Montana's native plants and their communities
Saturday, May 16, 9:30 am in the Swan Valley Lion Crk trail near Condon Take an easy hike up the Lion Creek Trail to view spring wildflowers with plant ecologist Maria Mantas. We'll visit open forests, shrubfields, and bedrock plant communities. Call Maria at 406-407-2045 for more information, to reserve a spot, and inquire about […]
Tuesday, May 19, 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm Columbia Falls - Cedar Flats Trails Learn about forest plants and hunt for wildflowers on in our backyard, just north of town. The terrain is gentle, and our journey will be less than two miles. Limit 12 people. Contact Rachel Potter at jrepotter@gmail.com to reserve a spot, […]
Saturday, May 23 Noxon - Berray Mountain This walk goes through a number of plant communities as you gain elevation. Last year, more than 35 species were recorded in bloom! Total distance of hike will depend on snow and the group's energy. Moderate, 4 miles total, elevation gain about 1,800 feet. Contact Eric Dickinson at […]
Monday, May 25, 6 pm to 8:30 pm Columbia Falls - Columbia Mountain Trail Join Ellen Horowitz for a 2½-hour evening wildflower walk. We’ll travel through a variety of habitat types, from moist forests to dry, open slopes. Expect an easy pace with lots of stops to view big, bold blossoms like balsamroot, and less […]
Saturday, May 30 Trout Creek - White Pine Creek. Moderate walking for less than a half-mile -- there's no trail to follow and it’s a bit brushy. But once we arrive, we'll find some rather uncommon orchids. Based on where people are traveling from, we may carpool from Libby or just meet up in Trout […]
Saturday, May 30, 9:30 am Polson - Loon Lake Ranch Join us while we explore intact intermountain grasslands on the largest conservation easement in northwest Montana. Loon Lake Ranch is more than 15,000 acres recently conserved by the Montana Land Reliance. Led by Mark Schiltz of the Reliance and plant ecologist Maria Mantas. Call Maria […]
Sunday, May 31, 9 am to noon Columbia Falls - Bumble Bee Atlas Training To kick off Bumble Bee Atlas field season, join Michelle Toshack of the Montana Bumblebee Atlas, and Tabitha Graves of USGS, for the Columbia Falls field day only about 10 minutes outside of town. We will practice catching, photographing, and releasing […]
Saturday, June 6 Libby - Bitterroots at Gopher Hill We'll walk on a road and through a number of rocky openings on the way to viewing Montana's state flower. These shallow soils areas always hold a variety of spring flowers, with excellent views of Lake Koocanusa as well. Moderate, 4 miles. Contact Jon Reny at […]
Saturday, June 6, 9:30 am Tobacco Valley - Black Lake A saunter through the Tobacco Plains to look for bitterroot, milkweed and other grassland species. Meet at the Historical Village in Eureka. Call Joe Rizzi at 406-334-9583 for more information and to reserve a spot.
Thursday, June 18, 9 am to 5 pm carpool from Columbia Falls - Lubec Hills trail wildflowers Enjoy the magnificent views and prolific wildflower displays of the Lubec Lake Trail system east of Glacier National Park. Be prepared for the weather, and to hike frin 3 to 4 miles with considerable elevation gain. Meet at […]
June 26, 2026 - starting at 9 am River Weed Rodeo on Middle Fork of the Flathead River Groups will have a full day of rafting with one of the four commercial raft companies or by joining the group of private boaters. Along the way, we'll stop to listen to a short educational talk on […]
The 2026 annual membership meeting, aka "rendezvous," will take place on June 26-28, 2026, at Homestake Lodge on the Continental Divide. The lodge is a private inholding on the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest. The closest place that looks like a community is Pipestone at the eastern base of the pass -- Homestake Pass is the one […]
