Southwestern Tablelands facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Southwestern Tablelands
Central Great Plains (area 26 on the map)
Ecology
Realm	Nearctic
Borders	List Western High Plains to the north and south of the Southwestern Tablelands corridor Central Great Plains to the east Southern Rockies to the northwest Arizona/New Mexico Plateau a very small portion to the central west Arizona/New Mexico Mountains and Chihuahuan Desert to the south-southwest Edwards Plateau to the southeast Central Great Plains to the east
Geography
Country	United States
State	Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas

The Southwestern Tablelands are a special natural area, also called an ecoregion. An ecoregion is a large space on Earth where the climate, plants, and animals are all very similar. This ecoregion stretches across parts of several states in the United States. You can find it in east-central and southeast Colorado, east-central and a small part of eastern New Mexico, some eastern areas of the Oklahoma Panhandle, far south-central Kansas, and parts of northwest Texas.

This area has a "cold semiarid" climate. This means it's not super hot, not super cold, but it is quite dry. Sometimes, strong winds can pick up a lot of dust from the ground. This can create a dust storm, especially in parts of Texas.

Where are the Southwestern Tablelands?

The Southwestern Tablelands cover a large area. Here are some places that help you understand where it is:

• The Canadian River, located north of Amarillo, Texas, runs right through the middle of this ecoregion.
• The city of Snyder, Texas is also within this area.
• You can find La Junta, Colorado inside the ecoregion.
• The western edge of the Tablelands is close to Pueblo, Colorado, and Albuquerque, New Mexico.
• To the north, the edge is south of Dodge City, Kansas.
• The eastern edge is west of Woodward, Oklahoma.

Plants of the Tablelands

The plants that grow in an ecoregion depend a lot on the climate. In the northwestern part of the Southwestern Tablelands, you will mostly see grasses. These grasses are part of a special ecosystem called a shortgrass prairie. A prairie is a large area of flat or rolling land covered mostly by grasses. You might also find sagebrush growing here. Sagebrush is a type of shrub with a strong smell.

Animals of the Tablelands

While the original text doesn't list specific animals, ecoregions like the Southwestern Tablelands are home to many creatures. In a shortgrass prairie, you would typically find animals that are good at living in open, grassy areas. This might include various types of birds, small mammals like prairie dogs and rabbits, and insects.