Flora of the Spur

On the Spur Road north of Canyonlands Maze District and Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, the mesa extends over 75 square miles.  (The photo above looks north toward the Book Cliffs in the distance and Determination Butte, the reddish cliff in the background.)
Much of the grassland offers good forage, but not many animals graze on it because water is so scarce.
Native bunch grass is abundant, such as Indian ricegrass:

Curly grass, also known as blue grama, is a sod-forming grass that provides good nutrition for grazing animals: 

In some areas, blackbrush (a gray color, leafless at this time of year) and Ephedra nevadensis(Mormon Tea, the green plant shown below) preside:

  The tea made from this Ephedra plant contains no caffeine and although some species contain alkaloids such as pseudoephedrine, this one does not. Here and there on the prairie, you'll find patches of prickly pear and the occasional spiny yucca plant.

The primary tree that grows in this area is the juniper. Junipers require an extensive root system to survive in their desert home.  The lateral roots can reach out 100 feet in search of moisture, and the tap root can go 25 feet straight down.  These trees are slow growing, living an average of 350-700 years, and occasionally more than 1000 years.  The junipers' twisted limbs add character to the landscape.