Wildflowers

Dwarf monkeyflowers.

NPS Photo

Despite the seemingly barren nature of the cinder cones and lava fields, spectacular floral displays occur at Craters of the Moon each spring. Peak bloom for spring wildflowers generally occurs in mid-June. Starting with the arrival of the wild onion in late April and ending with the disappearance of the yellow blossoms of the rabbitbrush in September, some variety of wildflower can be found blooming within the monument's boundaries. The ability to grow in this harsh environment means overcoming a lack of moisture, meager soil, and surface temperatures that exceed 150 degrees Fahrenheit. Many of the unusual characteristics of the wildflowers are adaptations for survival in this extreme environment.

 

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Common Wildflower List
Compiled by Doug Owen, Park Naturalist

Common Name	Scientific Name	Family
Yellow Flowers
Arrow-Leaved Balsamroot	Balsamorhiza sagittata	Sunflower
Hawksbeard	Crepis (4 species)	Sunflower
Mountain Dandelion	Agoseris glauca	Sunflower
Salsify (Introduced)	Tragopogon dubius	Sunflower
Groundsel	Senecio (4 species)	Sunflower
Buckwheats	Eriogonum (24 varieties)	Buckwheat
Desert Parsley	Cymopterus terebinthinus	Carrot
Gland Cinquefoil	Potentilla glandulosa	Rose
Leopard Lily	Fritillaria atropurpurea	Lily
Wayside Gromwell	Lithospermum ruderale	Borage
Hairy Golden-Aster	Heterotheca villosa	Sunflower
Sukdorf’s Monkeyflower	Mimulus suksdorfii	Snapdragon
White Stem Stickleaf	Mentzelia albicaulis	Loasa
Nuttalls Violet	Viola nutallii	Violet
Blazingstar	Mentzelia laevicaulis	Loasa
Prickly Pear cactus	Opuntia polyacantha	Cactus
Mullein (Introduced)	Verbascum thapsus	Snapdragon
Red / Purple / Blue Flowers
Indian Paintbrush	Castilleja (8 species)	Snapdragon
Dwarf Monkeyflower	Mimulus nanus	Snapdragon
Wild Onion	Allium (5 species)	Lily
Scarlet Gilia	Gilia aggregata	Phlox
Wire Lettuce	Stephanomeria tenuifolia	Sunflower
Joe Pye Weed	Eupatorium occidentale	Sunflower
Hoary Aster	Machaeranthera canescens	Sunflower
Fernleaf Fleabane	Erigeron compositus	Sunflower
Blue Penstemon	Penstemon cyaneus	Snapdragon
Lupine	Lupinus (14 varieties)	Pea
Anderson Larkspur	Delphinium andersonii	Buttercup
Scorpionweed	Phacelia hastata	Waterleaf
Blue-eyed Mary	Collinsia parviflora	Snapdragon
Rockcress	Arabis (14 varieties)	Mustard
Spiney Skeleton Plant	Stephanomeria spinosa	Sunflower
White Flowers
Bitterroot	Lewisia rediviva	Purslane
Sego Lily	Calochortus nuttallii	Lily
Cryptantha	Cryptantha (10 species)	Borage
Scabland Penstemon	Penstemon deustus	Snapdragon
Lava Phlox	Leptodactylon pungens	Phlox
Dusty Maiden	Chaenactis douglasii	Sunflower
Western Yarrow	Achillea millefolium	Sunflower
Slender Woodland Star	Lithophragma tenellum	Saxafrage
Ground Smoke	Gayophytum (6 species)	Primrose
Coyote Tobacco	Nicotiana attenuata	Nightshade

 

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Species Attribute Definitions

Definitions

Occurrence

Occurrence values are defined below. One or more Occurrence Tags may be associated with each Occurrence value.

Present: Species occurs in park; current, reliable evidence available.

Probably Present: High confidence species occurs in park but current, verified evidence needed.

Unconfirmed: Species is attributed to park but evidence is weak or absent.

Not In Park: Species is not known to occur in park.

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Occurrence Tags

Adjacent: Species is known to occur in areas near to or contiguous with park boundaries.

False Report: Species was reported to occur within the park, but current evidence indicates the report was based on misidentification, a taxonomic concept no longer accepted, or other similar problem of error or interpretation.

Historical: Species' historical occurrence in park is documented. Assigned based on judgment as opposed to determination based on age of the most recent evidence.

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Abundance

Abundant:

• Animals: May be seen daily, in suitable habitat and season, and counted in relatively large numbers.
• Plants: Large number of individuals; wide ecological amplitude or occurring in habitats covering a large portion of the park.

Common:

• Animals: May be seen daily, in suitable habitat and season, but not in large numbers.
• Plants: Large numbers of individuals predictably occurring in commonly encountered habitats but not those covering a large portion of the park.

Uncommon:

• Animals: Likely to be seen monthly in appropriate habitat and season. May be locally common.
• Plants: Few to moderate numbers of individuals; occurring either sporadically in commonly encountered habitats or in uncommon habitats.

Rare:

• Animals: Present, but usually seen only a few times each year.
• Plants: Few individuals, usually restricted to small areas of rare habitat.

Occasional:

• Animals: Occurs in the park at least once every few years, varying in numbers, but not necessarily every year.
• Plants: Abundance variable from year to year (e.g., desert plants).

Unknown: Abundance unknown

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Nativeness

Native: Species naturally occurs in park or region.

Non-native: Species occurs on park lands as a result of deliberate or accidental human activities.

Unknown: Nativeness status is unknown or ambiguous.

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List Differences

The Checklist contains only those species that are designated as "present" or "probably present" in the park.

The Full List includes all the checklist species in addition to species that are unconfirmed, historically detected, or incorrectly reported as being found in the park. The full list also contains species that are "in review" because their status in the park hasn't been fully determined. Additional details about the status of each species is included in the full list.

The checklist will almost always contain fewer species than the full list.

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Craters Of The Moon National Monument & Preserve

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Species attribute definitions

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