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1! <br />1 RAtJGE S ITE N0. 284 ~'•'.ae <br /> LOAHY FOOTHILLS <br />' August 1975 <br />' Mean annual tempo rates are about 45 to 48` F. Frost-rrec <br />' period is 100 to 130 daps. Annual range in temperature is <br /> usually from about 90° to.,'15° F, although higher and lower <br /> extremes are sometimes recorded. A few areas are wa mer ant! <br />' slightly more moist than typical. Typical warm, dr,; ;,either <br /> in late spring and early summer puts warm-season plans at c <br /> distinct disadvantage compared to plants that grow earlier n^ <br /> stored winCer moisture and spring rains. Deep storac.r c` <br />' winter moisture allows sagebrush and small trees tc t,-,,e*: <br /> strongly with shallower-rooted grasses during this d-;' PC-iG. <br /> where other factors encourage their spread. <br />' <br /> 3• Native (potential) Vegetation <br /> Studies on Mesa Verde show that pinyon and juniper, wit'. ar, <br />' understory of mostly muttongrass may dominate the site in tn~ <br /> longtime absence of fire, but lightning fires followin:. war-., <br />' dry ea riy summer weather are a natural feature of the recion, <br />T7is could have maintained much of the site in a grassla,.a cc •:c r, <br /> as reporte~ by many early settlers, except for GCCaS,~r,=.~ tr:c <br /> and isolated patches. Such vegetation is the basis `or tht n::_er- <br />' ! tial here described. Without fire, simulated clearing r.e:i~ogs ray <br /> be necessary to maintain it. <br /> Gasses mixed with big sagebrush or black sage give the si,_ <br />' typical aF~Pearance. Grasses make up about 60ti of the yicl-. <br /> Western o-:hea[g ra ss and muttongrass are the most plentii~'.. v_t.c- <br /> common grasses are Junegrass, needle-and-thread, Indian r.cesrass. <br />' and bottlebrush squirrel tail. Galleta shows up on parts ..` the <br /> site, and bluebunch wheatgrass grows a[ northern knits. Rock <br /> rloenrod, lupine, paintbrush, buckwheats, phlox, and .^~ber <br /> ~` o;rer `orbs prow in small amounts. $mali amounts n` i,: <br />' ~:a~~~• and semi-~~,oody plants, such as Douglas rabbi:br.., :::arf <br /> raobitbrush, and toadflax penstemon are common. Occas k• tali <br /> ^a' be conspicuous. Among the most common are r _ <br />s•,~c_s <br />' ` <br />Utah serviceberry, and true -r~~rC.ir <br /> .., .. ~-.~ a, sc^.e iocations are datil y,,cc~, ~_,.c..= <br /> . _ -~elsture is favorable--Fend er bust ~., <br />1 i <br />i <br />l <br /> tE a., r.. <br />~_ s:_ci~s Host l <br />ke <br />y to grow on the s <br />t <br /> <br />' . <br />_, -: .. Ground cover is 30i. <br /> <br />1 <br />' <br /> ?3 <br />