Cool season annuals growing in a big tobosa grass (native warm season perennial) draw in March after unusually abundant winter rain. Highly brittle mild steppe on the High Lonesome ranch, southwestern New Mexico, U.S.A.

Mild winter temperatures make cool season growth possible, but it is very erratic and unpredictable. As of early 2003, this amount of cool season growth hadn't recurred since the picture was taken in 1995. Warm season growth on the tobosa grass is more reliable, but still happens in only 40-50% of summer growing seasons -- very different from the predictably abundant growth in high-production, highly brittle environments.