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<br />transitional areas in the southern part of the
<br />state. Slender wheatgrass, nodding brome, and
<br />Columbia and Letterman needlegrasses are common
<br />secondary grasses. Small amounts of squirrel-
<br />tail, Junegrass and elk sedge are usually
<br />present. Others which may occur in minor
<br />amounts are bearded wheatgrass, onion grass,
<br />spike trisetum, western wheatgrass, mountain
<br />brome, sheep fescue, and mountain muhly. Forbs
<br />are showy when in bloom and may make up as much
<br />as 20% of the annual yield. Among the most
<br />common forbs are aspen fleabane, trail ing
<br />fleabane, aspen peavine, American vetch, Porter
<br />ligusticum, pale paintbrush, lupine, geranium,
<br />penstemon, yarrow, herbaceous sage, meadow rue,
<br />showy cinquefoil, mules-ear wyethia, eriogonum,
<br />and native clovers. Orange sneezeweed or
<br />fernleaf pedicularis show up in places. There
<br />may be small amounts of mountain dandelion,
<br />loco, hawksbeard, harebell, iris, phlox, tall
<br />larkspur, tuber starwort, Gunnison lily, Douglas
<br />clematis, sweet anise, mountain sunflower,
<br />showy goldeneye and several others. Shrubs are
<br />of minor importance, although a few of them are
<br />usually scattered over the site. Snowberry is
<br />a common shrub. Small amounts of fringed sage,
<br />shrubby cinquefoil, rose, alder, chokecherry,
<br />or serviceberry may occur.
<br />
<br />Tree species commonly associated with the site
<br />and often seen on small inclusions are Engelmann
<br />spruce and aspen. Approximate ground cover is
<br />50 percent.
<br />
<br />Species most likely to invade the site or
<br />increase from trace amounts are Kentucky blue-
<br />grass, dandel ion, Douglas knotweed, Douglas
<br />rabbitbrush, pussy toes, and annual forbs. In
<br />some places aspen may invade.
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<br />As the ecological condition deteriorates,
<br />Thurber fescue and most associated grasses
<br />decline and some may eventually disappear.
<br />Some of the invaders listed above then become
<br />prominent, and there may be substantial in-
<br />creases in lupine, orange sneezeweed, cinque-
<br />foils, yarrow, mules-ear wyethia, trail ing
<br />fleabane, fringed sage, or snowberry. Kentucky
<br />bluegrass, Letterman needlegrass, or sheep
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