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Aster bigelovii Tetradymia canescens Tragopogon pratensis Bromus tectorum Poa fendleriana Sitanion hystrix Stipa comata Lupinus argenteus Calochortus gunnisonii Sphaeralcea coccinea Phlox hoodii Eriogonum umbellatum Peraphyllum ramosissimum Purshia tridentata Penstemon linarioides |
No mice were caught in three nights of trapping (360 trap nights), and only one mammal, a Spermophilus variegatus, was seen.
North of Long House, Wetherill Mesa
Pinyon-juniper forest with a dominant ground cover of Poa fendleriana was described by Erdman (1962) as one of the three distinct types of pinyon-juniper woodland on Wetherill Mesa. Such a woodland occurs adjacent to the Bobcat Canyon drainage, and is continuous across the Mesa from above Long House to the area near Step House. Plants in the ground cover include:
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Cryptantha bakeri Opuntia rhodantha Chrysothamnus depressus Solidago petradoria Koeleria cristata Lupinus argenteus Yucca baccata Phlox hoodii Eriogonum racemosum Eriogonum umbellatum Cordylanthus wrightii Pedicularis centranthera Penstemon linarioides Penstemon strictus |
Two traplines were run from July 9 to 12, 1962, in the area south of the Bobcat Canyon drainage at an elevation of 7,100 feet. No mice were caught in three nights of trapping. Four additional lines were established on July 24, 1962, and were run for three nights, in the area north of the Bobcat Canyon drainage at elevations of 7,100 to 7,150 feet.
P. maniculatus and P. truei were caught here ([Table 1]). This vegetational association may have few rodents because there is a shortage of places where they can hide. Although Poa fendleriana is abundant, the lack of shrubs leaves little protective cover for mammals.
A juniper-pinyon-mountain mahogany association extends from the area of Mug House to Rock Springs, on Wetherill Mesa. On that part of the ridge just above Mug House, the understory is predominantly Cercocarpos montanus (mountain mahogany), but northward toward Rock Springs the understory changes to Fendlera rupicola, Amelanchier utahensis, Cercocarpos, and Purshia tridentata. The ground cover is essentially the same as that in the pinyon-juniper-muttongrass association described previously.
Four traplines were run from July 31 to August 2, 1962, and from August 13 to 15, 1963. These lines ran northwest-southeast, starting 1,000 feet southeast of, and ending 3,000 feet northwest of, Mug House. The lines traversed elevations of 7,225 to 7,325 feet. Individuals of P. maniculatus and P. truei were caught here ([Table 1]).