The weekend's efforts were hampered by mist, rain, and strong winds. Eight dedicated individuals came to explore the area. Because of the winds, we decided to concentrate our efforts at the area' large prairie dog town, which was located in a deep valley largely out of the wind. We found a wide diversity of plant species and growing habitats located on the steep, moist hillsides, along several intermittent streams, in the open grassland on the valley floor, and in an aspen grove. Birds listed were found largely in this area and along the more sheltered prairie trails. The list of species we observed this weekend is only a small portion of the rich diversity of the area. We encourage you to visit this area yourself (during better weather!) to explore its unique and beautiful landscape.
The
|
Common
name
|
Scientific name
|
|
Birds
|
|
|
Mallard
|
Anas platyrhynchos
|
|
Cooper's hawk
|
Accipiter cooperii
|
|
Wild turkey
|
Meleagris gallopavo
|
|
Red-shafted flicker
|
Colaptes auratus cafer
|
|
Say's phoebe
|
Sayornis saya
|
|
Alder flycatcher
|
Empidonax alnorum
|
|
Horned lark
|
Eremophila alpestris
|
|
Tree swallow
|
Tachycineata bicolor
|
|
Black-capped chickadee
|
Parus atricapillus
|
|
Blue jay
|
Cyanocitta cristata
|
|
American crow
|
Corvus brachyrhynchos
|
|
House wren
|
Troglodytes aedon
|
|
Mountain bluebird
|
Sialia currucoides
|
|
Red-eyed vireo
|
Vireo olivaceous
|
|
Black-and-white warbler
|
Mniotilta varia
|
|
Yellow warbler
|
Dendroica petechia
|
|
Common yellowthroat
|
Geothlypis trichas
|
|
Yellow-breasted chat
|
Icteria virens
|
|
American redstart
|
Setophaga ruticalla
|
|
Indigo bunting
|
Passerina cyanea
|
|
Lazuli bunting
|
Passerina amoena
|
|
Spotted towhee
|
Pipilo maculatus
|
|
Grasshopper sparrow
|
Ammodramus savannarum
|
|
Vesper sparrow
|
Pooecetes gramineus
|
|
Field sparrow
|
Spizella pusilla
|
|
Chipping sparrow
|
Spizella passerina
|
|
Clay-colored sparrow
|
Spizella pallida
|
|
Western meadowlark
|
Sturnella neglecta
|
|
Brewer's blackbird
|
Euphagus cyanocephalus
|
|
Brown-headed cowbird
|
Molothrus ater
|
|
American goldfinch
|
Carduelis tristis
|
|
|
|
|
Butterflies
|
|
|
Red admiral
|
Vanessa atalanta
|
|
|
|
|
Plants
|
|
|
Yallow spp.
|
Achillea millifolium
|
|
Quackgrass
|
Agropyron repens
|
|
Western wheatgrass
|
Agropyron smithii
|
|
Water plantain
|
Alisma triviale
|
|
Wild onion
|
Allium textile
|
|
Short-awn foxtail
|
Alopecurus aequalis
|
|
Saskatoon service-berry
|
Amelanchier alnifolia
|
|
Lead plant
|
Amorpha canescens
|
|
Little bluestem
|
Andropogon scoparius
|
|
Meadow anemone
|
Anemone canadensis
|
|
Candle anemone
|
Anemone cylindrica
|
|
Pussy-toes or Everlasting spp.
|
Antennaria spp.
|
|
Bearberry
|
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi
|
|
Biennial wormwood
|
Artemisia biennis
|
|
Dwarf sagebrush
|
Artemisia cana
|
|
Silky wormwood
|
Artemisia dracunculus
|
|
Pasture sagebrush
|
Artemisia frigida
|
|
White sage
|
Artemisia ludoviciana
|
|
Milkweed spp.
|
Asclepias spp.
|
|
White aster
|
Aster ericoides
|
|
Two-grooved vetch
|
Astragalus bisulcatus
|
|
Ground plum
|
Astragalus crassicarpus
|
|
Pliant milk vetch
|
Astragalus flexuosus
|
|
Silverscale saltbush
|
Atriplex argentea
|
|
American sloughgrass
|
Beckmannnia syzigachne
|
|
Paper birch
|
Betula papyrifera
|
|
Grama grass
|
Bouteloua gracilis
|
|
Smooth brome
|
Bromus inermis
|
|
Buffalo grass
|
Buchlöe dactyloides
|
|
Water starwort
|
Callitriche spp.
|
|
Plains yellow primrose
|
Calylophus serrulatus
|
|
Harebell
|
Campanula rotundifolia
|
|
Sedge
|
Carex bebbii
|
|
Sedge
|
Carex filifolia
|
|
Sedge
|
Carex praegracilis
|
|
Sedge
|
Carex sprengelii
|
|
Fox sedge
|
Carex vulpinoidea
|
|
Prairie chickweed
|
Cerastium arvense
|
|
Goosefoot spp.
|
Chenopodium spp.
|
|
Golden aster
|
Chrysopsis villosa
|
|
Rabbitbush
|
Chrysothamnus nauseosus
|
|
Flodman's thistle
|
Cirsium flodmanii
|
|
Collomia (likely)
|
Collomia linearis
|
|
Pale comandra
|
Comandra pallida
|
|
Field bindweed
|
Convolvulus arvensis
|
|
Beaked hazelnut
|
Corylus cornuta
|
|
Northern hawthorn
|
Crataegus rotundifolia (chrysocarpa)
|
|
Prairie clover spp.
|
Dalea spp.
|
|
Wilcox dichanthelium
|
Dichanthelium wilcoxianum
|
|
Inland saltgrass
|
Distichlis spicata
|
|
Purple coneflower
|
Echinacea angustifolia
|
|
Silverberry
|
Elaeagnus commutata
|
|
Spikerush spp.
|
Eleocharis spp.
|
|
Daisy fleabane
|
Erigeron strigosus
|
|
Western wallflower
|
Erysimum asperum
|
|
Green ash
|
Fraxinis pensylvanica
|
|
Blanket flower
|
Gaillardia aristata
|
|
Northern bedstraw
|
Galium boreale
|
|
Scarlet gaura
|
Gaura coccinea
|
|
Torchflower or Maidenhair
|
Geum triflorum
|
|
Wild licorice
|
Glycyrrhiza lepidota
|
|
Curly-top gumweed
|
Grindelia squarrosa
|
|
Rough false pennyroyal
|
Hedeoma hispidum
|
|
Dame's rocket
|
Hesperis matronalis
|
|
Foxtail barley
|
Hordeum jubatum
|
|
Creeping Juniper
|
Juniperus horizontalis
|
|
Kochia
|
Kochia scoparia
|
|
Junegrass
|
Koeleria pyramidata
|
|
Blue lettuce
|
Lactuca serriola
|
|
Blue stickseed
|
Lappula echinata
|
|
Peppergrass
|
Lepidium densiflorum
|
|
Gayfeather or Blazing star
|
Liatris punctata
|
|
Wild lily
|
Lillium philadelphicum
|
|
Grooved flax
|
Linum sulcatum
|
|
Skeletonweed
|
Lygodesmia juncea
|
|
Black medick
|
Medicago lupulina
|
|
Yellow sweet clover
|
Melilotus officinalis
|
|
Field mint
|
Mentha arvensis
|
|
Wild bergamot
|
Monarda fistulosa
|
|
Gumbo lily
|
Oenethera caespitosa
|
|
Little prickly pear
|
Opuntia fragilis
|
|
Plains prickly pear
|
Opuntia polyacantha
|
|
Purple locoweed
|
Oxytropis lambertii
|
|
White beardtongue
|
Penstamon albidus
|
|
Slender beardtongue
|
Penstamon gracilis
|
|
Hood's phlox
|
Phlox hoodii
|
|
Patagonia plantain
|
Plantago patagonica
|
|
Plains bluegrass (likely)
|
Poa arida
|
|
Bluegrass (likely)
|
Poa cusickii
|
|
Kentucky bluegrass
|
Poa pratensis
|
|
Sandberg's bluegrass (likely)
|
Poa sandbergii
|
|
White milkwort
|
Polygala alba
|
|
Knotweed
|
Polygonum achoreum
|
|
Trembling aspen
|
Populus tremuloides
|
|
Silvery cinquefoil
|
Potentilla arguta
|
|
Cinquefoil
|
Potentilla pensylvanica
|
|
Wild plum
|
Prunus americana
|
|
Breadroot
|
Psoralea esulenta
|
|
Bur oak
|
Quercus macrocarpa
|
|
Cursed crowfoot
|
Ranunculus sceleratus
|
|
Prairie coneflower
|
Ratibida columnifera
|
|
Current spp.
|
Ribes spp.
|
|
Prairie wild rose
|
Rosa arkansana
|
|
Western wild rose
|
Rosa woodsii
|
|
Raspberry spp.
|
Rubus spp.
|
|
Willow-leaved dock
|
Rumex mexicanus
|
|
Western dock
|
Rumex occidentalis
|
|
Spikemoss
|
Selaginella densa
|
|
Groundsel spp.
|
Senecio spp.
|
|
Rabittberry
|
Shepherdia canadensis
|
|
Prairie goldenrod
|
Solidago missouriensis
|
|
Rigid goldenrod
|
Solidago rigida
|
|
Red false mallow
|
Sphaeralcea coccinea
|
|
Needle-and-threat
|
Stipa comata
|
|
Porcupine grass
|
Stipa spartea
|
|
Green needlegrass
|
Stipa viridula
|
|
White coralberry
|
Symphoricarpos albus
|
|
Western snowberry
|
Symphoricarpos occidentalis
|
|
Common dandelion
|
Taraxicum officinale
|
|
Meadowrue spp.
|
Thalictrum spp.
|
|
Goat's beard
|
Tragopogon dubius
|
|
White clover
|
Trifolium repens
|
|
Ironweed
|
Vernonia fasciculata
|
|
American vetch
|
Vicia americana
|
|
Tall white violet
|
Viola canadensis
|
|
Yucca
|
Yucca glauca
|