Nebraskaland

December 2022 Nebraskaland

NEBRASKAland Magazine is dedicated to outstanding photography and informative writing with an engaging mix of articles and photos highlighting Nebraska’s outdoor activities, parklands, wildlife, history and people.

Issue link: http://mag.outdoornebraska.gov/i/1485990

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December 2022 • Nebraskaland 31 There is surprisingly little written about the habitat use of blowouts by animals. If you mention blowouts as habitat, most people immediately think of the blowout penstemon, or maybe blowout grass. Fewer people can name other plants that live in or around blowouts, especially those without the term "blowout" in their titles. There are lots of them, though, including sandhill muhly, lemon scurfpea and painted milkvetch. What about animals? Kangaroo rats might be the best-known inhabitants of blowouts and other patches of bare sand. Their tracks and holes are easy to fi nd around the edges of blowouts, where they venture out at night to gather leaves, seeds and other Because they are nocturnal, kangaroo rats (below) are rarely seen during the day but their tracks (above) and burrowing activity illustrate their strong tie to Sandhills blowouts. JON FARRAR, NEBRASKALAND

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