Knowledge Quest:
Rick Halsey for California Chaparral
Knowledge Quest by Joy, Gr. 9
Our Knowledge Quest on Tuesday 27, 2009 educated our school about our surrounding habitats. Richard Halsey presented many facts and a lot of information about a local species of plant known as chaparral.
Chaparral is a bioregion in California and found in Mediterranean and semi-arid environments such as the Sierra Nevada. Chaparral is not, however, found in Texas. Richard Halsey created a non profit organization in order to benefit these plants and their Mediterranean-type climates. His organization has increased the conservation efforts for these places and plants.
The presentation was very interactive and taught our school about the chaparral and semi-arid climate areas. Not only do the plants of the chaparral regions are interesting. Grizzly Bears and different species of condors also are found in those areas. They are a large part of creating the natural "loop" of their ecosystem. The Grizzly became extinct in the chaparral ecosystem a while ago however the condor has seen their own gloom of population. The condors now are coming back and multiplying steadily.
Paideia Seminar: "Nature" by Ralph Waldo Emerson
Ideas and Values: Harmony, Being, Defining Self
"In the woods, a man casts off his years, as the snake his slough and at what period soever of life is always a child."
What is a chaparral plant community?
It is a very diverse plant community that can survive winter wind, fog/clouds etc. It is found lots of places (can't be mapped out because of it's widespread collections), so people call it "brush land" and/or "brush". It isn't usually found on/in good soil but rather in rocky, shallow soils on top of moisture filled clay and rock. It is mostly found in Mediterranean climates.
Chaparral shrubs have hard leaves, very efficient water storage systems. They have a waxy like coating, and are
California's most extensive native plant community.
It is NOT a plant but an herb
Chaparral shrubs are in lowlands, rocky hills--they are NOT found in Texas. They dominatevfoothills and mountain slopes in semi-arid climates.
Laurel Sumac
Lemonade Berry
California Sagebrush
Poison Oak
Sugarbush
Whispering Bells
Yerba Santa
Indian Pink
Popcorn Flower
Canyon Sunflower
Manzanita
Deerweed
Chaparral Sweet Pea
Scrub Oak
Sage
Chaparral Mallow
Larkspur
California Buckwheat
Ceanothus
Chamise
Mountain Mahogany
Snapdragon
Yucca
Fremont’s Camus
Black Mustard
