Source Guide for Native Plants of Montana

The variety of native plants found throughout Montana stands out as being impressive in both number and variety. Finding an all-in-one resource guide can be a bit difficult, but many are available if you know where to look. The best source guides depend specifically on which types of native plants you are interested in finding or learning about.

  1. Montana Native Plant Society

    • The Montana Native Plant Society stands out as an obvious source guide for learning about the many native plants throughout the state. This group not only provides a wide range of information on state flora, but keeps track of threatened species in various regions throughout the state. It is a non-profit organization, which also has annual meetings, in addition to newsletters, and organizes at local and county levels.

    USDA

    • The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) provides a wide range of reports on native Montana plants, particularly those which can encourage pollination and the healthy growth of honey bee populations. This encourages the health of local plants and ecosystems, and makes such lists very valuable. While this might not be a complete guide to native Montana plants, the USDA can provide some excellent lists of Montana native plants.

    Field Guides

    • Oftentimes, finding the best field guides for plants means actually looking for printed guides on the topic. Most states have branches of government which specifically focus on the local environment, which means state guides to native plants should be available. These field guides should include bright illustrations which make identification in the field much easier. While it might be popular to search everything online, the printed guides are more useful and extensive in this situation.

    Native Flowers and Shrubs

    • Many online guides for native Montana plants focus on a variety of popular native flowers such as woods rose, serviceberry, white yarrow or smooth aster. The full range of flowers have varying bloom periods ranging from April to October, and not all of them can be found in the same sections of the state. The most comprehensive guides are full books, but many smaller guides come in the form of pamphlets.