Despite the harshness of the badlands terrain, a diversity of colorful flowers, especially during years of sufficient rainfall, peek through the wavering grasses of the mixed-grass prairie. Planning a trip to the park from May through June increases the likelihood of viewing patches of flowers within the grasses, along trails, and clinging to the banks of washes. Badlands National Park contains one of the largest contiguous native mixed-grass prairies under federal protection in the United States.