Native Plants
of Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge

Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge includes 22,995 acres of lush grassland, with an additional 2,182 acres of very sandy sagebrush grasslands. Beginning in May, a myriad of wildflowers begin to appear on the Refuge. The spring runoff and early summer rains encourage an impressive wildflower bloom. By July, the Centennial Valley becomes a wildflower paradise. Shooting stars, buttercups, sticky geranium, lupine, Indian paintbrush, and locoweed paint the grasslands in multicolor hues of reds, pinks, blues, and yellows. In addition to enjoying native plants in the field, visitors are welcome to consult Refuge library resources on wildflowers and study the Wildflowers of Red Rock Lakes flower presses donated by a Refuge volunteer.

Red Rock Lakes NWR invites you to enjoy and study the native plants found here. Please be advised, however, that commercial harvesting of wildflowers and other plants on the Refuge is prohibited.

Native Plant Websites

• Botanical Society of America
• Wild Flowers Institute
• Native Plant Conservation Alliance

Natural Resource Information System
The Natural Heritage Program maintains a computer-assisted inventory of Montana's biological resources, emphasizing rare or endangered plant and animal species and biological communities.  This comprehensive site includes the Montana Rare Plant Field Guide, Geographic and Status Searches for plant species of special consern, and links to related sites.