Floristic Inventory at Daniels Park

This summer I led a floristic inventory at Daniels Park, a 1,001-acre Denver Mountain Park home to a herd of bison located south of Denver. A floristic inventory documents the species of plants in a particular place and time, creating a biodiversity baseline that helps researchers track how habitats change. This project involved a collaboration with the Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance (DZCA), who maintain the bison herd. Knowledge of what plants occur in the park supports the DZCA’s ecological studies, including exploring how bison influence plant ecology.

The fieldwork was an adventure: staying alert for bison quietly hiding in the oak scrub, navigating high heat and dodging fast-approaching thunderstorms. Joining me was a mix of botanical experts and seasonal staff. We returned several times each month to capture what was in bloom or in fruit; flowers and fruits are often essential for accurate identification, especially in tricky species.  

One moment especially stands out: seeing the herd of bison stampeding through a dry ravine, the dust rising behind them like smoke. The sound was rumbling, but distant enough to feel safe as they thundered up the far hillside. The calves frolicked on the outskirts of the herd while a couple adults stopped to roll in the dirt. Moments like this reminded us to stay flexible in our work. More than once, bison emerged silently from the dense oak scrub, calves in tow, interrupting our plans for the day and forcing us to reroute. 

Over the season we collected about 250 plant specimens and a few fungi, including the dung-loving Deconica that was on bison stool and earthstars. These collections have been deposited in the Kathryn Kalmbach Herbarium and the Sam Mitchel Herbarium of Fungi.

One of my favorite collections was of a Gambel oak, a dominant shrub that supports a variety of bird and insect diversity. Entangled in its branches were coarse, brown, wispy bison hairs—picked up as the animals moved through the scrubby oak forests on trails of their own making. In addition, there were insect galls on the twigs. A collection like this, with more than one species represented, can provide additional data about each species, which can be linked as an “extended specimen”—a new initiative for our collections. These small ecological clues help scientists understand how different organisms interact on the landscape. Linking such information on our data portals has enormous potential. 
 

This article was contributed by Floristic and Outreach Coordinator Alissa Iverson.