Annual grassland

Parks: Coyote Lake – Harvey Bear County Park, Calero County Park, Ed Levin County Park, Joseph D. Grant County Park, Santa Teresa County Park

Native grasslands

Native grasslands are found on the open hills and extend into chaparral and oak woodlands, where seasonal moisture retention is high. These grasslands, while small and fragmented, are relatively high in species diversity and are dominated by native plants, including foothill needlegrass, purple needlegrass, and blue wild rye. Perennial flowers such as dwarf star lily, blue-eyed grass, blue dicks, Johnny jump-ups, and the delicate mariposa lily also occupy these moist soil sites.

Native grasses and plants once dominated the grassland and woodland plant communities of the coast ranges of California, but they have been gradually replaced by non-native introduced annual grasses and weeds primarily by soil tillage, farming, intensive overgrazing, and lack of periodic fire.

Non-native grasslands

Non-native grasslands of Santa Clara County parks are dominated by ryegrass and forbes such as filaree, black mustard, thistle, and rose clover but also contain other non-native grasses such as wild oats, soft chess, rip gut brome, and rattail fescue. The areas dominated by annual grasses are characterized by loose, bare soil and large populations of gophers, particularly on farmed land.

A great majority of the non-native grasslands have been invaded by yellow star thistle and, in some instances, large dense stands have formed monocultures. The non-native grasses and other flowering plants have become naturalized or common and, without intensive restoration efforts, will remain as a stabile plant community at Santa Clara County parks.