In a general sense, the height of the grasses is reflective of the amount of moisture they receive. The Garden of the Gods illustrates the short-grass prairie. Buffalo grass, prickly pear cactus, pincushion cactus, yucca, and sage are common plant species. The pinyon-juniper ecosystem found in the Garden of the Gods is within the northernmost reaches of its range. It is a typical open forest of the Southwest composed of low, bushy, round-crowned pinyons on dry sites.
Resource allocation accounts for the evenly spaced intervals between the pinyons.
The plants associated with their ecosystem are xerophytes, connotating their climax state within a semi-arid environment. Tap roots of pinyon and junipers have a relatively rapid rate of root elongation and this part enables them to survive until precipitation occurs. Pinyon-juniper growth is dependent mostly upon soil moisture stored from winter precipitation, mainly snow. Much of the summer rainfall is ineffective, being lost in runoff after heavy thunderstorms or by evaporation. The juniper is, however, more drought resistant than the pinyon and will act as a modifier to the micro-climate, thereby providing a better site for the pinyon seedlings.