Tall Aspen Parkland
vegetation:
*prairie and sedge fens
*groves of aspen or scattered bur oaks
*mix of deciduous trees, prairie grasses and wild flowers
climate:
*dry winds
*very little rain
*cold winters and hot summers
What is the land like?
*rocky, flat plain
Prairie Grassland
vegetation:
*flat and rolling grasslands
*vegetated sand dunes
*big bluestem
*wet meadows to shortgrass prairies
climate: rainfall is generally lower and summer temperatures are higher
What is the land like?
*fertile prairie soil
*north - influenced by Glacial Lake Agassiz
*south and southwest - high plateau of quartz bedrock and glacial debris
Coniferous Forest
vegetation:
* evergreen trees that bear cones
*pine trees, spruce, fir, and tamarack
*North mix with the deciduous aspen, birch, sugar maple, and basswood
climate:
*cool and moist
*cold winters and cool summers caused by Arctic air masses
*summer rains and winter snow
What is the land like?
*thin glacial deposits blanketing the bedrock in the northeast
* deeper deposits formed in the southern and western parts of this biome
* Peatlands occur in huge areas as a result of large glacial lakes
Deciduous Forest
vegetation:
*sugar maples,
*prairie’s edge, where fires are common, you find- oaks
*silver maple and cottonwood grow along moist river flood plains
*bur oaks and aspen groves mingle with prairie
climate: warm summer temperatures and humid
What is the land like? Most of these forests were cleared and converted to farmland, lakes, rivers, and rugged terrain, ice sheets sculpted portions of the deciduous forest biome, but missed the southeastern corner known as the driftless area, glacial ridges, sand plains, kames (hills), and kettle lakes
Minnesota's Biomes
Tall Aspen Parkland
Prairie Grassland
Deciduous Forest
Coniferous Forest