prairie. prairies, and forests. More than 4 million people and 2,000 Janice Welsh runs Project WILD, species of plants and animals a DNR program for schools. JANUARY-FEBRUARY

3 Prairie This biome covers most of southern and western Minnesota. The climate is drier and warmer here than in other parts of the state. Cheyenne, Assiniboine, and Dakota Indians roamed the prairie before European settlers arrived. Herds of big animals ate the grasses, and the Indians limited them for food and hides. What were the animals? (Answer on next page.) Pioneers plowed the prairie

4 to plant corn, wheat, and other crops. Today, soybeans and beets are other important crops. The grasslands have small lakes and marshes called prairie potholes. This one has a muskrat lodge on it. Look for these plants: purple coneflower, dotted blazing star, goldenrod. And animals: upland sandpiper, common yellowthroat, greater prairie chicken, coyote, regal fritillary butterfly, bobolink, five-lined skink, vole, gopher snake, redtailed hawk. Answer: Prairie Indians hunted bison (buffalo).

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6 Deciduous Forest North and east of the prairie, It the climate is colder and wetter. This biome has more lakes and trees. Maple, oak, 9 basswood, and other broadleaf trees grow here. These trees are often called hardwoods. Ojibwe Indians still gather ^ wild rice and fish in lakes and streams here. Some tap maple trees for sap to make $ maple sugar and syrup. And \ some hunt deer. What other & large hoofed animal did the JJj Indian people once hunt in these woods? When European settlers arrived, they cut the woods for timber and firewood. They started farms. But farms in this biome were not, \ j as large or plentiful as farms S on the prairie. Try to find these animals: ^ red fox, skunk, opossum, pileated woodpecker, barred owl, American goldfinch, black bear, blue jay, rosebreasted grosbeak. Can you vjj find the birdwatcher? A Answer: Elk once lived in the central hardivood forest.

7 ** Coniferous Forest Northern Minnesota has the state's coldest climate. Pines, spruces, firs, and other coniferous trees grow here. So do deciduous trees such as aspen and birch. This biome is also called the boreal forest or north woods. In the far north, near Canada, you can canoe on hundreds of rocky lakes in forests almost as wild as they were when the Dakota, Cree, and Ojibwe Indians lived here. Other than deer, what large animals did they hunt? Loggers cut the big pine trees from many places. Farmers planted crops but soon discovered that summer was too short to grow much corn or wheat. Look for these plants and animals: white pine, spruce, boreal owl, common raven, fisher, spruce grouse, porcupine, lynx, black bear, gray wolf, snowshoe hare, evening and pine grosbeaks.,, O' \.. Answer: Indians hunted moose and black bears. They also hunted caribou, which no longer live in northern ^ Minnesota.

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