The plot is located on the Wurlitzer ranch in a large open field of herbaceous vegetation. At the time of the survey, the wetter areas of the field are dominated by Lasthenia californica and Layia fremontii, while the drier hummocks that this survey is intended to represent are dominated by introduced grasses, Plagiobothrys fulvus, and Eschscholzia lobbii. The plot is located at the base of the foothills on a gradual Tuscan formation alluvial slope immediately adjacent to the central valley.; The site is actively grazed by cattle, as it most likely has been for the past 150 years.