SW - Land Shaped by Water & Plant and Animals

SW - Land Shaped by Water & Plant and Animals

Land Shpaed by Water

The climate of the Southwest differs across the region. The Gulf Coast of Texas is hot and very humid. The mountain areas can be cold and snowy in the winter months. But most of the Southwest is hot and dry.

Multiple Select

Most of the Southwest is? (pick 2)

• hot

• cold

• dry

• wet

Most of Arizona and New Mexico is especially dry. Water is a scarce resource. There is very little rainfall in these states. When it does rain, it rains hard. The time when this region receives most of it's rain is called the monsoon season. It starts in mid-June and lasts until the end of September.

Multiple Select

When do Arizona and New Mexico usually get rain? (Pick 2)

• during winter months

• during monsoon season

• mid-June to late September

• during the morning

All the water rushes into dry river beds and stream beds. It also rushes through ditches called arroyos. Arroyos are formed by water over a long time. Each rainfall makes them deeper.

Multiple Choice

What are formed by water over a long time?

• stream beds

• river beds

• arroyos

• ditches

The main sources of fresh water for the region are the Colorado River and the Rio Grande. The Colorado River begins in Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado. It flows through the states of Utah, Nevada, Arizona, and California and empties into the Gulf of California in Mexico.

Multiple Choice

Where does the Colorado River begin?

• Colorado

• Utah

• Nevada

• California

The Colorado River created the Grand Canyon. Over millions of years, the snow-fed river carved the canyon into Earth's surface. Today, the Colorado River flows through a 280-mile stretch of the Grand Canyon. Mile-high walls of colored rock in the canyon tell the story of Earth's geology. Each layer of colored minerals represents a time period. Some layers are volcanic rock from ancient eruptions.

Multiple Choice

What created the Grand Canyon?

• arroyos

• layers of rock

• volcanic eruptions

• Colorado River

The Colorado River was very important to the early Native Americans. Many groups made their home on or near the river. The river is still home to many Native American groups.

The Rio Grande begins in Colorado. It passes through New Mexico and Texas and ends at the Gulf of Mexico. In Texas, the Rio Grande forms the border between the United States and Mexico. Long ago, ancestral Puebloan people built eighteen pueblos, or towns, on the Rio Grande in what is now called New Mexico. Some still live there today.

Multiple Choice

Where does the Rio Grande begin?

• California

• Colorado

• Texas

• New Mexico

The Hohokam lived in central and southern Arizona between 200 B.C. and 1.D. 1450. They lived mostly along the Salt and Gila Rivers. The Hohokam farmed maize (corn). They gathered wild beans and fruits for food. They also hunted.

Multiple Choice

What crop did the Hohokam grow?

• berries

• fruits

• corn

• beans

The Hohokam are known for building an important irrigation canal. They dug a 3-mile trench into the ground to carry water from the Gila River to the fields. They developed a series of connected canals for irrigating their crops.

Multiple Choice

The Hohokam are known for?

• raising maize

• building an important irrigation canal

• building towns along the Rio Grande

• inventing pizza

Today, people make dams to provide fresh water. They build hydroelectric plants on the rivers to make electricity. The rivers of the Southwest allow people to live in this dry region.

Multiple Choice

What do hydroelectric plants on the rivers create?

• maize

• canyons

• volcanic eruptions

• electricity

Plants and Animals of the Southwest

Desert ecosystems support plant and animal life. The Sonoran Desert has the greatest variety of plants of any desert in the world. About 560 different kinds of plants grow there.

Sonoran Desert

The saguaro cactus is the most recognized plant in this desert. This cactus has a central stalk and arms that grow out of its side. It can grow 40 feet tall. But cacti come in many shapes. The prickly pear looks like a flat paddle, and the golden barrel cactus looks like a round bulb. Desert cacti are typically covered with sharp spines.

saguaro cactus

prickly pear

golden barrel cactus

Multiple Choice

How are saguaro cactus different from prickly pear and golden barrel cactus?

• saguaro cactus are green

• saguaro cactus have sharp spines

• saguaro cactus are taller

• prickly pear and golden barrel are not cact

Coyotes and mountain lions roam the Sonoran Desert. They are always on the hunt for prey - jackrabbits, small deer, and squirrels. Over 260 types of birds can be found in this area during the year. Rattlesnakes, the desert tortoise, the giant Gila monster, and the tiger salamander also make their homes in this dry ecosystem.

mountain lion

Coyote

jackrabbit

rattlesnake

desert tortoise

Gila monster

tiger salamander

Forests grow in the mountainous areas of the Colorado Plateau. Most forests are in northern New Mexico and Arizona. Here ponderosa pine, spruces, and aspen thrive. These plants can live in the cold winters and cool summers of this ecosystem. Black bears, bobcats, coyotes, and cougars make their home here.

Multiple Select

Most forests in the Southwest are in ______ and _____. (pick 2)

• Arizona

• Illinois

• New Mexico

• Texas

ponderosa pine

spruce tree

aspen

The Texas coastal plain is home to many plant and animal species. Ducks, songbirds, and geese migrate from Canada to spend their winters in the warmth. Tall grasses and wildflowers thrive inland because of the rainstorms that blow in off the Gulf of Mexico.

Turtle grass, cattails and mangroves grow in the wetlands along the coast. Alligators, fiddler crabs, and sea turtles can also be found along the coast. Small cacti, such as the prickly pear, grow in this area but not as many as in the desert.

turtle grass

cattails

mangroves

The Great Plains was once home to about 30 million bison, an animal early settlers called buffalo. The bison thrived on the prairie grasses of the Great Plains. Today, very few bison remain. They were hunted to near-extinction by American buffalo hunters as the United States expanded west.

bison

Other animals such as prairie dogs, ferrets, bobcats, red foxes, antelope, rattlesnakes, and hawks, still live here. Grasses as tall as 12 feet can be found in some parts of the Great Plains. Sagebrush bushes and buffalo grass are also common plants to this ecosystem.

prairie dogs

ferrets

bobcat

red fox

antelope

sagebrush

buffalo grass

Today, people are working to protect the ecosystems of the Southwest. By protecting these habitats, the plants and animals here will flourish for many years to come.