Wildflowers

Updated: January 30, 2026

With all of the wondrous things to see in Montana, it might be easy to overlook the flowers that cover the land below the Big Sky. While it would be difficult to tell you about all of the plants that live and grow in Montana because there are thousands of them, the flowering plants are some of the most beautiful and distinctive.

Bitterroot, Montana's state flower, is a low pink or white blossom that grows on dry, rocky hillsides; long ago, Native families dug the roots for food and trade, and explorers like Lewis and Clark even wrote about how surprised they were to find such a delicate flower in such tough ground. Arrowleaf balsamroot covers whole hillsides with golden-yellow 'sunflower' faces in May, and from far away the slopes can look like they've been painted with sunlight. Oregon grape grows shiny, spiky leaves that stay green all winter, then bursts into bright yellow flowers and sour blue berries that birds and small mammals love. Tough-leafed iris hides in wet meadows and along streams, showing off purple or blue petals that look like tiny flags sticking up from the grass.

Prairie smoke gets its name from its fluffy, pink seed heads that look like little puffs of smoke drifting above the ground when the wind blows. Wild rose shrubs line trails and creek banks with pink blooms in early summer, and later their bright red rose hips become winter snacks for deer and birds and vitamin-rich tea for people. Sticky geranium has pinkish?purple flowers and slightly sticky stems that sometimes cling to your fingers or pants as you walk by, which is one reason kids remember it.

Fairyslipper, or calypso orchid, is a tiny purple-and-white orchid that grows on the cool forest floor and is so delicate that a single footstep in the wrong spot can kill it. Beargrass sends up tall stalks topped with white flower clusters that look like giant cotton swabs; mountain goats and bears wander through these patches in summer, and Native basket makers once used the long leaves for weaving. Beardtongue shows off rows of tube-shaped blue or purple flowers that bees and hummingbirds treat like little juice boxes. Shooting stars hang their petals backward so they look like little magenta rockets blasting toward the ground. Indian paintbrush seems as if someone dipped the tips of the plants in bright red or orange paint; the colorful 'petals' are actually special leaves, and many stories and legends say the flowers came from paintbrushes dropped on the prairie after painting a sunset.

The best way to enjoy wildflowers and other species listed here is to find and identify them. You can collect these plants by taking pictures of them instead of picking them. When a flower is picked it does not have the chance to make seeds, and some species-especially rare ones like fairyslipper-may not bloom again for several years or may die if they are disturbed. By leaving the flowers where they grow and 'collecting' them with your eyes, camera, or sketchbook, you help make sure that the next group of hikers and students can discover Montana's wildflower wonders too.

Updated: January 30, 2026