Danvers, Montana 

 Location 



Fergus Co., MT; Sec. 2, R. 16 E., T. 17 N.; GPS-UTM 5234960 N, 602195 E. 

 About 20 miles northwest of Lewistown. 



From Lewistown, Montana, travel north on U.S. Highway 191 about 9 miles to Montana Highway 81. 

 Turn left (west) onto Highway 81 and continue about 12 miles. Near this point is a left turnoff lead- 

 ing south to Danvers and a right turnoff leading north onto a private two-track road. Turn right and 

 travel about 1 mile. The photopoint is about 75 yards north-northeast of cornerpost overlooking 

 Warm Spring Creek and its drainages. 



Description 



August 11, 1999 



Upland 



Grasses. Bouteloua gracilis, 

 Koeleria pyramidata, Agro- 

 pyron smithil Stipa comata, 

 Bouteloua cutipendula, 

 Agropyron spicatum 



Forbs. Liatris punctata, 

 Achillea millefolium, 

 Psoralea tenuiflora, Solidago 

 spp. 



Ridgetops 



Shrubs and Trees. Artemi- 

 siafrigida, Gutierrezia 

 sarothrae 



Side Slopes 



Shrubs and Trees. Rhus 

 trilobata, Prunus virginiana, 

 Shepherdia argentea, 

 Juniperus scopulorum, 

 Amelanchier alnifolia, Artemi- 

 sia cana 



Lowland 



Grasses. Agropyron smithii, 

 Koeleria pyramidata, Stipa 

 viridula, Poa pratensis, 

 Agropyron trachycaulum, 

 Spartina pectinata 



Forbs. Achillea millefolium, 

 Artemisia ludoviciana, Sol- 

 idago spp. 



Shrubs and Trees. Salix exigua, 

 Shepherdia argentea, Rosa 

 woodsii, Symphoricarpos 

 occidentalis, Populus deltoides, 

 Populus trichocarpa, Populus 

 angustifolia, Juniperus 

 scopulorum 



Synopsis 



During the span of 82 years, 

 shrubs have increased in den- 

 sity and grown in height and 

 diameter along the ridges, 

 ridgetops, and creek bottom. 

 Pinus ponderosa has increased 

 along the distant ridge since 

 1917. In the 1998 photo, 

 Melilotus officinalis has invaded 

 the uplands. The Shepherdia 

 canadensis listed by Phillips as 

 common on hillsides was identi- 

 fied as Shepherdia argentea in 

 1999. A wheat pasture occupies 

 the plateau in the center right of 

 the 1998 picture. A soil slump is 

 present just below the ridge on 

 the center plateau in 1959. This 

 slump is even more apparent in 

 1998. Near the center of the 

 1998 photo, just below the 

 shrub line, is a second soil 

 slump. This slump has in- 

 creased in size since first being 

 photographed in 1959. Overall, 

 this series of photographs shows 

 a general increase in shrubs, 

 trees, and vegetative cover, with 

 the exception of the soil slumps. 



