Ecoregions: Arizona/New Mexico Mountains, Arizona/New Mexico Plateau, Chihuahuan Deserts, Colorado Plateau, Madrean Archipelago, Southern Rockies, Southwestern Tablelands, Western High Plains
Western High Plains
Higher and drier than the Central Great Plains to the east, and in contrast to the irregular, mostly grassland or grazing land of the Northwestern Great Plains to the north, much of the High Plains is characterized by smooth to slightly irregular plains with a high percentage of cropland. Grama-buffalo grass is the potential natural vegetation in this region as compared to mostly wheatgrass-needlegrass to the north, Trans-Pecos shrub savannah to the south, and taller grasses to the east. The ecoregion includes the plains area of the Llano Estacado. Thousands of playa lakes (seasonal depressional wetlands) occur in this area, many serving as recharge areas for the important Ogallala Aquifer. These playa lakes are also essential for waterfowl during their yearly migration along the Central Flyway of North America. Oil and gas production occurs in parts of the region.
Flora:
The Rolling Sand Plains: Big sandreed, little bluestem, sand dropseed, sand bluestem, sideoats grama, blue grama, buffalo grass, switch grass, yellow Indian grass, and yucca.
The Moderate Relief Plains: Blue grama-buffalo grass and blue grama-western wheat grass.
The Canadian/Cimarron High Plains: Treeless with some buffalo grass, blue and side oats grama, and little and silver bluestem.
The Shinnery Sands: Shin oak, Havard shin oak, fourwing saltbush, and yucca stabilize the dune sand for herbaceous grasses and forbs such as sand verbenas, sunflowers, fringed sagewort, and hoary rosemary-mint. Ephemeral ponds and swales between the dunes support rushes, sedges, and sandbar willow.
The Arid Llano Estacado: Grama, buffalo grasses, mesquite and lotebush.
Fauna:
Bison, black-tailed prairie dog, black-footed ferret, ferruginous hawk, coyote, swift fox, deer, pronghorn, mountain lion, gray wolf, lesser prairie-chicken and sand dune lizard.
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