Ecoregions of Kansas
Kansas is divided into geophysical regions as shown in the Kansas Geological Survey map. The EPA has a map of Nebraska and Kansas with their respective ecoregions. Information on these pages come from the EPA map and the KGS map. Some of the Kansas geophysical regions are subdivided into multiple ecoregions. Public natural areas found in each region are also listed.
Click on a region to see more information on that area of Kansas
Ozark Plateau
Region: Ozark Plateau
EPA Map: 39a
Ecoregion: Springfield Plateau
Square Miles: 56
Physiography: Smooth to rolling hills.
Geology: Loamy residuum. Mississippian cherty limestone.
Potential Natural Vegetation: Oak hickory mixed forest. Pecan, Shumard oak, pin oak, white sassafras, and river birch are common in places along rivers and streams, with flowering dogwood on uplands. Tallgrass prairie and some sandstone and limestone glades were also found on uplands, but most prairies have been converted to cropland.
Land Use and Land Cover: Mosaic of woodland, grassland, and small areas of cropland.
Schermerhorn Park
Ozark Forest
Spring River Wildlife Area
Ozark Forest and Prairie
Cherokee Lowlands
Region: Cherokee Lowlands
EPA Map: 40d
Ecoregion: Cherokee Plains
Square Miles: 1308
Physiography: Flat to gently sloping plains. Perennial streams.
Geology: Sandy and clayey residuum and colluvium. Pennsylvanian sandstone, limestone, and shale (Cherokee Group).
Potential Natural Vegetation: A combination of mostly tallgrass prairie and oak hickory woodland in areas of greater relief. Upland areas dominated by hardpan and claypan prairie with little bluestem, side oats grama, varying amounts of big bluestem and Indiangrass, and a variety of forbs.
Land Use and Land Cover: Combination of cropland and grassland, with scattered areas of woodland. Areas of historic coal strip mining, especially along the Kansas Missouri border.
Harmon Wildlife Area
Floodplain Woodland and Prairie
Mined Land Wildlife Area
Woodland and Prairie
Chautauqua Hills
Region: Chautauqua Hills
EPA Map: 29a
Ecoregion: Cross Timbers
Square Miles: 775
Physiography: Rolling hills and uplands.
Geology: Sandy residuum and shale outcrops. Pennsylvanian shale with thin sandstone strata.
Potential Natural Vegetation: Cross timbers savanna: post oak, blackjack oak, hickory, and eastern red cedar with an understory of tallgrass and mixedgrass species.
Land Use and Land Cover: Woodland and rangeland.
Berentz-Dick Wildlife Area
Cross Timbers
Cross Timbers State Park
Cross Timbers
Copan Wildlife Area
Cross Timbers
Woodson Wildlife Area
Cross Timbers
Osage Cuestas
Region: Osage Cuestas
EPA Map: 40b
Ecoregion: Osage Cuestas
Square Miles: 8988
Physiography: Cuestas and gentle undulating plains. Perennial streams.
Geology: Silty and clayey residuum and colluvium. Alternating layers of Pennsylvanian sandstone, limestone, and shale. Glacial drift fairly abundant in the extreme northern part of this ecoregion.
Potential Natural Vegetation: Transitional: mostly tallgrass prairie in the west to a combination of tallgrass prairie and oak hickory woodland in the east. Upland forests dominated by shagbark hickory, bitternut hickory, red oak, white oak, and black oak, with Ohio buckeye, American bladderpod, and pawpaw common understory trees.
Land Use and Land Cover: Mosaic of cropland, woodland, and grassland.
Region: Osage Cuestas
EPA Map: 40c
Ecoregion: Wooded Osage Plains
Square Miles: 1565
Physiography: Cuestas and gentle undulating plains. Perennial streams.
Geology: Silty and clayey residuum and colluvium. Alternating layers of Pennsylvanian sandstone, limestone, and shale.
Potential Natural Vegetation: Mixture of oak hickory woodland and tallgrass prairie with a greater concentration of hardwood forest. Much like 40b, but Shumard oak, pecan, pin oak, and persimmon a bit more common, especially along the Marais des Cygnes River.
Land Use and Land Cover: Mosaic of woodland, cropland, and grassland.
Bourbon Wildlife Area
Woodland and Prairie
Dingus Natural Area
Oak-Hickory Woodland
Elk City Wildlife Area
Tallgrass Prairie and Woodland
Eisenhower State Park
Tallgrass Prairie
Grant-Bradbury Park
Tallgrass Prairie
Hollister Wildlife Area
Tallgrass Prairie and Woodland
Ivan Boyd Memorial Prairie Preserve
Tallgrass Prairie
Lyon Wildlife Area
Tallgrass Prairie
Osage Wildlife Area
Tallgrass Prairie
Glaciated
Region: Glaciated Region
EPA Map: 47d
Ecoregion: Missouri Alluvial Plain
Square Miles: 559
Physiography: Glaciated. Level floodplain alluvium. Riparian wetlands largely drained.
Geology: Alluvial deposits over Cretaceous sandstone and shale (Carlile shale through Dakota sandstone) in the north, and Pennsylvanian shale, sandstone, and limestone to the south.
Potential Natural Vegetation: Northern floodplain forest: cottonwood, green ash, boxelder, and elm, with lowland tallgrass prairie: big bluestem, prairie cordgrass, switchgrass, and sedges.
Land Use and Land Cover: Intensively farmed for corn and soybeans. Transportation corridor with most areas drained by surface ditches, land grading, or protected by dams or levees.
Region: Glaciated Region
EPA Map: 47h
Ecoregion: Nebraska Kansas Loess Hills
Square Miles: 3333
Physiography:
Glaciated. Deep, rolling loess covered hills. Perennial streams.
Geology: Loess mantle with underlying calcareous glacial till on Pennsylvanian shale, sandstone, and limestone.
Potential Natural Vegetation: Tallgrass prairie: big bluestem, Indiangrass, switchgrass, and little bluestem. Scattered oak hickory forests and some floodplain woodlands along rivers and streams: bur oak, basswood, black walnut, green ash, plains cottonwoods, and willows.
Land Use and Land Cover: Principally in cropland except on the steep slopes, which are in trees and pasture. Corn, soybeans, small grains, and alfalfa are typical crops.
Region: Glaciated Region
EPA Map: 47i
Ecoregion: Glacial Drift Hills
Square Miles: 6460
Physiography: Glaciated. Rolling low hills. Perennial streams.
Geology: Loess and clay loam calcareous glacial till. Loess is variable. Generally loess depth decreases with distance from source rivers. Pennsylvanian shale, sandstone, and limestone and Permian shale and limestone.
Potential Natural Vegetation: Tallgrass prairie with cottonwood dominated forests along floodplains and oak hickory forests on bluffs.
Land Use and Land Cover: Predominately cropland on the flatter loess hills with main crops of wheat and corn, and some areas in grain sorghum, soybeans, and alfalfa. Pastureland is more extensive on till soils.
Atchison State Fishing Lake
Oak-Hickory Woodland
Baker Wetlands
Wet Meadow
Clinton Wildlife Area
Tallgrass Prairie and Woodland
Perry Lake
Oak-Hickory Woodland
Prairie Center
Tallgrass Prairie
Shawnee Wildlife Area
Tallgrass Prairie
Wyandotte County Lake
Oak-Hickory Woodland
Flint Hills
Region: Flint Hills
EPA Map: 28
Ecoregion: Flint Hills
Square Miles: 9783
Physiography: Undulating to rolling hills, cuestas, cherty limestone, and shale outcrops. Perennial streams and springs common.
Geology: Cherty and clayey residuum. Interbedded cherty Permian limestone and shale. Some limited glacial drift in the northeast corner of region.
Potential Natural Vegetation: Tallgrass prairie: big bluestem, little bluestem, switchgrass, and Indiangrass. Largest area of intact, native, tallgrass prairie in the Great Plains.
Land Use and Land Cover: Rangeland with extensive cattle grazing. Some limited areas of cropland agriculture along the river valleys and in areas with little relief.
Butler Wildlife Area
Tallgrass Prairie
Chase Wildlife Area
Tallgrass Prairie
Cowley Wildlife Area
Tallgrass Prairie
El Dorado Wildlife Area
Tallgrass Prairie
Geary State Lake
Tallgrass Prairie
Konza Prairie
Tallgrass Prairie
Tallgrass National Preserve
Tallgrass Prairie
Wellington McPherson Lowlands
Region: Wellington McPherson Lowlands
EPA Map: 27d
Ecoregion: Wellington McPherson Lowland
Square Miles: 6058
Physiography: Flat alluvial lowlands. Perennial streams and numerous springs.
Geology: Loess and silty, sandy, and clayey alluvium. Permian sandstone, shale, and salt deposits (Wellington Formation).
Potential Natural Vegetation: Tallgrass prairie: big bluestem, little bluestem, and Indiangrass, with switchgrass in more mesic sites. Floodplain forests are well developed along rivers and streams and are dominated by plains cottonwood, black willow, peach leaf willow, common hackberry, American elm, green ash, and black walnut, with bur oak becoming less abundant westward.
Land Use and Land Cover: Extensive cropland agriculture. Major crops include winter wheat and grain sorghum. Small area of cotton cultivation.
Cheney Wildlife Area
Prairie
Slate Creek Wetland
Prairie, Woodland, and Wetland
Smoky Hills
Region: Smoky Hills
EPA Map: 27a
Ecoregion: Smoky Hills
Square Miles: 7834
Physiography: Undulating to hilly dissected plain. Broad belt of low hills formed by mature dissection of Cretaceous rock layers.
Geology: Sandstone and shale, loamy colluvium, and chalky limestone. Locally mantled with thin loess over Cretaceous sandstone (Dakota Formations).
Potential Natural Vegetation: Transitional from tallgrass prairie in the east to mixedgrass prairie in the west. Some floodplain forests along riparian areas.
Land Use and Land Cover: Cropland with winter wheat as primary crop (more corn grown in irrigated areas) and areas of grassland.
Region: Smoky Hills
EPA Map: 27b
Ecoregion: Rolling Plains and Breaks
Square Miles: 24739
Physiography: Dissected plains with broad undulating to rolling ridge tops and hilly to steep valley sides.
Geology: Holocene to Illinoian aged loess on uplands with alluvium in floodplains and stream terraces. Tertiary sandstone (Ogallala Formation) and Cretaceous limestone and shale (Niobrara and Greenhorn Formations).
Potential Natural Vegetation: Mixedgrass prairie: big bluestem, little bluestem, blue grama, needle and thread, side oats grama, and western wheatgrass. Some areas of floodplain forests along major riparian corridors.
Land Use and Land Cover: Mosaic of predominantly cropland and rangeland. Winter wheat and grain sorghum are the major crops with large areas of corn in the north. Irrigated areas along the major rivers planted with corn, alfalfa, and small grains. Rangeland on breaks.
Cedar Bluff State Park
Mixed Grass Prairie
Kanopolis State Park
Prairie
Maxwell Wildlife Preserve
Prairie
Kirwin National Wildlife Refuge
Mixed Grass Prairie
Washington State Lake
Prairie
Wilson State Park
Prairie
Arkansas River Lowlands
Region: Arkansas River Lowlands
EPA Map: 27c
Ecoregion: Great Bend Sand Prairie
Square Miles: 4118
Physiography: Undulating to rolling sandy plains, dune areas.
Geology: Sandy eolian deposits, dune sand, and loamy Quaternary sediments over sandy alluvium.
Potential Natural Vegetation: Sand prairie bunch grasses: sand bluestem, sand dropseed, and sand reedgrass.
Land Use and Land Cover: Dryland and irrigated cropland. Winter wheat is main dryland crop. Large areas of center pivot irrigation support grain sorghum and alfalfa crops. Some areas of rangeland.
Sandhills Prairie
Pratt Sandhills Wildlife Area
Sandhills Prairie
Sandsage Bison Range
Sandsage prairie
Sandhills State Park
Sand Prairie
Red Hills
Region: Red Hills
EPA Map: 26a
Ecoregion: Cimarron Breaks
Square Miles: 2812
Physiography: Irregular, dissected slopes, bluffs, and gypsum capped buttes.
Geology: Red colored Permian shale, siltstone, sandstone, salt, and gypsum deposits.
Potential Natural Vegetation: Mixedgrass prairie, dominated by big bluestem (on more mesic sites), little bluestem, side oats grama, blue grama, and some hairy grama, with eastern red cedar a dominant tree, especially in sites sheltered from fire.
Land Use and Land Cover: Rangeland and grassland.
Region: Red Hills
EPA Map: 26b
Ecoregion: Flat Tablelands and Valleys
Square Miles: 779
Physiography: Flat tablelands and river valleys.
Geology: Silty alluvium, sand and gravel, red colored Permian shale, siltstone, sandstone, salt, and gypsum deposits.
Potential Natural Vegetation: Sandsage prairie common in sites with sandy or well-drained soils. Floodplain woodlands dominated by plains cottonwood, black willow, and peach leaf willow. Common hackberry, green ash, and American elm locally common, especially in the eastern part of the region.
Land Use and Land Cover: Cropland on flat tabletops and rangeland along the Cimarron River valley.
Big Basin Prairie Preserve
Mixed Grass Prairie
Lake Coldwater
Mixed Grass Prairie
High Plains
Region: High Plains
EPA Map: 25b
Ecoregion: Rolling Sand Plains
Square Miles: 2661
Physiography: Sandy undulating plains with small scattered areas of active sand dunes. Few perennial streams.
Geology: Eolian sand sheets and dunes over Miocene sandstone (Ogallala Formation).
Potential Natural Vegetation: Sandsage prairie: sand sagebrush, sand bluestem, prairie sandreed, and little bluestem. This community type sometimes is called sandsage steppe due to the presence of a dominant shrub, however, sandsage prairie is the name most frequently used in the plains.
Land Use and Land Cover: Predominantly rangeland with irrigated agriculture.
Region: High Plains
EPA Map: 25c
Ecoregion: Moderate Relief Rangeland
Square Miles: 3084
Physiography: Irregular plains with moderate slope. Intermittent streams, with a few large perennial streams. Historically, perennial streams fed by isolated springs may have been more abundant, but water consumption for agriculture and the lowering of the watertable have reduced flow and dried up springs and many streams.
Geology: Loess mantled uplands. Sandy, gravely and loamy colluvium. Miocene sandstone (Ogallala Formation).
Potential Natural Vegetation: Combination of shortgrass and mixedgrass prairies, with mostly mixedgrass prairie in the north. Shortgrass prairie (blue grama and buffalograss) dominates on upland sites, giving way to mixedgrass prairie (little bluestem, side oats grama) on slopes, more mesic sites along rivers and streams, and also on sites overlain by thicker loess deposits. In the south, largely on Cretaceous chalks, a unique association called the chalk flat prairie, which is a mixedgrass prairie.
Land Use and Land Cover: Rangeland and some small areas of dryland farming with major crops of winter wheat and grain sorghum.
Region: High Plains
EPA Map: 25d
Ecoregion: Flat to Rolling Cropland
Square Miles: 17882
Physiography: Flat to rolling plains. Few streams, mostly intermittent.
Geology: Loess mantled uplands with alluvial deposits. Northern area: Sandstone and siltstone (Ogallala Formation) with thin loess mantle. Also some Brule Formation (White River Group).
Potential Natural Vegetation: Mixedgrass prairie in the north: needle and thread, blue grama, threadleaf sedge, prairie sandreed, and western wheatgrass. Shortgrass prairie to the south: blue grama, buffalograss, and scattered, isolated sites with alkali sacaton, western wheatgrass, and inland saltgrass.
Land Use and Land Cover: Dryland cropland with large areas of irrigated agriculture. Major crops include winter wheat, with corn, grain sorghum, and sugar beets grown under irrigation.
Region: High Plains
EPA Map: 25e
Ecoregion: Rolling Cropland and Range
Square Miles: 765
Physiography: Nearly level to rolling plains. Few streams, mostly intermittent.
Geology: Eolian deposits; thin mantle of loess, loessial alluvium, and colluvium.
Potential Natural Vegetation: Shortgrass prairie in loess mantled areas with sandsage prairie in areas with coarse textured soils.
Land Use and Land Cover: Irrigated and dryland cropland, and rangeland with a significant amount of bare ground. Major crops include winter wheat, grain sorghum, alfalfa, and corn.
Sandsage Prairie
Clark Wildlife Area
Mixed Grass Prairie
Kingman & Byron Walker Wildlife Area
Sand Prairie
Prairie Dog State Park
Mixed Grass Prairie
Scott State Park
Mixed Grass Prairie
