Wildflowers are getting an ‘early start’ in Idaho. Here’s where to find them
Idaho’s hills, parks and mountainsides are bursting to life with flowers — the trademark of spring.
“May through July is the peak of Idaho’s wildflower season,” Visit Idaho, a Gem State travel guide organization, said on its website.
However, a warm and wet winter may encourage flowers to bloom earlier than unusual.
“During a walk in the foothills a few days ago I saw antelope bitterbrush in flower,” Michael Mancuso, president of Idaho Native Plant Society, told the Idaho Statesman in an email. “It typically waits until around May 1, but not this year.”
With the sweet scent of blooms filling the air, here’s where to find wildflower hotspots near Boise and around the Gem State:
See arrowleaf balsamroot in Boise Foothills
Arrowleaf balsamroot, a member of the sunflower family, “has beautiful, bright yellow flowers” that are typically in bloom from May to July, the U.S. Forest Service said on its website. “It may be found most abundant in mountain fields.”
You should keep your eyes on the Boise Foothills to spot these bundles of sunshine earlier than usual. Mancus told the Statesman that the sunshine-like flowers are already visible.
“Many wildflowers are getting an early start this year,” he said.
According to the Forest Service, arrowleaf balsamroot has a deep tap root that can grow to the width of a hand.
“This plant was used for food and medicine by Native peoples and is a springtime icon,” Idaho Botanical Garden said on its website.
Camas lilies common in Sawtooth National Forest
According to the Forest Service, camas lilies are common in western North America. The blue and purple flowers can be found in Canada and several U.S. states, including Idaho.
Cama lilies’ habitat is “typically seasonally moist meadows that dry out by late spring,” the Forest Service said.
According to Visit Idaho, cama lilies “blanket south central Idaho.”
Camas Prairie in Sawtooth National Forest is a vibrant home to the waving purple petals, which flank both sides of U.S. 20 near Fairfield, Idaho, Idaho Fish & Game said, calling the camas lily bloom one of the “most visited and photographed” times of year.
Idaho Fish & Game added that camas lily blossoms usually start in May and peak mid-June.
Where can I find rare Christ’s Indian paintbrush in Idaho?
The Christ’s Indian paintbrush likes to grow in the “subalpine meadow and sagebrush habitats in the upper elevations of the Albion Mountains in Cassia County,” according to the Forest Service.
“The conservation and protection of this rare population is managed by the Sawtooth National Forest, Minidoka Ranger District,” the forest service said on its website. “This species is known from only a single population on the summit of Mount Harrison.”
The “showy perennial” grows in bundles with orange blossoms that look like the tip of a paintbrush, according to the federal agency.
Despite its religious-sounding moniker, this rare beauty is actually named after John H. Christ, who collected it in 1950, Visit Idaho said.
“Growth begins slightly before or soon after the snow melts in late June to early July” on Mount Harrison, the U.S. Natural Resource Conservation Service said. “Peak flowering occurs from midJuly to mid-August depending on the year.”
How did elkhorn get its nickname?
Clarkia was “first collected by Meriwether Lewis in the early 1800s in Idaho’s Bitterroot Mountains and was named after his fellow explorer, William Clark,” Visit Idaho said.
The purple flower’s nickname, elkhorn, was inspired by its “antler-shaped” petals.
According to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflowercenter, this fuchsia wildflower can grow more than a foot tall and normally blooms across Idaho and many other states in April.
Where can I find dwarf monkeyflower in Idaho?
According to Visit Idaho, the dwarf monkeyflower has “vibrant magenta blooms” and a “mask-like appearance.”
These flowers puts their roots down in one of the most challenging locations in Idaho, Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve, the travel guide said. “Only the toughest flowers bloom here after battling a lack of moisture and temperatures that can climb to 150 degrees.”
Dwarf monkeyflowers usually begin blooming in the national park’s sandy soils and rocky landscapes in mid-June, according to Visit Idaho.
When’s the best time to see Idaho trillium?
According to the Treasures of the Boise Front website, Idaho trillium can be identified by its large leaves and deep red flowers, gaining it the nickname “bloody nose.”
Bloody nose is a part of the lily family and can be found growing along the Boise River, stream banks and forest floors, according to Visit Idaho.
The best months for observing this red lily flower are May and June, Treasures of the Boise Front said.
“The Idaho trillium features three petals that range in color depending on maturity,” Visit Idaho said. “The leaves are large and plantain-like.”
When does Payette beardtongue bloom?
“Payette beardtongue produces fantastic clusters of bright blue snapdragon-like flowers that are about an inch long,” the U.S. Forest Service said. “This plant usually blooms in mid-summer.”
The 2-foot tall flowers are easy to spot in Payette National Forest in Central Idaho where it was first collected, according to the Forest Service.
The roots of this plant are delicate, so step carefully around the flower to avoid damaging it.
What’s the official state flower of Idaho?
The official state flower of Idaho since 1931 is syringa, a woody shrub with clusters of white, fragrant flowers that grows up to 10 feet tall,” State Symbols USA, an online catalog of U.S. official symbols, said.
According to the University of Idaho, the flower has been an unofficial symbol for the Gem State “since at least the 1890s, when it was depicted in the state seal.”
The syringa is nicknamed mock orange because the sweet fragrance of its white flowers are similar to the scent of orange blossoms.
This flower can be found along the edges of forests in Western states, Visit Idaho said.
According to the Portland Nursery in Oregon, these white petals flower between May and June.
What other native wildflowers can I see in Idaho?
Idaho is home to many native wildflowers, and more than 50 species are specific to the state, according to Visit Idaho.
The Idaho Botanical Garden has an Idaho Native Plant Garden and Lewis and Clark Native Plant Garden that showcase 100- plus different species of plants you can find in the Gem State.
“These historic and native plant collections aren’t just beautiful. They’re vital,” the Idaho Botanical Garden said. “They serve as living lessons in water conservation, biodiversity and habitat support for native pollinators like the monarch butterfly and the metallic green sweat bee.
The botanical garden encourages visitors to look for these noteworthy plants:
- Sagebrush
- Arrowleaf balsamroot
- Western penstemon
- Lewis’ monkeyflower
- Blue flax
- Bitterroot
