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  • Winter
  • 2025
  • » Piney Woods Ecoregion
  • Winter
  • 2025

Piney Woods Ecoregion

Texas is home to 10 different Gould’s ecoregions as seen on the map above. Ecoregions are areas of land that share similar climate, topography, and soils. In this series, we will dive into each of Texas’ 10 ecoregions one Critter Connections issue at a time. Next up – the Piney Woods!
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Lesson Plans

Take your Critter Connections beyond science and reading with additional enrichment resources!

K, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
Observations with Leopold
Students will recognize Aldo Leopold as a famous conservationist and discover and distinguish between the methods he used to collect data through observation, including both qualitative and quantitative information. These methods include the use of his senses and standard and non-standard measurement.

View Lesson
K, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
Texas Ecoregion Puzzle
Students will identify animals, plants, and habitats that exist among the ecoregions of Texas and identify the basic needs of various animals while emphasizing good stewardship practices. Ecoregion biodiversity will provide reasons for making good choices regarding stewardship practices.

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RELATED VIDEO LESSONS

Distance Learning

Bring wildlife into your classroom with on-demand programs designed for K-8 students! Videos are 15-45 minutes long and are available 24/7. All programs include interactive questions and follow-along worksheets that are aligned with the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) standards.

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All About Alligators

Explore a live alligator's adaptations, including its role in the food chain as an apex predator and discover the differences between alligators and crocodiles. 

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Wetland Ecosystems

Discover how wetland ecosystems, such as swamps and marshes, are important to the water cycle and provide habitat for a great diversity of wildlife.

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External Resources

American Alligator Coloring Page
  • Exploring Nature
American Alligator Drawing Lesson
  • Exploring Nature
American Alligator Labeling Page
  • Exploring Nature
Caddo Lake – Postcard From Texas
  • Texas Parks & Wildlife Department
From the Fire: A Legacy of Longleaf
  • The Nature Conservancy
Gould Ecoregions of Texas
  • Texas Parks & Wildlife Department
Gray Squirrel Connect-the-Dots Activity
  • Exploring Nature
Gray Squirrel Drawing Lesson
  • Exploring Nature
Gray Squirrel Labeling Page
  • Exploring Nature
Gray Squirrel Tracks
  • Exploring Nature
Keep Texas Wild: Piney Woods
  • Texas Parks & Wildlife Department
Maze – Baby Squirrel Rescue
  • Exploring Nature
Piney Woods Activities – Teachers and Parents Page
  • Texas Parks & Wildlife Department
Progress for Paddlefish
  • Texas Parks & Wildlife Department
Saving the Red-Cockaded Woodpecker
  • Texas A&M Forest Service
Squirrel Tree Hidden Picture
  • Exploring Nature
Texas Bird Bingo
  • Audubon Texas, Texas Parks & Wildlife Department
Texas Habitats Coloring Pages (3): Hill Country, Panhandle, Pineywoods
  • Exploring Nature
Texas Habitats Labeling Pages (3): Hill Country, Panhandle and Prairie, Pineywoods
  • Exploring Nature
The Red-Cockaded Woodpecker – At Home in an Urban Forest
  • Texas A&M Forest Service
Texas Bird Bingo
  • Audubon Texas, Texas Parks & Wildlife Department
American Alligator Coloring Page
  • Exploring Nature
American Alligator Drawing Lesson
  • Exploring Nature
American Alligator Labeling Page
  • Exploring Nature
Gray Squirrel Connect-the-Dots Activity
  • Exploring Nature
Gray Squirrel Drawing Lesson
  • Exploring Nature
Gray Squirrel Labeling Page
  • Exploring Nature
Maze – Baby Squirrel Rescue
  • Exploring Nature
Piney Woods Activities – Teachers and Parents Page
  • Texas Parks & Wildlife Department
Squirrel Tree Hidden Picture
  • Exploring Nature
Texas Habitats Coloring Pages (3): Hill Country, Panhandle, Pineywoods
  • Exploring Nature
Texas Habitats Labeling Pages (3): Hill Country, Panhandle and Prairie, Pineywoods
  • Exploring Nature
Gray Squirrel Tracks
  • Exploring Nature
Gould Ecoregions of Texas
  • Texas Parks & Wildlife Department
Caddo Lake – Postcard From Texas
  • Texas Parks & Wildlife Department
From the Fire: A Legacy of Longleaf
  • The Nature Conservancy
Keep Texas Wild: Piney Woods
  • Texas Parks & Wildlife Department
Progress for Paddlefish
  • Texas Parks & Wildlife Department
Saving the Red-Cockaded Woodpecker
  • Texas A&M Forest Service
The Red-Cockaded Woodpecker – At Home in an Urban Forest
  • Texas A&M Forest Service

Additional Subjects

Word Bank

Brackish:

mixture of freshwater and saltwater; occurs where the rivers meet the gulf

Endangered:

a species that is in danger of extinction

Germinate:

to begin to grow

Keystone Species:

an animal or plant that holds their food web together

Mutualistic relationship:

a relationship that benefits both critters

Threatened:

a species that is likely to become endangered in the future

Topography:

an area’s physical shape; for example rivers, hills, and valleys

Urbanization:

process of making an area more urban
  • Identify how people in different regions of Texas earn their living, past and present.
  • Explain how physical geographic factors such as climate and natural resources have influenced the location of economic activities in Texas.
  • Identify the effects of exploration, immigration, migration, and limited resources on the economic development and growth of Texas.
  • Explain how developments in transportation and communication have influenced economic activities in Texas.
  • Find your county on the Gould Ecoregion map.
    • Which ecoregion do you live in?
  • Identify, locate, describe, and compare the physical regions of Texas.
    • Examples include Mountains and Basins, Great Plains, North Central Plains, and Coastal Plains.
    • Include characteristics such as landforms, climate, vegetation, and economic activities.
  • Identify cities within the Piney Woods Ecoregion.
    • Explain the geographic factors such as landforms and climate that influence patterns of settlement and the distribution of population in Texas, past and present.
    • Identify and explain patterns of settlement such as the location of towns and cities in Texas at different time periods.
  • Identify ways in which Texans have adapted to and modified the environment, past and present.
    • Examples include timber clearing, agricultural production, wetlands drainage, energy production, and construction of dams.
    • Explain and compare the positive and negative consequences of human modification of the environment in Texas, past and present.
    • Explain why people have adapted to and modified their environment in Texas, past and present, such as the use of natural resources to meet basic needs, facilitate transportation, and enhance recreational activities.
  • Explain ways in which geographic factors have affected the political, economic, and social development of Texas.
    • Examples include the Galveston Hurricane of 1900, the Dust Bowl, limited water resources, and alternative energy sources.
  • Grades 4 and 7

Bring More Wildlife to Your Classroom

  • Winter
  • 2025

Piney Woods Ecoregion

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  • Fall
  • 2025

High Plains Ecoregion

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  • Summer
  • 2025

Gulf Prairies Ecoregion

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  • Spring
  • 2025

Edwards Plateau Ecoregion

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  • Winter
  • 2024

Cross Timbers Ecoregion

READ NOW
  • Winter
  • 2025

Close & Re-Register

Piney Woods Ecoregion

Texas is home to 10 different Gould’s ecoregions as seen on the map above. Ecoregions are areas of land that share similar climate, topography, and soils. In this series, we will dive into each of Texas’ 10 ecoregions one Critter Connections issue at a time. Next up – the Piney Woods!
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