All About Nature: Animals to Paint Online

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Temperate deciduous forests are forests in cool, rainy areas; they have trees that lose their leaves in Fall and regrow them in Spring. Temperate deciduous forests are found in the middle latitudes around the globe and have four distinct seasons: Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter. In the Northern Hemisphere, these forests are found in North America, Europe, and Asia. In the Southern Hemisphere, there are smaller areas of these forests, in South America, Africa, and Australia. The growing season in these forests is about 6 months long.

Temperature and Precipitation: The average temperature in temperate deciduous forests is roughly 75°F (24°C) but gets as high as 86°F (30°C), depending on the altitude of the forest. Forests higher in the mountains are colder. Deciduous forests receive from 2 to 5 feet (0.5-1.5 m) of precipitation (both rain and snow) each year. Humidity in these forests is high, from 60% to 80%.

Fall Colors: In the Fall, the number of hours of daylight decreases. This causes some plants and trees (called deciduous) to stop producing chlorophyll (a green pigment that converts sunlight into chemical energy) and eventually lose their leaves. During this time, these leaves turn brilliant colors, ranging from red to orange to yellow to brown.

Soil: The soil in the deciduous forests is quite fertile, since it is often enriched with falling leaves, twigs, logs, and dead organisms.

Layers of the Temperate Deciduous Forest: There are five layers (also called zones or strata) in the temperate deciduous forest. These include the:

• Tree stratum, the tallest layer, 60 -100 feet high, with large oak, maple, beech, chestnut, hickory, elm, basswood, linden, walnut, or sweet gum trees.
• Small tree or sapling layer - short tree species and young trees.
• Shrub layer - shrubs like rhododendrons, azaleas, mountain laurels, and huckleberries.
• Herb layer - short plants.
• Ground layer - lichens, clubmosses, and true mosses.

Some Animals Found in Temperate Deciduous Forests:

Ant Ants are social insects.

Bald Eagle The bald eagle is a large bird of prey. It is the symbol of the USA.

Beaver The beaver is a large rodent that builds dams and dens.

Black Bear A large, black to brown bear.

Brown Bear The Brown Bear is a large bear with a muscular hump on its shoulders.

Cardinal The cardinal is a brilliant red bird with a short, wide bill.

Collared Peccary A pig-like mammal, also known as the javelina, from deserts, chaparrals and forests of North and Central America.

Deer The deer is a shy, fast-moving plant-eater.

Dhole The dhole is a wild dog from Asia.

Earthworm An earthworm is a little animal with a long, soft body and no legs.

Fox The fox is a meat-eating mammal with a long, bushy tail.

Frog Tadpoles grow up to be frogs.

Mallard Duck The Mallard is a common wild duck that is the ancestor of most domestic ducks.

Muskrat Muskrats are rodents that often build dome-shaped houses.

Newt Newts are small, brightly-colored salamanders.

Nightingale A small songird that sings beautiful, complex songs, often at night.

Opossum The Virginia opossum is the only marsupial in North America. Over 64 species of opossum are found in South America.

Porcupine Porcupines are mammals with protective, needle-like quills on their body.

Rabbit A fast-moving mammal with long ears.

Raccoon The raccoon is a mammal with mask-like markings on its face and a ringed tail.

Red Fox The Red Fox is a meat-eating mammal with a long, bushy tail.

Red-Tailed Hawk The Red-Tailed Hawk is a bird of prey, a raptor from North America.

Scorpion A venomous arachnid with a large stinger on its tail.

Skunk Skunks are black and white mammals that can produce a terrible odor.

Squirrel Squirrels are rodents. They live in a variety of biomes, including the taiga.

Turkey Turkeys are large birds that nest on the ground.

Weasel A carnivorous mammal that has a long, slender body and short legs.

White-Tailed Deer The white-tailed deer is a shy, fast-moving plant-eater.

All About Nature: Animals to Paint Online

Go to Animal Printouts

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