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Chaparral


Californian Chaparral near Valle Trinidad, Baja California; wet season. Photo: T.R. Van Devender

Californian Chaparral, San Diego County, California; wet season.

Californian Chaparral, San Jacinto Mountains, California; dry season.

Californian Chaparral, Sespe Condor Refuge, California; dry season.

Recent burn in Californian Chaparral, San Jacinto Mountains, California. Chaparral must burn periodically to maintain the health of the community.
For a few years after a fire chaparral is dominated by annual plants, often colorful wildflowers. Near Colonet, Baja California

Interior chaparral in the Chiricahua Mountains, Arizona. This community has many fewer species than Californian Chaparral.

Interior Chaparral, Yavapai County, Arizona. Photo: T.R. Van Devender


This anomalous community in the Silver Bell Mountains, Arizona is probably Interior Chaparral. The dominant plant is jojoba.

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