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).
Deer and rabbits inhabit the trapping area. Bobcats have been seen, by
myself and by others, near Rock Springs. Lizards of the genera
_Cnemidophorus_ and _Sceloporus_, as well as gopher snakes were seen in
this area.
_Juniper--Pinyon--Bitterbrush_
Three pairs of traplines were run from August 7-9, 1962, in a
juniper-pinyon-bitterbrush stand on the southern end of Wetherill Mesa,
starting 200 yards southwest of Double House (Fig. 1).
The forest on the southern end of the mesas consists of widely-spaced
trees, which reflect the low amounts of precipitation at these lower
elevations. Juniper trees are more numerous than pinyons, and both
species are stunted in comparison to trees farther north on the mesa.
_Purshia tridentata_ (bitterbrush) is the understory codominant.
_Artemisia nova_ (black sagebrush) is present and grasses are the most
abundant plants in the ground cover. Herbaceous species in the sparse
ground cover include the following:
_Opuntia polyacantha_
_Solidago petradoria_
_Lathyrus pauciflorus_
_Penstemon linarioides_
_Lupinus caudatus_
_Yucca baccata_
_Phlox hoodii_
Only _P. maniculatus_ was caught in this stand; all mice were caught in
the first night of trapping.
Five areas were selected for trapping in the summers of 1963 or 1964, in
order to test hypotheses concerning habitat preferences of each of the
species of _Peromyscus_. Four of these areas appeared to be ideal
habitat for one species, but not for the other. The fifth area was
expected to produce both species of _Peromyscus_. Each of these areas is
discussed below.
_One Mile Southeast of Park's Entrance_
A small stand of _Artemisia tridentata_, occurring one mile southeast of
the entrance to the park, is bordered to the north and northeast by a
grassy meadow, discussed in the following account. Kangaroo rats have
been reported in this general area, and I wanted to determine whether
_P. maniculatus_ and _Dipodomys_ occurred together there. Fifty trap
nights in this sagebrush, on June 20, 1963, yielded only _P.
maniculatus_ (Table 1).
_Meadow, One-Quarter Mile Southeast of Park's Entrance_
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