Temperate Grasslands’ Climate

Temperate grasslands are usually found in the interiors of continents, not in coastal areas. Grasslands receive enough rainfall to support a wide range of grasses, but not enough rain to support trees. Temperate grassland summers are usually mild to hot, while winters can be very cold. Some precipitation occurs in the late spring and early summer in the form of rain, but most precipitation falls as snow in the winter. For instance, blizzards sometimes blanket the plains areas of the United States and Canada.

Large areas of these grasslands are now converted to agriculture. In the past, however, you could have seen large herds of grazing animals such as bison and wooly mammoths in North America and kangaroos in Australia. Today, grazing animals found in grasslands include Mongolian gazelles, wildebeest, and African elephants.