A Look into the Middle of Water Canyon

The middle of Water Canyon has meander frequencies within the watershed at this location. The meandering of the stream is meant to slow the velocity of the water. The stream is at its widest of widths during these meanders, producing floodplains and more gradual of slopes to the terraces. This allows for different vegetation types to grow these areas. With a smaller slope, shrubs and trees are on the terraces intermingled with annual grasses. The reduced slopes and wider floodplains allow for more forb species to grow in the area. The transect had a species richness of 10 species and no bare ground throughout the entire transect. The species recorded were annual grasses, spreading grasses (Bermuda or Salt Grass), Daucus pusillus, Marsh Baccarus, Thistle, and other unknown forbs, Cattails, Toyon, Sagebrush, and Coyote Bush. The average density, the number of species per sample, was 1.348. The average height for Coyote Bush was 122 centimeters, Cattails was 212 centimeters, perennial grasses were 22 centimeters, annual grasses were 38 centimeters, Daucus pusillus was 33 centimeters, Marsh Baccarus was 135 centimeters, and Sagebrush was 126 centimeters, Thistle was 31 centimeters, Toyon was 55 centimeters, and unknown forbs were 30 centimeters throughout the entire transect.