Below treelike subalpine fir and Englemann spruce are short and bent by the wind and severe weather. The tops of the tallest peaks reach above treeline (at 11,000 feet) and are topped with alpine meadows of low shrubs, sedges, wildflowers and cushion plants. The Rio Grande is one of the four longest rivers in the U.S. The Sangre de Cristo Mountains are the southernmost part of the Rocky Mountains and run north-south along the east side of the Rio Grande River. The tallest mountain is Wheeler Peak at 13,161 feet and found in the Carson National Forest. Northern New Mexico is covered in rugged, conifer-covered peaks of the southern Rocky Mountains. New Mexico has five National Forests and one National Grassland. The Rio Grande flows though the Chihuahuan Desert providing water for vegetation like cottonwood trees and catalpa (desert willow) along its banks. Surrounded by mountain ranges that block it from getting moisture, this dry region is still home to many plants, like creosotebush, mesquite, agave, ocotillo, barrel cacti and prickly pear. Biologists break them down into five ecosystems: alpine-conifer, desert and basin, juniper-scrub, plains-mesa, and riparian habitats.Ī portion of the Chihuahuan Desert is found in southern New Mexico. New Mexico has a wide array of natural communities including deserts, mesas, dry shrub and grassy plains, snow-capped mountains, forests, floodplains of the Rio Grande, woodlands, hilly scrublands, lava fields and volcanic plateaus.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |