Special Texas Wetlands, Page 2

Cover-Wondrous Wetlands

Caddo Lake State Park

Caddo Lake State Park

These bald cypress trees actually grow in the water! Since bald cypress lose their leaves in the winter that means a lot of detritus gets made in this wetland. Do you remember what detritus is?

 

 

Panhandle Playas

Panhandle PlayasRemember learning about the Panhandle region of Texas? The part of our state that looks like the handle of a pan? Well, the Texas Panhandle used to have thousands and thousands of special kinds of lakes, called "playas." Today it still has thousands, but not nearly as many as it used to.

 

 Who cares if there's less than there used to be? The birds! The wildlife! Us! That’s who!

And what's so special about playa lakes anyway? Lots of things! For starters they are temporary. That means they don't stay wet all the time.

But what really makes them special is that they make really important resting places for tired migrating birds. Each year millions of birds travel through this part of Texas on their way south and the playas give them places to stop, sleep, eat, and chill out for awhile.

Over 115 different kinds of birds come to these playas!

For other Texas Panhandle wildlife, playas are the best places to live because these wetlands offer lots of diversity and plenty of food.

Brazos Bend State Park

Brazos Bend SP American AlligatorsAt Brazos Bend you can see American Alligators.  Cool!

 

 

 

 

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