Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60Land cover and ecoregions 20 The Wyoming Basin is Wyoming’s largest ecoregion and is made up of basins between mountain ranges. This ecoregion is a type of low-rainfall shrub steppe that is dominated by sagebrush. Wyoming has more sagebrush than any other state, covering about 50% of the state’s total area. Sagebrush functions as a living snow fence, holding windblown snow during winter, which provides much needed moisture in the spring. The photograph shows sagebrush and other plants in Wyoming’s Red Desert near Boar’s Tusk, a famous landmark. Ecoregions are a way of subdividing the landscape based on common characteristics such as vegetation types, landforms, and soil type. The Middle Rockies Ecoregion is dominated by spruce, fir, pine, and aspen forests, alpine and subalpine meadows, and wetlands. The Southern Rockies Ecoregion is also forested but with a different mix of pine species. The High Plains and Northwestern High Plains ecoregions are dominated by different mixes of grasses and shrubs. Ecoregions in Wyoming and adjacent states Major land cover types Water (0.5%) Developed land (0.8%) Cultivated land (2.9%) Grassland (27.7%) Wetland/riparian (4.0%) Shrubland (50.6%) Deciduous forest (0.5%) Evergreen/mixed forest (12.0%) Barren land/ice/snow (1.0%) Middle Rockies High Plains Northwestern Great Plains Wyoming Basin Snake River Plain Wasatch and Uinta Mountains Middle Rockies Southern Rockies Data Go Interactive