Common Name Scientific Name Notes (H) denotes hardy, high elevation survivors PLAINS GRASSLAND
Grasses
Indian Grass Sorghastrum avenaceum Winter seed source (H)
Little Bluestem Schizachyrium Winter seed source (H) scoparium Side Oats Grama Grass Bouteloua curtipendula Nectar and seed source
Switchgrass Panicum virgatum Cover and fall color
Perennials
Bush Sunflower Helianthus pumilus Fall seed source
Stemless Evening Primrose Oenothera howardii Lures hovering moths
Orange Butterflyweed Asclepias tuberosa Butterfly magnet (H)
Prairie Coneflower Ratibida columnifera Finches eat seed heads
Yellow Prickly Pear Opuntia polyacantha Bee nectar; fruit
Shrubs
Hackberry Celtis reticulata Fruit eaten by birds
Hawthorn Crataegus erythropoda Fruit, thorns for cover
Sand Cherry Cerasus (Prunus) besseyi Every one eats the fruit
Three Leaf Rhus aromatica ssp. Fruit for birds Sumac/Skunkbush trilobata Trees
Plains Cottonwood Populus Nest habitat for orioles & deltoides/monilifera owls
PINON-JUNIPER WOODLAND Grasses
Blue Grama Chondrosum bouteloua Substitute for bluegrass (H) gracilis Indian Ricegrass Achnatherum Seeds eaten by birds (H) hymenoides
Needle and Thread Hesperostipa comata Seeds eaten by birds (H)
Perennials
Wild Four O’clock Mirabilis multiflora Nectar feeding insects
Rocky Mountain Bee Plant Cleome serrulata Butterfly magnet/self sows
Rocky Mountain Penstemon strictus Nectar feeding insects Penstemon Scarlet Bugler Penstemon Penstemon barbatus Hummingbird attractant
Silvery Lupine Lupinus argenteus Seeds eaten by birds (H)
Shrubs
Oregon-Grape Mahonia repens Berries eaten by birds
Rubber Rabbitbrush, Chrysothamnus Moths, butterflies, birds Green nauseosus (H)
Three-leaf Sumac Rhus aromatica Berries and cover (H) trilobata Trees
Piñon Pine Pinus edulis Pinon Jays/wildlife eat nuts
Rocky Mountain Juniper Sabina scopulorum Winter berries/birds (H)
PONDEROSA PINE FOREST/GAMBEL’S OAK CHAPARRAL
Grasses
Big Bluestem Andropogon gerardii Winter seed source
Idaho Fescue Festuca idahoensis Seeds eaten by birds
Junegrass Koeleria macrantha Cover, food for grazers (H)
Mountain Muhly Muhlenbergia montana Cover/food for birds
Perennials
Bee Balm Monarda fistulosa Hummer magnet/self sows
Scarlet Gilia Ipomopsis aggregata Hummingbird magnet
Sulfur Flower Buckwheat Eriogonum umbellatum Butterflies and bees
Wild Strawberry Fragaria virginiana Fruit eaten by everyone ssp. glauca Shrubs
Boulder Raspberry Oreobatus (Rubus) Fruit eaten by wildlife deliciosus Kinnikinnick Mountain Arctostaphylos uva- Berries eaten by wildlife ursi Ninebark Physocarpus Showy blooms/seed (H) monogynus Mountain Mahogany Cercocarpus montanus Cover/pods/birds
Serviceberry Amelanchier alnifolia Fruit eaten by wildlife (H)
Silver Buffaloberry Shepherdia argentea Fruit eaten by wildlife
Gambel’s Oak Quercus gambelii Cover/food for birds
SPRUCE/FIR/ASPEN MONTANE
Grasses
Mountain Muhly Muhlenbergia montana Cover/food for birds
Perennials
Tall Beard Tongue, Blue Penstemon virgatus Hummingbirds and butterflies Mist
Colorado Columbine Aquilegia caerulea Bee magnet
Coral Bells Heuchera sanguinea Nectar feeding insects
Western Sneezeweed Helenium hoopesii Bird and insect food
Shrubs
Mountain Spiraea Holodiscus dumosus Cover for birds
Red Elderberry Sambucus racemosa Every one eats the berries
Thimbleberry Rubacer parviflorus Fruit for wildlife
Twinberry Honeysuckle Lonicera involucrata Cover, nectar and berries
Trees
Aspen Populus tremuloides Woodpecker/swallow nesting
SEMI-DESERT SHRUBLAND
Grasses
Bluebunch Wheatgrass, Agropyron spicatum Good cover, birds eat seeds Western
Idaho Fescue Festuca idahoensis Bunchgrass, birds eat seed
Saltgrass Distichilis stricta salty soils ok, birds eat seed
Perennials Adobe Blanketflower Gaillardia pinnatifida Birds eat seeds, nectar/bees
Arrowleaf Balsamroot Balsamorhiza sagittata Bee magnet, birds eat seeds
Indian Paintbrush Castilleja integra Hummer magnet/buy seed
Lewis’ Flax - Blue Linum lewisii Butterfly/bee/not European var.
Prince’s Plume Stanleya pinnata Spring nectar bees/hummers
Silvery Lupine Lupinus argenteus Birds eat the seeds (H)
Shrubs
Antelope Bitterbrush Purshia tridentata Birds eat the seeds
Big Sagebrush Artemisia tridentata Cover for birds and lizards
Four-winged Saltbush Atriplex canescens Seeds/leaves eaten, good cover
Winterfat Krascheninnikovia Stellar winter browse plant lanata Trees
Utah Juniper Sabina osteosperma Berries eaten by birds
RIPARIAN/WETLANDS
Grasses/Grasslike plants
Cattail Typha latifolia Cover/nest material/spreads
Prairie Cordgrass Spartina pectinata Cover and seeds
Tufted Hairgrass Deschampsia caespitosa Cover and seeds (H)
Perennials
Arrowhead Sagittaria latifolia Cover, nectar for insects
Nuttall’s Sunflower Helianthus nuttallii Goldfinches love seeds Rocky Mountain Iris Iris missouriensis Nectar for spring insects
Shrubs
Chokecherry Padus (Prunus) Bees, all eat the fruit (H) virginiana Golden Currant Ribes aureum odoratum Flowers attract hummers, bees
Peach Leaf Willow Salix amygdaloides Cover
Redtwig Dogwood Cornus stolonifera Cover, birds eat berries
Streambank Willow, Salix exigua Cover Coyote