EXPLORE PLANT LIFE
MISSION:
To bring about a realization of the interdependence of all living things and to protect aquatic life from the negative impacts of pollution.
FACTS:
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Diversity of plants is tremendous in the North American continents.
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California has 1,100 miles of coastline.
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Monterey Canyon is deeper than the Grand Canyon
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Offshore islands, and dry valleys such as Death Valley, have countless minerals and fossils.
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There are special habitats and special climate for the wild plants.
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The topographic level and the distance from the ocean decide the type of plants.
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Above 10,500 feet in the Alpine Zone, there are no trees and the plants are very small.
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Between 8,500 to 10,500 feet in the subalpine zone, you find Mountain Hemlocks and Whitebark pines.
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Between 6,000 to 8,500 feet in the upper mountain zone, you see red firs and lodgepole pines.
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Between 3,500 to 6,000 feet in the lower mountain zone, there are sequoias, white firs, ponderosa pines, douglas firs, mountain California black oaks.
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Between 1,000 to 3,500 feet in the foothills, you find oaks, digger pines, redwoods and chaparral.
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Coastal and islands have rocky coasts, sea cliffs, and coastal dunes.
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Deserts, because of lack of rain in the higher elevation above 4,000 feet, have big sage brushes, single leaf pinions and western junipers.
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In the lower elevations there are Creosote bushes, Joshua trees, Mojave yuccas, and beautiful wildflowers plus a variety of grasses.
