Sandy Foothill

Description

The Reference State is characterized by three distinct plant community phases- the Reference Plant Community, an At-Risk Plant Community, and a Decadent Community. The plant communities, and various successional stages between them, represent the natural range of variability due to the disturbance regimes applicable to the site.

The soil moisture regime is favorable to the production of mid and tall grass species giving this ecological site a rolling, mixed prairie aspect. Big bluestem, prairie sandreed, switchgrass, needle and thread and sideoats grama make up most of the total production and provide 60-75 percent of the total production. Grasses such as blue grama, western wheatgrass and prairie junegrass are secondary in the plant community. Small amounts of sand dropseed, sun sedge, purple prairie clover, spreading buckwheat and white sagebrush are scattered throughout the plant community.

Submodel