One can also sometimes spot trees such as fig, acacia and tamarind. At the oases date palms orange and olive trees thrive. Annual plants are abundant and include species such as brome grass, canary grass, bluegrass, and rye grass. The forest becomes more scattered and stunted south of the mountain crest, and annual plants are less frequent. The Nafusah Plateau has less plant life, and the natural vegetation of grassland lies between barren hills.
Annual grasses grow in the rainy season, and leguminous plants appear in years of good rainfall.
Although rainfall is extremely low in the true desert zone and the vegetation cover is scant, some of the plants of the semiarid region penetrate into the occasional wadi valley, and date palms are grown in the southern oases. The poisonous adder and krait are among the reptiles that inhabit the scattered oases and water holes. Native birds include the wild ringdove, the partridge, the lark, and the prairie hen. Eagles, hawks, and vultures are common.