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winonas home page-- welcome
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flowers and cactus of the desert
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deserts are extremely dry regions with agenerally warm climate. most deserts receive less then 10 inches(25 centimeters) of rainfall a year. in some cases,all the rain falls in one or two cloudbursts. desert flowers must therefore be able to survive for many months without rain.some desert flowers are shrubs. these plants have vast networks of roots that absorb every available drop of moisture in the soil. other desert flowers are herbaceous perennials with thick, spongy stems. the stems store water, witch the plants use during the long dry spells. cactuses are the best-known examples of this type of plant.still other flowers are annuals. annuals thrive in deserts because they have relatively few perennials to compete with. in addition, theseeds of annuals can survive even the longest dry periods. the seeds lie buried until the rains return. they then sprout, and the plants complete their entire life cycle within only a few weeks. the deserts of the southwestern north america have a wide variety of flowers,including most of the familiar kinds of cactuses.many of the cactuses have beautiful blossoms.the north american deserts also have numerous flowering shrubs and hundreds of annuals the shrubs include such species as brittlebusses and desert mallows desert marigolds devils claws evening primroses ghost flowers and sand verbenas are only a few of the many colorful annuals.
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howl of the wolf
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WOLF is one of the largest members of the dog family.wolves are expert hunters and prey chiefly on large hoofed animals such as caribou deer elk and moose.many people fear wolves .they believe wolves attack human beings and the animals eerie howl frightens them. but wolves avoid people as much as possible.wolves can live in almost any climate though they are seldom found in deserts or tropical forests.in ancient times they roamed throughout the northern half of the world.but wherever large numbers of people settled they destroyed wolves.as a result wolves have disappeared from many areas.today most wolves live in sparsely populated northern regions such as ALASKA MINNESOTA. CANADA
CHINA. and RUSSIA.small numbers of wolves still inhabit wilderness of GREECE. INDIA. MEXICO. SPAIN. and countries.
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bob cat in the snow
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bobcat is a wildcat that lives in north america. it has long legs, and pointed ears tipped with short hairs. its short fur varies in color from tan to reddish-brown and has dark spots and blotches. long hairs on its face resemble sideburns the adult bobcat measures from 30 to 40 inches nose to tailthe males weigh about 24 pounds. the females about 16 lb.and shorter than males bobcats live in swamps, mountains,and wooded areas.they once roamed throughout the united states,but today they are rarely found in the midwest.bobcats like hunting a nigh they have keen dight and hearing they are good climbers and also can swim. they make their dens in hollow trees,caves and under rocks they feed on mice, rats, rabbits and squirrels, bobcats mate in late winter or early spring, pregnacy is about 65 days,most females have two or three kittens at one time. they remain with the mother about 6 months or late summer
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