Sagebrush Flora and Fauna by Ken _Gilliland

Poser • Landscape • posted on Feb 03, 2017

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Description

The American sage-steppe ecosystem to the casual eye, is an arid and monotonous expanse of sagebrush that early European settlers could not wait to traverse on westward journeys. Yet, this “flyover country”, which may appear devoid of life and thus immune to human impact, is in fact the most widespread ecosystem type in the United States, one that teems with wildlife. It is also an iconic symbol of the America West which is fast disappearing due to urban expansion and natural resource exploitation. The moths pictured are Mariamne's Giant Flag Moth (Dysschema mariamne). This moth has a wingspan of 76 mm (3 inches). There are two populations of this species; one ranging from the southwestern United States to northwestern Mexico and the other, from eastern Mexico to Panama. The sexes of this species are dimorphic with males having white hind wings and females yellowish hind wings. This moth feeds usually on Bickellia, Eupatorium, Senecio and Vernonia. The lizard (barely visible on the left rock) is the Western Fence Lizard. (Sceloporus occidentalis) It is a medium-sized lizard, 21 cm (8.3 inches) long and is found in the western United States and Mexico (Arizona, California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Northern Mexico). It is found in grassland, broken chaparral, sagebrush, woodland, coniferous forest, and farmland. It occupies elevations from sea level to 3,291 m (10,800 ft.). They generally avoid the harsh desert. The ventral abdomen of an adult is characteristically blue, giving this lizard the second common name of “blue-belly”. The flock of birds in the background are American crows and the plants depicted in this image are common to the steppe-sage habitat; Great Basin Sagebrush ( Artemisia tridentata), Gray Rabbitbrush (Ericameria nauseosa) and Blue Grama Grass (Bouteloua gracilis). Rendered in Poser Superfly. All models are by Ken Gilliland and include Songbird ReMix Flock Formations and from his "Nature's Wonders" line; Sagebrush Habitat, Habitat Extender, Giant Moths (base set), Moths of the World Volume 3, and Lizards (base set).