Desert Dry Wash Woodland

Background

Description and distribution The margins of arroyos in the Colorado Desert support a relatively dense growth of trees. The desert dry wash woodland community is an open to dense, drought-deciduous, microphyllous riparian thorn scrub woodland to 30 - 60 feet tall, dominated by any of several members of the bean family such as palo verde (Cercidium floridum) and smoketree (Psorothamnus spinosus). It occurs in washes associated with canyon mouths and alluvial fans in the Santa Rosa, Little San Bernardino, Cottonwood, Eagle, and Orocopia Mountains, and the Mecca Hills. There are some 40,551 acres of desert dry wash woodland in the Plan area; 52% currently occurs on public land or private conservation land

Associated covered species. Species associated with this community are peninsular bighorn sheep, Palm Springs pocket mouse, desert tortoise, Le Conte's thrasher, triple ribbed milkvetch (in Mission Creek and Dry Morongo Creek), Mecca aster, Little San Bernardino Mountains gilia (in Mission Creek and Dry Morongo Creek), and Orocopia sage. This natural community may be used during migration by riparian birds.