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-2- Loamy Plains llo <br />d. Winters geuer211y are cold and dry. Blizzards are not uncommon. <br />High intensity storms and hot dry periods in the summer are ~~ <br />common. The high summer temperatures and hot dry winds result <br />in high evapotranspiration rates. Wind velocities for the area <br />average 2.3 Co 4.7 miles (3 .7 to 7.5 km) per hour and are <br />prevailing from the southwest. Generally, February acid May are <br />the windiest months. Strong winds during the spring cause rapid <br />drying of the soil surface. Relative humidity is low. The sun <br />shines approximately 75 percent of the time during the year. <br />3. Native (Climax Potential) Vegetation <br />a. The plant community is about 80 to 90 percent grasses, 5 to 20 <br />percent forbs, and 5 to 10 percent shrubs air dry weight. The <br />production is predominantly made up of grasses. <br />The dominant grasses are short grasses. The most abundant of <br />the grasses are blue grama, westent wheatgrass, buffalograss, <br />galleta and Saud dropseed. Less abundant grasses are bottle- <br />brush squirreltail, needleaudthread, red threeacm, ring muhly, <br />sideoats grama, and tumblegrass. Forbs that make up [he plant <br />community are curlycup gumweed, dotted gayfeather, hairy <br />goldaster, scarlet globemallow, purple prairie clover attd many <br />others as listed. <br />Shrubs that occur on this site are broom snakeweed, fourwing <br />saltbush, plains pricklvpear, rubber rabbitbrush, small - <br />soapweed, spreading eriogouum, walkingstick cholla, and <br />winterfat. <br />b. Relative percentage of total plant community by weight, air-dry: <br />Common Name Scientific Name Percent <br />Grasses and Grasslike Plants <br />BOGR2 blue grama <br />SIHY bottlebrush squireltail <br />BUDA buffalograss <br />HIJA galleta <br />STVI4 green needlegrass <br />STC04 needleaudthread <br />ARL03 red threeawn <br />MUT02 ring muhly <br />SPCR laud drooseed <br />BO CU sideoats grama <br />CAHES sun sedge <br />SCPA tumblegrass <br />AGSM western wheatgrass <br />Bouteloua gracillis 50-SS <br />5itanioit hystrix (2) T-2 <br />Buchloe dactyloides T-10 <br />Hilaria jamesii 10-15 <br />Stipa viridula 0-5 <br />Stipa comata 0-5 <br />Aristida longise[a (2) T-1 <br />Muhlenbergia torreyi 0-1 <br />Sporobolus cryptandrus ~ 5-10 <br />Bouteloua curtipeudula 0-2 <br />Carex heliophila T-3 <br />Schedonnardus paniculatus 0-1 <br />Agropyrou smithii 15-25 <br />