Wildflowers

Wildflowers bloom bright during summer months.

NPS Photo/J. Bonney

 

Silver lupine brighten the valley each summer.

NPS Photo/J. Bonney

The wildflowers of Grand Teton National Park usually bloom May through September. There are only about 60 continuous frost-free days a year in Jackson Hole, so the growing season is very short and the dominant blooming flowers change quickly from week to week.

Grand Teton National Park can be separated into three distinct zones: the sagebrush valley, the forest floor, and the alpine zone. Skyrocket gilia, larkspur, and indian paintbrush bloom in the valley as temperatures rise. Flowers like fireweed, columbine, monkshood, and the rare calypso orchid enjoy the moist environments found in forests. The flowers of the alpine zone grow close to the ground and the flowers are very small; examples include moss campion, alpine forget-me-not, and sky pilot.

Remember that observing and photographing wildflowers is achieved by bringing your eye to the wildflower and not the wildflower to your eye. Wildflowers within the national park are not to be picked so that they may be enjoyed by future visitors and provide habitat and food to wildlife.

Back to the Plants page >>

Learn about other plant families:

 

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  Trees and Shrubs

  Learn about trees and shrubs in Grand Teton.

• 

  Lichens

  Learn about lichens in Grand Teton.

• 

  Grasses

  Learn about grasses in Grand Teton.

 

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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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