 Have you ever driven across our state and wondered why in some places the soil like this appears to be white? The soil is white because of a high concentration of salt. These areas are called alkali flats. Alkali flats typically occur at low elevations on fine textured soils that have developed from highly saline materials. With little precipitation and soil that does not readily allow water in, the salts are never washed away. Because of a high salt content, high pH level and low precipitation, the plants that grow here must adapt in order to survive these extreme conditions. One of these adaptations is the ability to extract water from salty soils. If the salt content of the soil water is higher than that of a plant cell, the plant will not be able to take in water. Plants like this grease would adapt by concentrating salt in their leaves. This keeps the salt content higher in the plant than the soil and allows water uptake. While alkali flats may look barren and uninviting, the plants that are found here are able to thrive because of their ability to adapt to harsh conditions and survive on limited resources. From the University of Wyoming Cooperative Extension Service, I'm Barton Stamm.