Bonny Lake State Park Plants

Ecologically, park uplands are dominated by loess and sandhills prairie communities. Loess prairies are rare in Colorado and those in the park have been designated Bonny Prairie Natural Area. Dominant species of the loess prairie community include little bluestem, sideoats and blue gamma, purple threeawn, switchgrass, western whatgrass, needle-and-thread grass and buffalograss. The rare prairie moonwart, a small fern, grows in the loess prairie. Sandy soils of low dunes support sand bluestem, needle-and-thread grass, sand dropseed, sandhills muhly, western whatgrass, sand-bur and purple threeawn. Some dune areas are becoming invaded by sand sagebrush, Spanish bayonet and prickly-pear cactus. Diverse wetland, riparian and aquatic plant communities have become established along the South Fork of the Republican River, Landsman Creek, around the reservoir and below the dam.