Urban Landscape Shortgrass Prairie Ecosystem Lowland Riparian Ecosystem The urban landscape is human-built. Interspersed with homes, Minimal rainfall (less than 15 inches a year), ever-present winds The lowland riparian ecosystem is characterized by narrow offices, roads, and other infrastructure are yards, community and a treeless landscape make up the shortgrass prairie. Plants bands of distinctive vegetation along the margins of streams, green spaces, local parks and natural areas. Plant life in the here generally grow low to the ground, are drought tolerant and rivers, ponds, and lakes. It is lower in elevation, and often urban landscape may benefit from additional stormwater have extensive root systems. shaded from sun and wind by abundant trees and shrubs. All runoff and added fertilizers, but it may also be subject to plant life here is governed and shaped by water. frequent disturbance and human manipulation. Because urban Shrubs landscape plants can come from many different places, this list  Rabbitbrush (Chrysothamnus nauseosus) Trees addresses common “volunteer” species in unmaintained areas.  *Fringed sage (Artemisia frigida)  Plains cottonwood (Populus deltoides)  Snakeweed (Gutierrezia sarothrae)  Narrowleaf cottonwood (Populus angustifolia) Trees  Four-winged saltbush (Atriplex canescens)  Peach-leaved willow (Salix amygdaloides)  Smooth sumac (Rhus glabra)  Winterfat (Krascheninnikovia lanata)  Yucca (Yucca glauca)  **Siberian elm (Ulmus pumila) Shrubs  **Russian-olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia)  Chokecherry (Padus virginiana) Forbs (herbaceous flowering plants other than grasses)  Golden currant (Ribes aureum)  Common sunflower (Helianthus annuus) Forbs (herbaceous flowering plants other than grasses)  Wild plum (Prunus americana)   **Russian-thistle (Salsola australis) Prairie sunflower (Helianthus petiolaris)  Sandbar (coyote) willow (Salix exigua)   **Lamb’s Quarters (Chenopodium album) Pasture sage (Artimisia ludoviciana)  Snowberry (Symphoricarpos occidentalis)   **Kochia (Bassia sieversiana) Gayfeather (Liatris punctata)   **Bindweed (Convulvulus arvensis) Rocky Mountain beeplant (Cleome serrulata)   **Wooly mullein (Verbascum thapsus) Prairie baby’s breath (Eriogonum effusum) Forbs (herbaceous flowering plants other than grasses)   Common mallow (Malva neglecta) Prickly-pear cactus (Opuntia polyacantha)  Bul-rush (Schoenoplectus lacustris)   Curly cup gumweed (Grindelia sqarrosa) Buffalo gourd (Cucurbita foetidissima)  Cattail (Typha sp.)   Common sunflower (Helianthus annuus) Wavy-leaf thistle (Cirsium undulatum)  Wild licorice (Glycyrrhiza lepidota)   **Prickly lettuce (Lactuca seriola) Prickly poppy (Argemone polyanthemos)  Showy milkweed (Asclepias speciosa)  **Cow-pen daisy (Ximenesia encelioides)  Equisetum or Horsetail (Equisetum arvense)  **Yellow sweetclover (Melilotus officinale) Grasses  Scouring-rush (Hippochaete laevigata)  **Prostrate spurge (Euphorbia maculata)  Buffalograss (Buchloe dactyloides)  **Poison hemlock (Conium maculatum)  **Purslane (Portulaca oleracea)  Red three-awn (Aristida purpurea)  **Canada thistle (Breea arvensis)  **Curly dock (Rumex crispus)  Blue grama (Chondrosum gracile)  Sedge (Carex sp.)  **Red-root pigweed (Amaranthus retroflexus)  Sideoats grama (Bouteloua curtipendula)  Western wheatgrass (Pascopyrum smithii)  Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum)

Grasses  Big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii)  **Cheatgrass (Anisantha tectorum)  Little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium)  **Foxtail barley (Critesion glaucum)  Prairie sandreed (Calimovilfa longifolia)  **Windmillgrass (Chloris verticillata)  Needle and thread (Hesperostipa comata)  **Barnyardgrass (Echinochloa crus-galli)  Sand dropseed (Sporobolus cryptandrus)  Crabgrass (Digitaria sanguinalis)  Canada wildrye (Elymus canadensis)

Paintbrush (Castilleja integra) Blue Grama (Chondrosum gracile) Plains Cottonwood (Populus deltoides) City of Aurora Parks, Recreation & Open Space (pros) The Quality of Life Department

Bold print indicates a species that is an ecosystem identifier or ecosystem Ponderosa Woodland and signature species. *Star indicates a generalist species, found throughout most Aurora Savanna Ecosystem Aurora Plants ecosystems. As the name savanna implies, ponderosa pine forests are meant **double star indicates non-native species to be open, sunny, warm and dry. Lightning strikes and fires are common and beneficial here. Plants are relatively drought by Ecosystem Field identification of plants sometimes requires a detailed look at features such as leaves and blooms. If you find an unfamiliar plant, noting some of and fire resistant and tolerant of acidic soils. City of Aurora Plant Checklist these details may help you identify it. Trees Leaves-  Ponderosa Pine (Pinus ponderosa scopulorum) How are they arranged on the stem (opposite each Shrubs other or alternating)? Are the  Mountain-mahogany (Cercocarpus montanus) margins (leaf edges) toothed,  Three-leaved sumac (Rhus trilobata) wavy or serrated?  Wild rose (Rosa woodsii)  Yucca (Yucca glauca)  Prickly-pear cactus (Opuntia polyacantha) Petals-  Golden currant (Ribes aureum) How many? What color? What shape? Forbs (herbaceous flowering plants other than grasses) Fused together or  Wild onion (Allium textile) separate?  Sand lily (Leucocrinum montanum)  Blue-mist penstemon (Penstemon virens)  Fairy trumpet (Ipomopsis aggregata) Floral Arrangement-  Dwarf mistletoe (Arceuthobium vaginatum) How many flowers? How are  Pussytoes (Antennaria parvifolia) Lambert’s locoweed (Oxytropis lambertii) they arranged on the stem?  Spiderwort (Tradescantia occidentalis) Are they in clusters?  Skullcap (Scutellaria brittonii)  Bastard-toadflax (Comandra umbellata) What is an ecosystem? An ecosystem is a biological community of living and Stem-  Phlox (Phlox longifolia) non-living organisms interacting with each other and Smooth or hairy? Any  Paintbrush (Castilleja integra) their environment. If you want to know which ecosystem noticeable features like spots, you are in, sometimes the easiest thing to do is to look at bumps, blotches or ridges? and identify the plants around you.

This checklist is abridged. Most occasional or rare species Chiming Bells (Mertensia lanceolata) City of Aurora are not included. Plants are visible on a seasonal basis. SCFD Parks, Recreation & Open Space (PROS) To request a comprehensive Aurora plant list or to ask a The Quality of Life Department plant ID question, please email [email protected]. plant checklist