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,- <br /> <br /> ~ <br />- ., <br /> <br />~ -2- Sandy Plains 1126 <br />` <br />- - - <br />I - <br /> <br />d. Winters are generally cold and dry. Blizzards are not uncommon. <br />~ <br />) <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. Annual evaporation at the <br /> John Martin Reservoir is 73 inches (U.S. National Weather <br />~ Service). Wind velocities for the area average 2.3 to 4.7 miles <br />- - - • (3.7 km) per hour and are prevailing from the southwest. --. . <br />I Generally, February through May are the windiest months. Strong <br /> winds during the spring cause rapid drying of the soil surface. <br /> Relative humidity is low. The sun shines approximately 80 - <br />j <br />- percent of the time during the year. <br />3. Native (Climax Potential) Vegetation. <br />{ <br />i =a. The plant community is about 75 percent grasses, 10 percent <br /> forbs, and 15 percent shrubs air dry weight. <br /> The production is predominantly made up of grasses; however, <br /> shrubs generally are present and can give the site a mottled <br /> appearance. _.____- _ _. <br />~ '` The dominant grasses are blue grams, sideoats grams, needleand- <br />' <br />` 'thread, sand dropseed and thickspike wheatgrass. Less abundant <br />_ <br />'"'"'''= <br />~ "' grasses are little bluestem, sand bluestem, prairie sandreed and ~. <br />` <br />~ Indian ricegrass. Forbs that make up the plant community and ) <br />~ =`^~F ~"most often found occuring on this site are slimflower scurf pea, / <br />~ <br />~ ~ r. snowball verbena, Louisiana sagebrush; Fendler crytantha, ' _s <br />~ <br />~ - .- - Nuttall evolvulue and prairie spiderwort. <br />i Shrubs that occur on this site are mainly sand sagebrush, <br />__.. <br />~ spreading eriogonum, small soapweed and plains pricklypear. <br />~ <br />r b_. Relative percentage of total plant community by weight, <br />~ <br />- - _ _. .. _.. r air-dry: <br />-. <br />_, <br />.. ;Symbol <br />-~ Common Name Scientific Name Percent -_ <br /> <br />..___ <br />i :~.. _ _:. __ <br />Grasses <br />~_._ ~„ _ <br /> <br />and Grasslike Plants <br /> <br />_ <br />- -- BOGR2' blue grams Bouteloua gracil'is 40-50 <br />_.. i___, SIH1"" bottlebrush squirreltail. Sitanion hystrix (2) T-1 __ <br />BUDA ' buffalograss Buchloe dactyloides 1-5 <br />~~'-~=----` HIJA'"`" galleta Hilaria jamesii 0-5 <br />ORHY ~" 'Indian ricegrass Oryzopsis hymenoides 1-5 <br />- SCSC*' little bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium 2-10 <br />- "STC04- --`needleandthread Stipa comata 5-15 <br />__'- 'KOCR prairie junegrass Koeleria cristata 1-5 <br />CALQ prairie sandreed Calamovilfa longifolia 2-10 <br />_ <br />_ <br />ARL03 ~ _ <br />red threeawn Aristida longiseta (2) 0-5 :~ <br />_. MUT02' ring muhly Muhlenbergia torreyi 0-1 ~t <br />.. iri <br /> ~ <br />r <br />