Colorado Life Zones

Colorado Life Zones

1.

2.3.

4.6.

5.Prairie Alpine

Foothills

Subalpine

Montane

Riparian

Foothills5,500 – 8,000 ft.

Plains 3,500 – 5,500 ft.

Montane8,000 – 10,000 ft.

Sub alpine10,000 – 11,500 ft.

Riparian

Alpine 11,500 +ft.

Colorado Life Zones

Influences on the Life Zones• Elevation• Climate • Soils (Dirt)• Threats

•Animals •Plants •Food Web

Montane Life Zone

Foothills5,500 – 8,000 ft.

Plains3,500 – 5,500 ft.

Montane8,000 – 10,000 ft.

Sub alpine10,000 – 11,500 ft.

Riparian

Alpine 11,500 +ft.

Montane Life Zone

What Is It Like In The Montane?

Climate

Temperature

Geography

Soils

Snow falls in late fall and winter, thunderstorms in summer, more rain than foothills. Warmer than alpine.

Stays near freezing (24-32 F) in the winter, warm in the summer (70-78 F)

Located between foothills and subalpine. This zone supports many types of plant and animal habitats.

Deep soils in flat meadows help grasses and shrubs grow. Trees grow better in less wet, more rocky soils on the slopes of the valleys.

How Tall Are The Trees In The Montane?

Plains

MontaneAlpine

Foothills

Riparian

What kinds of plants grow in the Montane?

?

Douglas Fir

•Found in wet upper montane zone•Flat needles, cones have “mouse tails”•Rough Bark•Strong, Hard Wood – Good for Construction•Bears like to scrape the bark and eat sap

Lodgepole Pine

Aspen Trees•Trees lose their leaves in the fall•Very Fertile Soils Beneath Aspen•Leaves “quake” or “tremble” in the wind•Most trees in an area are from one root.•Grows well after fire

Indian Paintbru

sh

Columbine

State flower of Colorado!

What kinds of animals live in the

Montane?

?

Golden mantled ground squirrel

How does the golden mantled ground squirrel survive the long, cold winters in its Montane

habitat?

Black Bears

Black bear dens

ELK

Some of their favorite foods are willow and

aspen bark. Aspen

Willows

Can you tell the difference between the antlers?

Gray Jay

Stellar’s Jay