Search -
Creatures of the Woods (Books for Young Explorers National Geographic Society)
Creatures of the Woods - Books for Young Explorers National Geographic Society Author:Toni Eugene The animals in Creatures of the Woods live in different kinds of forests and woods in North America. Woods are similar than forests. Exploring either place can be an afternoon of discovery for you and your child. Trees offer shelter and food to a variety of creatures. — Any woodland is a community of many plants and animals that live together and... more » interact. Much as a city contains people of all ages, types, sizes, and shapes, the woods are home to a multitude of creatures. Plants and animals live in various levels of a woods much as human tenants live on different floors of an apartment building.
The leafy crowns of the tallest trees form the canopy, the highest level of life in any woodland community. Crows and hawks roost and nest in this top floor of the woods. Warblers and other small birds forage from branch to branch.
Shorter, younger trees make up the understory, which is protected by the canopy. Squirrels scamper throughout this level. Some songbirds build nests among the branches, and tree frogs search for insects there.
Shrubs and small trees from the next level of woodland life. Bears and birds forage for berries in the shrub layer. In the herb layer, grasses, ferns, and wildflowers grow. Here, mice, insects, and snakes look for food, and female deer snakes look for food, and female deer hide their newborn fawns.
On the floor of the woods, wild turkeys lay eggs in nests(4-5) and snakes (6-7) look for birds' eggs and small mammals. Slugs, millipedes, and earthworms crawl through the soil.« less