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19 • Prairie sandreed is the most tyaical perennial grass of this association. Western wheatarass, blue grama, sand dropseed, needle-and-thread, Indian ricegrass, sandhill muhly, and sand bluestem are common associates. With existing range conditions, western wheatgrass, blue grama, sand dropseed, and needle-and-thread are sometimes more dominant than prairie sandreed. Blue grama, in particular, forms localized continuous stands that could be identified as a distinctive sub-site. Needle-and-thread headed out in June and remained evident through most of the su:mner. In late summer, prairie sandreed and sand bluestem pre- sented a scanty tallgrass aspect where protected from grazing. Perennial forbs were quite abundant and relatively conspicuous when in flower. Residual dead stems of bractless stickleaf attracted attention early in the season when textile onion, silver bladderpod, and ceramicpod milkvetch were in flower. These gave way to prairie spiderwort, showy geavine, snowball, plains larkspur, prickly poppy, evening primroses, bractless stickleaf, and western ragweed, each in their own season. Although the showy flowering plants became highly visible, veiny dock was the only one found in stands thick enough to be considered as dominant or co-dominant among herbaceous plants. This plant association was extremely weedy in 1978. Thick stands of slimleaf goosefoot, whitestem mentzelia, prairie sunflower and annual buckwheat prevailed over most of the area. Cheatgzass was abundant in localized areas of moderate disturbance. By late August, the land- scape was a sea of sunflower. This prevalence of annual weeds is promoted by favorable weather conditions (that is, favorable to the annuals) and less-than-desirable range condition. Poorest range conditions were found on the abandoned plowed fields in section 26, and on the steeper edges of old sand dunes, which are oriented along northnorthwest to southsoutheast lines. Extreme local disturbances have created a few blowouts that threaten down-wind areas. Percent vegetation cover was estimated on 100 12" x 12" quadrats near the SE corner of section 31 (ungrazed in 1978) on 13 September 1978. Total covez was 20.98 with herbaceous perennials, annuals, and sandsage making up 8.4, 6.4, and 6.18, respectively. Cover was not determined on the reference area because it was grazed in 1978. For the Deep Sand Range Site, the Soil Conservation Service lists optimum vegetation ground cover at 40~ and median-year herbage production at 1800 pounds air dry per acre. Percentage composition by weight may total as much as 258 prairie sandreed, 158 sand bluestem, 158 needle-and- thread, 108 blue grama, 108 sandsage, 58 other grasses, and