The Flathead Chapter serves the greater Flathead, Northwest Montana, and Glacier National Park area.
Photo by Andrew Smith
Notice: If you wish to receive periodic emailed newsletters from the Flathead Chapter, please send a request to [email protected] and then add this address to your address book and/or safe contacts.
For more information, contact Rachel Potter, 892 2446, or: Tara Carolin, 406 260 7533.
Interested in Native Plant Landscaping in our area? Click here. Be sure to also look over the state landscaping page.
Recent Program
How to Use the Montana Field Guide and other Montana Natural Heritage Program Websites with Bryce Maxell, MNHP Program Coordinator and Scott Mincemoyer
Bryce and Scott lead us through some of the many web resources available to assist Montana plant enthusiasts – including the Montana Field Guide, Species Snapshot, and iNaturalist. View program on YouTube.
2022 Annual Meeting – Ferns and Forests
The 2021 MNPS Annual Meeting in Northwest MT was canceled (postponed is more like it).
The Flathead Chapter and Western Montana At-large volunteers are looking forward to planning and hosting this weekend meeting in the Yaak or Libby area in June 2022. We’re planning a rustic campout and a variety of field trips. Hosting a meeting with our plant friends is always rewarding. We’ll need lots of volunteers, so stay tuned!
Field Trips
The MNPS is cautiously resuming field trips. The 2021 field trips guide can be found here.
There are a few additional trips which didn’t make the guide:
Saturday, July 17th: Ear Mountain Natural Area and Yeager Flats
The moderately difficult, five-mile round-trip hike led by Dave Shea passes through limber pine savannah, narrow-leaved cottonwood groves, sagebrush, Douglas-fir/Engelmann spruce forest, and a portion of the 2000 lightning-caused Ear Mountain fire. In these varied habitats grow a great variety of shrubs, grasses, and forbs, including bitterroot and several orchids. Some archaeology and history, as well as Rocky Mountain Front geology, wildlife, and management issues will be discussed. Participants must call to sign up.
Contact: Dave Shea at (406) 466-2161
Meeting time/location: 9am Meet at the Choteau Information Center parking lot at the north end of town on Hwy 89.
Thursday, July 22nd: Glacier National Park Weed Blitz
Join fellow citizens in removing invasive plants from priority sites in Glacier National Park. Park biologist, Dawn LaFleur will train participants on identification and effective hand-pulling techniques for targeted weed species. The morning will focus on learning about invasive plant ecology, issues and identification. We will head into the field during the afternoon. Bring some muscles, water and gloves. Lunch will be provided by the Glacier National Park Conservancy.
Contact: RSVP before July 14th by emailing: [email protected] or call (406) 888-7986.
Meeting time/location: 10 am – 4 pm, West Glacier
Sunday, July 25th: Huntsberger Lake Wildflowers
Join Rachel Potter & Debo Powers to explore diverse habitats and plants as we climb up through the montane forest to this jewel of a subalpine lake. Flower lined rivulets run through lush meadows into the lake, nestled in a limestone basin at the crest of the Whitefish Range. Co-sponsored with the MNPS, the North Fork Preservation Association and the Montana Wilderness Association. Start checking www.wildmontana.org/wilderness-walks in mid-May for registration details.
Register early as this is limited to 8 participants and will fill up fast!
Thursday, August 5th: Native Plant Landscaping for the Birds
Kathy Ross will share ideas from 30 years of gardening experience in the Flathead Valley working with and around native plant communities. Birds are declining, insect species are disappearing, and habitat is being destroyed. We as gardeners can help reverse this trend and make a difference in our own landscapes. Native plants are the key to rewilding! Even one native plant could make a difference to a living being who has specialized on that plant species for thousands of years. Planting a garden is not just about our idea of beauty but it could make a difference in the life of a songbird or butterfly. Learn how to create a biodiverse habitat in your own landscape with native plants for the birds and the insects they depend on. Registration required as space is limited.
Contact: To sign up: Call (406) 862-4226 or email:
[email protected]
Meeting time/location: 6 pm Center for Native Plants, Whitefish
Further information
We are greatly looking forward to resuming in-person meetings next winter (2021-2022). Monthly meetings in general, unless otherwise noted, are the 3rd Wednesday of the month in November, February, March and April at 235 Nucleus Ave. in Columbia Falls. We generally also gather for a potluck in October and a holiday party in December. Some Zoom meetings will continue, and members will receive invitations to State-wide offerings.
When do our Northwest Wildflowers Bloom?… Here’s a handy list.
Here is a plant list that Sally Thompson provided based on her book “People Before the Park” that details plants mentioned in a presentation to the Flathead Chapter in February 2017.
