Plants at Mancos

Ecologically, park uplands are dominated by montane coniferous forests and mixed mountain shrub communities on the slopes and western slope grassland in the southeastern portion. The montane coniferous forest is widespread, dominated by ponderosa pine, Rocky Mountain juniper and gambel oak on drier slopes and Douglas-fir in moist canyons. The Chicken Creek drainage supports a floristically diverse mixed mountain shrub community dominated by Gambel oak, serviceberry, squaw-apple, snowberry and chokecherry. Grasslands are dominated by western wheatgrass, Arizona fescue and golden aster. Diverse wetland, riparian and aquatic plant communities have become established around the reservoir and in Chicken Creek and Jackson Gulch.