The Most Common Wildlife And Plant Life You'll Encounter In The Park

As stupefying as Yosemite National Park’s rock formations and titanic waterfalls are, much of the area’s magic is conjured by its living organisms. The most common wildlife and plant life in Yosemite can make the entire landscape seem especially charged with energy. Your stay with Scenic Wonders will surely be enlivened by some memorable encounters with native flora and fauna, whether it’s the whispering pine above the cabin deck or a thermal-rafting golden eagle glimpsed from Yosemite Valley.

The Most Common Wildlife And Plant Life In Yosemite

Vegetation Yosemite provides a fine cross-section of typical west-side Sierra Nevada plant communities, stretching from the dry foothill-woodland zone of manzanita, oaks, and gray pine to the alpine realm of tough flowering plants persevering amid boulders and snowfields. The most famous native plants in Yosemite are the biggest in the world: giant sequoias, monumental conifers loosely related to the coast redwoods of northwestern California. You can appreciate these long-lived behemoths in several mid-elevation stands in the park, such as the Mariposa and Tuolumne groves. Sequoias may steal the show, but the park’s home to other enormous trees—including the world’s largest pine, the sugar pine, specimens of which shelter some of the Scenic Wonders rentals. Wildlife The vast sweep of Yosemite’s landscape and plant communities results in an analogously diverse roster of native wildlife. The park hosts better than 400 kinds of vertebrates, from the rubber boa and yellow-legged frog to galumphing black bears and the majestic bighorn sheep of Tioga Pass. Early morning and dusk are generally the best times to scout for Yosemite’s critters. While the park provides important habitat for some truly rare and elusive fauna (such as the Sierra Nevada red fox and the puma), you're more likely to see black-tailed deer, Steller's jays, ravens, coyotes, yellow-bellied marmots, and other common denizens. To learn more about the most common wildlife and plant life in Yosemite, visit a ranger station, check the Yosemite Guide for interpretive programs, and stop by the Nature Center at Happy Isles.

Make Your Yosemite Reservations Today

If you’re looking to see the most common wildlife and plant life in Yosemite consider planning your trip with Yosemite’s Scenic Wonders. We offer Yosemite reservations within the gates of the park. With one of our cozy cabins, condominiums, or homes, your Yosemite accommodations will be just minutes from all your favorite places in Yosemite. Give us a call at 1-888-YOSEMITE (1-888-967-3648) to learn about our rentals and to make your Yosemite reservations today.

Yosemite National Park Blog

Scenic Wonders’ Yosemite blog provides the latest news related to Yosemite National Park. By reading our blog, you’ll stay up to date on activities, accommodations, and more.   Photo credit: Ethan.K