The Riparian Zone
The Popo Agie river running through Sinks Canyon supports an important riparian ecosystem. Riparian, or riverside areas have a high water table allowing plants easy access to water, leading to lush growth near streams and lakes. The diversity of plants attracts a wide variety of birds and animals. Riparian zones provide food, cover and travel corridors for fish and all other creatures. These zones also stabilize stream flow, remove sediments and help dissipate flood waters. In Wyoming only a fraction of the land is in a riparian zone making them crucial for wildlife. The majority of Wyoming’s wildlife are dependant on healthy, clean riparian areas.
Plants
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Scouring-rush is a stiff evergreen perennial that grows in moist, sandy soils. The stem contains silica and was used by American Indians as sandpaper.
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Chokecherry grows in tall, thick stands along the river. In the spring it has clusters of white flowers. By late summer it develops tart dark red berries which are a favorite food of birds, bears and people.
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Bright red Indian Paintbrush, the Wyoming state flower, grows along the river in the canyon. In many parts of the state it is found in dryer habitats.
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The Columbia Bower flower blooms from a vine along the river bank.
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The Plains Cottonwood is a water loving plant found along the river. More common below the canyon that in it, this large tree provides critical habitat for many birds and animals.
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Red-Osier Dogwood is a favorite food of moose. It grows in thick stands along the river alongside willows. In the fall it has clusters of tiny white berries.
Animals
The moose is the largest member of the deer family. The Shiras Moose is the species found in the Rocky Mountains. Moose are seen along the Popo Agie, eating the abundant vegetation growing around the river. The moose may appear awkward, but it is well adapted to its environment. The long legs allow the moose to step over downed logs and cross streams. The legs are positioned so that when a step is taken each leg is raised straight up making it easier to move in deep water or snow. The conspicuous “bell” hanging from the throat of both males and females is a secondary sexual characteristic.
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The Shiras Moose is the species found in the Rocky Mountains.
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The Muskrat is an aquatic rodent that digs burrows in the soft banks of streams and ponds. It is named for its strong scent glands used to mark territory.
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The American Dipper is one of the world’s most unusual songbirds. It stands on a rock near a fast moving stream dipping up and down. When it spots an aquatic insect, it dives into the water, swimming with its wings under the water after its prey.
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Leopard Frogs are one of the reptiles found in wet areas in the canyon.
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Kingfishers perch above the river and hunt for small fish, spearing them with their sharp bills.
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The brightly colored Lazuli Bunting is often seen in the summer around riparian habitat.
Aspen Grove
Aspens grow at elevations from 5,600 feet to timberline. They usually grow in riparian areas or places that have heavy snow in the winter. The trees are called quaking aspens because the heart-shaped leaf flutters in the slightest breeze. The leaves are dark green above and light green below which makes them appear to shimmer in the wind. Aspens are one of the first trees to re-colonize an area after a fire or other disturbance. Aspens produce seeds, but most reproduce by sending up runners from their shallow root system. In an aspen grove there may be many trees, but they are probably all from the same root system, and therefore part of the same tree.
Aspens can live longer than 200 years. The rough dark areas on the trunks are scars from age and injuries. Broad-tailed Hummingbirds feed on the abundant flowers around aspen groves, and the red-napped sapsucker feeds on sap from holes it bores in the trees. Many other birds nest in the crowns. Two large rodents that are fond of aspen are porcupine and beaver. Both eat aspen bark and beaver use the trees to build their lodges and dams.
