When writing nonfiction or informational fiction, research is part of the game. And I think it's wonderful fun. Each question leads to more questions... not all the information gathered will appear in the picture book manuscript or the backmatter, but it's such fun to go exploring on a question adventure.
In my story, ON THE TRAIL, my character Samara hikes through several ecosystems on a lovely summer day. One of the areas she hikes through is a talus field.
These are common on hikes in the Pacific Northwest, and kids often find them to be a lot of fun to cross. Most kids I know have excellent balance and rock climbing skills, which mean they mountain goat their way across the rocks while their accompanying adults have a bit more of a challenging time.
Have you ever hiked through a talus field?
Was it fun?
Did you have a tough time finding the trail?
Talus fields can be tricky because it's easy to turn an ankle or slip and skin your knee or elbow. You have to walk carefully and check each rock to be sure it's stable before putting your weight on that step.
How is a Talus Field Formed?
Here in the PNW, we have young mountain formations. We have delightfully spiky peaks of rock formed by uplift, volcanoes, and glaciers.
The rock that forms these peaks gets rained on, snowed on, and bakes in the sun. The weathering (especially the freeze thaw cycles) cause cracks in the rock to become bigger and bigger until rock slides occur. When the rock falls, ta-da, you have a talus field! Usually the bigger rock pieces are called talus and the small ones are considered scree, but sometimes it can be hard to tell the difference. In this photo, you can see the rocks sticking up, and some loose rocks nearby. The slope below is covered in small rocks (scree) and big rocks (talus).
You can see that the rock slides went all the way down into the lake!
What Lives in a Talus Field?
You might notice that there aren't any trees on the slopes where the rocks are resting. Of course trees need soil, or their roots have no place to hold on. But you might be surprised to find lots of plants and lichens if you look closely! Here are a few I found:
Alpine plants have a very short growing season, so they might be much older than they seem. Each plant that roots helps trap a little more soil, which in turn lets more plants take root. See the tiny tree in the moss in the last photo!
And of course you might be wondering which animals live in this rocky terrain. One of my favorite critters dwells in the talus.
These little mammals have some special adaptations that help them live in the talus.
Physical Adaptations:
Thick fur and round bodies to help them stay warm
Furry paws for good traction on rock and snow
Behavioral Adaptations:
A loud chirping sound to warn others of danger
Collecting grasses, thistles, wildflowers, and sedges and leave them to dry in the sun
Storing their food in piles (haystacks) for the winter
Staying awake all winter! Foraging for food year round
Have you ever seen or heard a pika?
I hope you had fun learning about the talus fields with me!
Further Reading:
Geology and Talus:
Wildflowers:
The Pika:
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