Folsom Lake State Recreation Area is home to hundreds of species of native and non-native plants.
Native grasses such as Ripgut Brome, Soft Chess, Wild Oats, Deergrass, Purple Needlegrass and
Brachypodium thrive in the grasslands and savannas. Cattails, Horsetails, Sedges and Rushes are
common in the wetlands. In the Oak woodlands, Poison Oak, California and Himalayan Blackberries and
Wild Grape have taken over the understory. The Himalayan Blackberry is a non-native species that came
over with the Chinese immigrants who worked alongside the gold rush teams and has now become
naturalized. It provides nectar to a variety of pollinators and berries to a large number of mammals and
birds in the park.