Young Naturalists
Four Different Minnesotas
Biomes are regions of the state that look different and have their own mix of plants and animals.
Maarit Mattson
Imagine you're taking a long road trip all around the state of Minnesota. As you travel, you'll probably notice many new things. Maybe you'll visit new parks and towns or even try new foods. You might notice the landscape around you changing, too. The plants and trees may start to look different, and you may see different animals than the ones you see back home. The changes you see in the natural world are because you're traveling through the state's different biomes.
A biome is a large area with a specific climate, which might mean different temperatures or rainfall, and unique plants and animals. You might have heard of habitats before, which is where a plant or animal lives. Biomes are much larger and can include many different habitats.
Minnesota is home to four different biomes: deciduous forest, prairie grassland, coniferous forest, and tallgrass aspen parkland. Think of them as four different Minnesotas, each of them showing off different natural features of our big and beautiful state.
Changing Biomes. Minnesota's biomes have been changed by people, especially in the past 200 years. The most dramatic changes were made by European settlers who plowed up prairies and cut down forests in order to create farms and build things. In fact, less than 1 percent of Minnesota's original prairie grassland biome is still prairie; most of the rest has been turned into farmland.
Despite all these changes, there are still plenty of places to experience Minnesota's biomes in their natural state and to see the plants and animals that live there. Public lands including parks, forests, refuges, preserves, and other kinds of natural areas are all places where people can experience biomes.
Let's take a closer look at Minnesota's four biomes and learn where you can go to see these fascinating landscapes in person.
