Western Montana Wildflowers
- Madeline
- Apr 26
- 5 min read
It's officially the best season of the year in Montana: wildflower season. From April to late June or even early July in some areas, different waves of wildflower varieties dot the landscape from alpine lakes down to open grasslands and lowland areas. I sometimes run myself ragged this time of year trying to be everywhere all the time to catch them all. My advice though, is to pick a few of your favorite trails or parks, and to cycle through those every few weeks. You'll notice the different layers of wildflowers and which ones pop up as the previous blooms fade. It's a beautiful cycle of life.
Anyway, without continuing to wax poetic too much, here are some of my favorite blooms you can find in Western Montana and the types of areas to look for them.
Glacier Lilies
Also called a Yellow Avalanche Lily, this bloom prefers subalpine meadows, slopes, and clearings. Apparently, the bulbs are eaten by grizzly bears! Who knew. They grow in the western third of Montana.
Western Trillium
Also called Pacific Trillium, this perennial spreads via underground rhizomes, which explains why you might find many all together in one place. The flower blooms white and becomes more pink as it matures. It is native to the western quarter of Montana.
Calypso Orchid
This wildflower has a few other wonderful names: fairy slipper or Venus's slipper. It is found in undisturbed northern, montane forests. Each bulb lives no more than 5 years. In rare cases, they can bloom white instead of purple pink. It is native to the western half of Montana.
Heartleaf Arnica
Part of the sunflower family, this plant is relatively wildfire resistant, and an individual plant can live up to 12 years. It is one of the most widespread arnicas in North America and has the same native range as the Arrowleaf Balsamroot.
Arrowleaf Balsamroot
Also called the Oregon Sunflower, this plant is fully edible (if you're brave enough to try). It has a bitter, pine-like taste. It was historically important as food and medicine for Native American tribes. It is native to most of Montana, except the northeastern tip.
Prairie Shooting Star
Native to the entire state, this one can grow just about anywhere. The Montana Field Guide states it grows from "grasslands to wet meadows; valleys to alpine." One of the best places to see it locally is on the Waterworks Trail in Missoula.
Showy Jacob's Ladder
This flower grows in the western half of Montana. It is part of the phlox family and tends to prefer stony soil. Flowers can be pale blue to deep lavender in color.
Silky Lupine
Another one with some cool, alternate names: Sundial Lupine, Indian Beet, or Old Maid's Bonnets. Most bloom blue or blueish purple, but they can be white or pink. It is a native plant statewide.
Missoula Phlox
This is a unique one. As the name suggests, this flower is part of the Phlox family. It is native to Montana and classified as a species of concern by the Montana Field Guide. It only grows in Missoula County, and that's it. There are no other documented instances of it growing in the wild anywhere else. It has been classified as a subspecies since 1944. One of the best places to see it is the Waterworks Trail in Missoula. During its bloom, the city enforces a dogs on leash rule to try to limit damage to the plant. Unfortunately, people still walk all over it to take photos of other flowers and on my last visit, I still saw multiple dogs off leash.
Little Larkspur
This statewide native species is part of the Buttercup Family and grows in mountain forests and foothill prairie. The bloom is dark purple-blue and is poisonous to cattle but can be eaten by deer.
Prairie Smoke
These pale red flowers are in the Rose Family and are sometimes called Old Man's Whiskers. The flowers usually grow in groups of 3. It grows statewide and gets its name from the seeds, which are long and wispy.
Common Camas
This might surprise you, but this camas is part of the Asparagaceae family. Yes, the family of flowering plants is named after asparagus. The flower is abundant in Oregon and Idaho. It generally blooms in May or June and grows in damp alpine and subalpine meadows.
Bitterroot Flower
Montana's state flower and my personal favorite! It is very hardy and can regenerate even after drying out. It has succulent-like leaves and pink or white flower. Historically, the dried roots were very important to the native Salish and other tribes. They used them as a means of trade.
Chocolate Lily
Also called a Checker Lily, this flower is sporadically distributed in the southern half of Montana. Montana Field Guides notes they often grow as scattered individuals and are sometimes locally abundant. The bulbs can be eaten raw or cooked.
Indian Paintbrush
Although beautiful, this is actually a root parasite, which means it feeds off the other plants near it. It can survive on its own, but it grows much slower. There are 200+ species of paintbrush, so you'll notice there is a lot of variety in color, size, and growing area.
Aspen Fleabane
This flower is part of the aster family and is native to 3/4 of the state. It grows in a variety of landscapes and is a great pollinator.
Fireweed
This tall, showy wildflower gets its name from its ability to emerge relatively quickly after a wildfire. Typically grows 4-6 feet tall, but can reach 9 feet. It's called rosebay willowherb in Great Britain.
Wildflower Information Sources:
Wildflowers of Montana, Donald Anthony Schiemann, Mountain Press Publishing Company, 2005 (print)
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