Plants

Diverse Communities

Despite its small footprint, El Morro is home to a variety of plant communities and over 390 different species. From pinyon-juniper woodlands to sprawling shortgrass prairies, the plants at El Morro help support a variety of life.

 

The Inscription Loop takes visitors through the juniper-pinyon woodlands.

NPS Photo

Pinyon-juniper woodlands

Around the base of the sandstone cuesta lies a pinyon-juniper woodland. This woodland is home to three different juniper species: the Rocky Mountain juniper, one-seed juniper, and alligator juniper. Scattered amongst the juniper are pinyon and ponderosa pines. Along the north side of the rock, pockets of Gambel and wavyleaf oak make their home where conditions are generally cooler and wetter.

 

Sunflowers blanket the monument in late summer.

NPS Photo

Juniper-pinyon Savannah

Much of the monument is covered by grasslands interspersed with junipers and pinyons. Many species of grasses and sedges can be found at El Morro. These grasslands provide food to animals like birds, rabbits, and elk and provide cover for small animals like lizards and snakes.

Wildflowers

Summer monsoons provide moisture that allows for the growth of hundreds of wildflowers. Paintbrushes, globemallow, and spectacle pod dot the landscape for most of the summer. By August, the landscape is blanketed in yellow as the cowpen daisies and sunflowers bloom. Hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies all take advantages of the food the flowers provide.

 

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Species Attribute Definitions

Definitions

Occurrence

Occurrence values are defined below. One or more Occurrence Tags may be associated with each Occurrence value.

Present: Species occurs in park; current, reliable evidence available.

Probably Present: High confidence species occurs in park but current, verified evidence needed.

Unconfirmed: Species is attributed to park but evidence is weak or absent.

Not In Park: Species is not known to occur in park.

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Occurrence Tags

Adjacent: Species is known to occur in areas near to or contiguous with park boundaries.

False Report: Species was reported to occur within the park, but current evidence indicates the report was based on misidentification, a taxonomic concept no longer accepted, or other similar problem of error or interpretation.

Historical: Species' historical occurrence in park is documented. Assigned based on judgment as opposed to determination based on age of the most recent evidence.

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Abundance

Abundant:

• Animals: May be seen daily, in suitable habitat and season, and counted in relatively large numbers.
• Plants: Large number of individuals; wide ecological amplitude or occurring in habitats covering a large portion of the park.

Common:

• Animals: May be seen daily, in suitable habitat and season, but not in large numbers.
• Plants: Large numbers of individuals predictably occurring in commonly encountered habitats but not those covering a large portion of the park.

Uncommon:

• Animals: Likely to be seen monthly in appropriate habitat and season. May be locally common.
• Plants: Few to moderate numbers of individuals; occurring either sporadically in commonly encountered habitats or in uncommon habitats.

Rare:

• Animals: Present, but usually seen only a few times each year.
• Plants: Few individuals, usually restricted to small areas of rare habitat.

Occasional:

• Animals: Occurs in the park at least once every few years, varying in numbers, but not necessarily every year.
• Plants: Abundance variable from year to year (e.g., desert plants).

Unknown: Abundance unknown

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Nativeness

Native: Species naturally occurs in park or region.

Non-native: Species occurs on park lands as a result of deliberate or accidental human activities.

Unknown: Nativeness status is unknown or ambiguous.

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List Differences

The Checklist contains only those species that are designated as "present" or "probably present" in the park.

The Full List includes all the checklist species in addition to species that are unconfirmed, historically detected, or incorrectly reported as being found in the park. The full list also contains species that are "in review" because their status in the park hasn't been fully determined. Additional details about the status of each species is included in the full list.

The checklist will almost always contain fewer species than the full list.

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El Morro National Monument

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Species attribute definitions

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