The plant-life found throughout the Grand Canyon can best be characterized as strange and diverse. With there being an elevation difference of approximately 5000 feet between the bottom and the highest point of the canyon rim, it is no wonder that there are four distinct plant life zones within this National Park.
South Rim
 The popular South Rim of the Grand Canyon is a hot arid zone. This section of the canyon has long dry periods followed by torrential rain storms throughout the summer. Colder temperatures combined with light snow showers are the norm during the winter months. This creates an interesting cross section of plants growing in this part of the canyon.
Because much of the South Rim has Ponderosa Pine trees standing tall and plentiful, air is filled with the sweet aroma of pine. Intermingled with the Ponderosas are the tangled limbs of the Pinyon Pine and Utah Juniper trees. These trees add a hint of green and grey to the otherwise red/orange landscape of the area. The ground is thick with pine needles and scattered with pine cones. Those coming from the Pinyon Pine provide gourmet cooks with the ever popular pine nut. Other vegetation that can be found growing in this amazing environment includes various cacti and yucca plants as well as several types of wildflowers.
North Rim
The North Rim of the Grand Canyon sits higher than the South, which makes this region of the park an average of 10 degrees cooler. With the higher elevation comes more moisture. In fact, the North Rim is closed from mid-October until mid-May each year due to the abundant snowfall. This area of the park is also covered with Ponderosa Pine making the Grand Canyon the home to the largest known alpine Ponderosa Pine forest in the world. The plant zone in this section of the canyon offers many breathtaking vistas to its visitors. Groves of Quaking Aspen and Douglas fir trees can be found growing amongst the Ponderosa. During the springtime, the large meadows of the North Rim burst with an assortment of colorful blooms that seem to be jumping from the many wildflower species found here. Summer months bring a lush thick green to the meadows. Both seasons provide a tasty meal for area wildlife.
The frequent rainstorms on the North Rim will often create large, vivid rainbows reaching from one-side of the canyon to the other; this is something rarely seen in  the southern section of the Grand Canyon.
The Inner-Canyon
Growing along the precipitous walls of this immense canyon are various types of drought tolerant plants. Flowering shrubs like Cliffrose, Fernbush and Mountain Mahogany provide a bit of added color to the canyon during the spring and summer seasons. A large, interesting array of cactus grows alongside the steep trails leading to the Grand Canyon. These plants help to provide the sharp and drastic landscape seen by visitors venturing down the canyon. Those looking down into the canyon from the many viewpoints along the rim will notice several shades of green spotting the walls.
Riverside and Stream
Waterfalls found skipping down the canyon walls have created small pockets of mossy plant life that doesn’t seem to belong in this harsh environment. Thickets of Cottonwood, Willow and Tamarisk trees seem to be playfully dipping their branches and leafs into the powerful waters of the Colorado River. These moisture loving plants, as well as others, grow in abundance in this amazing watery world found in the Grand Canyon. Unfortunately, very few visitors to the Grand Canyon National Park ever get to see this cross-section of uncharacteristic desert plant life.
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