Plants and Trees

Colorado Life Zones: Seasons, Plants, & Animals
Step 1: Choose One of the Life Zones or Choices Below

Riparian Life Zones: Seasons, Plants, & Animals
Step 2: Choose a Topic from the Riparian Life Zones & Scroll Down
General Information	Tamarisks & Russian Olives: Problem Trees	Fish	Awesome Adaptations
Plants and Trees	Mammals	Birds	Reptiles & Amphibians

Plants & Trees of the Riparian Life Zones
Different kinds of plants live by ripirian areas at different elevations. Click on the choices below or scroll down to see the riparian plants and trees that live in the different elevations.
Riparian Plants and Trees of the Lower Elevations	Riparian Plants and Trees of the Higher Elevations	Riparian Plants of the Highest Elevations

Plants & Trees of the Riparian Life Zones: Lower Elevations
Plains, Semidesert Shrublands, & Foothils Life Zones: Rivers, Lakes, and Ponds
The mountain streams merge or come together to form rivers. The rivers weave down through the foothills, semidesert shrublands, and plains. Rivers also flood in the late spring and form important marshlands and ponds.Rivers form important riparian habitats in the dry lands. Cottonwood and willow trees grow along the banks of the river and create shelter and homes for many animals. Many insects live there and provide important food for fish, birds, amphibians, and other animals. Grasses and shrubs grow by the river and produce lots of seeds and food for animals to eat. Many animals visit the rivers to drink for a short part of the day and return to the dry plains or semidesert shrublands. The rivers create green stretches of land across an often dry landscape. Click here to learn more about how rivers are formed. Most lakes at the lower elevations are actually man-made reservoirs. Humans divert or take water from the rivers to keep reservoirs full for fishing, swimming, boating, irrigation, and drinking water. One exception to this is the playa lakes on the Great Plains. Playa lakes can form in low areas of the plains. When the snow melts or large rain storms come, low areas fill up and form playa lakes. Many dissappear soon after they form by either evaporating into the air or soaking into the ground. The water that soaks into the ground refills the underground aquifer under the plains. Playa lakes provide important water for the plants, migratory birds, and animals of the plains.
Semidesert Riparian River Corridors		Semidesert Riparian River Corridors
Great Plains Riparian River Corridors		Great Plains Playa Lakes
Cottonwood Trees SW CO Plants BC Adventure GPNC		Sandbar Willow SW CO Plants
Other trees Box Elder Hackberry River Birch Hawthorn Single Leaf Ash Choke Cherry & more trees		Different kinds of grasses
Other Plants Cattails Buffaloberry Milkweed Snowberry Water Cress		Other Plants Sunflower Poison Ivy Golden Currant Wild Licorice Mare's Tail Asteraceae & Many More
_______________		_______________

Awesome Adaptations: Cottonwood Trees
Cottonwood trees are a very important part of the riparian life zones at the lower elevations. Cottonwoods grow really fast and can get hundreds of feet tall. They can grow so fast because Cottonwood makes soft wood, meaning it has a loose wood grain and is easy cut or break. In fact, the last place you want to be during a strong wind is by a large cottonwood tree. Large branches have been known to fall in strong wind gusts. Cottonwoods got their name because in late spring the trees create lots of white fluffy seeds that blow easily in the wind. The seeds collect together in what looks like large piles of white cotton. Cottonwood trees need lots of water to survive and are usually only found by lakes, streams, rivers, natural springs, or large wetland areas. Cottowood trees' roots help hold the dirt in place on the sides of the rivers and help slow down erosion. Cottonwood trees create lots of important shade and shelter for animals during hot summer days. The leaves provide food for some animals. Birds peck out holes in the tree to build a nest, to lay eggs, and to eat bugs hiding in the tree. Racoons and other animals find shelter in dead hollow sections of the trees or fallen trees. Large birds of prey like bald eagles and hawks make their nests in the trees and use the trees tall height to help them spy on the animals below, to keep their chicks safe from other predators, and to help take off flying. In the western part of the state, many riparian life zones that were once dominated by cottonwood trees and willow trees are being taken over by non-native tamarisks and russian olives. The tamarisks and russian olives do not provide the food or shelter that the cottonwood does. Without the cottonwood trees, many animals are losing their home and one of their food sources. The cottonwood tree is important to the health of entire riparian habitats at the lower elevations. It is essential we stop the spread of tamarisks and russian olives and restore the areas with native cottonwood trees and willows. For more information click on Tamarisks & Russian Olives: Problem Trees.

Plants & Trees of the Riparian Life Zones: Higher Elevation
Montane Forests and Subalpine Life Zones: Rivers, Streams, Lakes, and Ponds
Lots of snow falls on the montane and subalpine forests over the winter. The snow melt keeps the forests wet for much of the summer. In the late spring and early summer, mountain streams collect the snow melt from the damp hill sides and run at full force. Some snow melt collects in lakes, ponds, and marshlands. Beavers build dams across mountain creeks and create small ponds and marshlands. Beavers provide important habitats for moose and other animals, help keep the streams clear, and prevent too much erosion. By the end of summer the land starts drying out, lake shorelines start dropping, ponds and marshlands dry up, and less water flows down the mountain streams. The forest gets ready for another winter of white gold, snow. Click here to learn more about how rivers are formed.
Lodgepole Pine SW CO Plants Tree Book BC Adventure		Willow SW CO Plants Barrenground Willow SW CO Plants
Aspen Tree SW CO Plants Tree Book Bird & Hike LV		-More Trees -Mountain Alder -Red Maple -Narrowleaf Cottonwood -Choke Cherry -River Birch -& more trees _
Colorado Blue Spruce SW CO Plants		Cattails SW CO Plants
Aquatic Plants Burreed Buckbean Smartweed Bladderwort		Moss
Parry's Primrose SW CO Plants		Rocky Mountain Columbine SW CO Plants Denver Plants
Wild Flowers Wild Iris Marsh Marigold Bog Violet Veronica Mint Checker Mallow Dogbane Golden Glow		More Flowers Elephant's Head Corydalis Gentian Pyrola Monkey Flower Bluebells Shooting Star &Many More
Different kinds of Grasses		-More Plants Elderberry Snowberry Poison Ivy Gooseberry Dogwood Buffaloberry Corn Lilly &Many_More
_______________		_______________
Plants of the Riparian Life Zones: Highest Elevations
Alpine Life Zone: Streams, Lakes, and Ponds
Snow rules the land for most of the year high in the alpine tundra. In the late spring snow does start melting. Hidden streams may flow under the sheets of snow. If you are ever snowshoeing or skiing in the mountains in the late spring, you need to be very careful because the snow can collapse and you can really hurt yourself. The water pools into crystal clear alpine lakes, and the streams continue down the mountainsides. By the middle of summer enough snow melts for the land to show. Many grasses, alpine willow, and other small plants turn the alpine tundra bright green. Flowers paint the mountain sides with color. The plants must bloom quick because by early fall, snow can start falling on the alpine tundra again.

Alpine Lakes		Alpine Streams
Indian Paintbrush SW CO Plants		Larkspur SW CO Plants
Alpine Flowers Star Gentian Starwort Saxifrage Bistort Bittercress Alpine Fireweed & Many More		Barrenground Willow SW CO Plants
Different kinds of grasses		Other Small Plants
_______________		_______________