El Mapais Research Paper

El Mapais is a United States National Monument located in western New Mexico. There are a multitude of plants and vegetation on the various terrains of El Mapais. There is everything from dessert conditions to areas with lava on the ground. With altitudes ranging up to over 11,000 feet many different species are able to grow here (Geology of National Parks). Along the side of the lava flow you will find short grass prairies in the lower elevations of the mountain. You will also find native bunchgrasses, shrubs and wildflowers in these lower areas. Along the hillsides you will see find Pinion-juniper forests. As you move up the mountain into higher elevation you will run into Ponderosa Pine, Douglas fir, and many other plants of the coniferous type. These species occur at the higher points of the mountain because that is where most moisture pools are often located (United States National Park Service). In all of the American Southwest, the oldest Douglas firs are found in El Mapais. The trees grow in the basalt lava flows in very intense climates. This causes the trees to grow extremely slow. This makes them very small, even though they are the oldest. Being positioned on the lava

Wildflowers can be found at many different times of year. Some of them include indian aintbrush (Castilleja Miniata), blanket flower (Gaillardia Aristata), desert globemallow (Sphaeralcea Ambigua), apache plume (Fallugia Paradoxa) and many more. The park is also home to a number of different cacti and some even have very bright blooms like the prickly pear and claret cup. The national monument also gives a home to some rare and endangered species including Cinder Phacelia and Pecos Sunflower (United States National Park Service). Overall this is a beautiful monument with many various plants and vegetation’s on many different types of