Montana in bloom

Montana bloom calendar

Darker = more flowering sightings that month. Based on iNaturalist research-grade observations in Montana marked “Flowering,” as of October 17–23, 2026. Garden flowers have few records because research-grade data leaves out planted ones.

Families on this list

The plant families with the most flowers on this list, from iNaturalist taxonomy. Within each family, the most-observed flowers come first.

• Rosaceae (17): Roses (genus Rosa), Thimbleberry, Chokecherry, Virginia strawberry, Shrubby cinquefoil, Prairie smoke, Saskatoon, Common ninebark and 9 more
• Asteraceae (17): Common yarrow, Creeping thistle, Upright prairie coneflower, Common sunflower, Musk thistle, Pearly everlasting, Common tansy, Orange hawkweed and 9 more
• Ranunculaceae (7): Red baneberry, Prairie pasqueflower, White pasqueflower, Sagebrush buttercup, Purple clematis, Yellow columbine, Low larkspur
• Ericaceae (5): Woodland pinedrops, Bearberry, Pipsissewa, Bog wintergreen, Thinleaf huckleberry
• Liliaceae (5): Glacier lily, Bride's bonnet, Yellow fritillary, Baker's mariposa lily, Garden tulip
• Orchidaceae (5): Western rattlesnake plantain, Spotted coralroot, White bog orchid, Mountain lady's-slipper, Alaska rein orchid
• Melanthiaceae (5): Pacific trillium, Green false hellebore, Common beargrass, Mountain deathcamas, Meadow deathcamas
• Asparagaceae (4): Solomon's plume (false Solomon's seal), Star-flowered lily-of-the-valley, Great Plains yucca, Large-flowered triteleia
• Caprifoliaceae (4): Twinberry honeysuckle, Common snowberry, Twinflower, Utah honeysuckle
• Plantaginaceae (4): Butter-and-eggs (common toadflax), Balkan toadflax, Small-flowered blue-eyed mary, Eggleaf beardtongue
• Oleaceae (4): Purple lilac, Border forsythia, Japanese tree lilac, Meyer lilac
• Fabaceae (3): Red clover, Yellow sweetclover, Wild licorice
• Lamiaceae (3): Common selfheal, Wild bergamot, Russian sage
• Hydrangeaceae (3): Lewis' mock orange, Sweet mock orange, Panicle hydrangea

Shortlists by growing conditions

Flowers on this list whose USDA PLANTS characteristics data gives the rating shown. USDA only rates some species, so these lists are not complete.

• High drought tolerance (13): Yellow sweetclover, Plains pricklypear, Yellow salsify, Creeping mahonia, Bearberry, Common snowberry, Dotted gayfeather, Arrowleaf balsamroot, Great Plains yucca, Scarlet globemallow, Prairie smoke, Common ninebark and 1 more
• High moisture use (suits wet spots) (11): Fireweed, Wild bergamot, Thimbleberry, Common cowparsnip, Twinberry honeysuckle, Elephant's-Head lousewort, Richardson's geranium, Wild licorice, Sagebrush buttercup, Heartleaf arnica, Utah honeysuckle
• Rapid growth rate (22): Common selfheal, Red clover, Dame's rocket, Fireweed, Thimbleberry, Yellow sweetclover, Common sunflower, Plains pricklypear, Chokecherry, Pearly everlasting, Yellow salsify, Scarlet globemallow and 10 more

How we picked these flowers

We started from iNaturalist's research-grade sightings in Montana, most-observed first, left out grasses, sedges, trees and other plants with tiny or wind-pollinated flowers (plus poison ivy), kept at most three species per genus, and added Montana's official flowers, plus flowering shrubs and trees with at least 3 garden or 10 wild iNaturalist records in Montana and popular garden flowers that iNaturalist users record growing in Montana. Every flower needs a CC0 or CC BY photo.

Rare plant list: Montana has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Montana ranks instead.
Invasive plant list: Montana noxious weed list (Admin. R. Mont. 4.5.206–4.5.210)