Red Rock Coulee Natural Area
Last Review/Updated: May 10, 2002
© C. Wershler |
A community of wildlife has adapted to harsh conditions in this dry, barren terrain of badlands, hoodoos and large red boulders. Rock wrens find crevices in rocks; prairie rattlesnakes seek out holes. Clumps of sagebrush and juniper cling to the eroding walls. Evening primroses with large, pink petals grow in clay, and buffalo beans with their vivid yellow flowers survive amid the weathered shale.
The most remarkable features of the area are the reddish, rounded sandstone rocks that may measure up to 2.5 metres across. These sandstone concretions are believed to be among the largest of their kind in the world.
The
area's birds include lark buntings, horned larks and grasshopper sparrows.
The flute-like songs of western meadowlarks can often be heard from
spring through summer. These birds hide their nests in the long grass
by weaving canopies of concealing vegetation overhead. Look for white-tailed
jack rabbits, mule deer and pronghorn, as well as short-horned lizards
and scorpions, which are rare in Alberta.
