Trees and Shrubs

Limber pines and sagebrush near the Tree Molds Trail.

NPS Photo / Lauren Reid

The dominant trees at Craters of the Moon are limber pines and junipers. Rocky Mountain juniper grows among limber pines at elevations below 5,500 feet and become the dominant tree on the lava flows below 5,000 feet. Some Utah juniper grows in the lower elevations as well. Substantial groves of limber pine trees occur in the northern areas of the park.

Limber pines provide important cover and food for wildlife. The large pinenut seeds of limber pines have a high energy content and provide a critical food source for rodents and birds. Clark's nutcrackers are major dispersers of seeds, storing groups of seeds in the ground, which are sometimes raided by rodents. Limber pines are more abundant on a'a than pahoehoe flows, but are able to grow where water collects; especially where the trees are protected from the fierce high desert winds.

A few other species of trees are also found here, but in very limited numbers and geographical areas. The northern part of the monument contains some Douglas-fir and quaking aspen stands. Douglas-fir forests are found on the relatively steep, north-facing slopes of older cinder cones and along Little Cottonwood Creek. Quaking aspen groves are found in upland sites away from permanent streams.

Numerous shrubs thrive at Craters of the Moon. Examples include fernbush and syringa. In order to resist being robbed of moisture by wind, fernbush grows inside deep crevices in the lava. It has aromatic leaves that resemble the fronds of ferns and that contain an oily substance which also helps the plants retain moisture. The leaves have been used to repel insects. Deep crevices in the lava flows also provide the soil, moisture, and cooler temperatures needed for syringa, to grow. This medium-sized shrub bears numerous large white flowers with four petals. It is very fragrant and is the state flower of Idaho. Other common shrubs include sagebrush, antelope bitterbrush, and rubber rabbitbrush.

The dominant species of sagebrush at Craters of the Moon is mountain big sagebrush, which is part of a sagebrush steppe ecosystem that includes different types of grasses. Basin big sagebrush, three-tip sagebrush, early low sagebrush, and low sagebrush are also found here. Antelope bitterbrush provides browse for mule deer during the summer months, is a frequent host of thousands of tent caterpillars, and is identifiable by abundant yellow flowers and small, three-lobed leaves. Rubber rabbitbrush grows up to 6.5 feet high and produces yellowish-green flowers from June to September.

 

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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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Species attribute definitions

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