Plants
Plants of Caribou-Targhee National Forest
The Caribou-Targhee National Forest is a botanical paradise bursting with green life! From sagebrush plains to alpine ridges, its plants thrive in volcanic soils and glacial valleys, feeding wildlife and wowing visitors. This forest hides rare treasures, juicy huckleberries, and tasty morels—here’s a look at what grows, how we protect it, and the rules for picking your own.
A Plant Palette
At lower elevations, sagebrush scents the air near Curlew National Grassland, paired with hardy bunchgrasses like bluebunch wheatgrass, perfect for elk grazing. Mid-slopes glow with lodgepole pine, Douglas fir, and quaking aspen, their golden leaves lighting up fall in Darby Canyon. Up high, above 9,000 feet, whitebark pine and subalpine fir cling to peaks like Diamond Peak, feeding bears with their seeds. Spring meadows bloom with lupine (purple), Indian paintbrush (red), and columbine (yellow), especially in the Jedediah Smith Wilderness. Volcanic ash from the Island Park Caldera fuels this lush diversity.
Rare Plants: Hidden Gems
Some plants here are extra special—and rare. Centennial rabbitbrush (Ericameria parryi var. montana) is known to grow only in a few high-elevation locations in the Red Conglomerate Peaks and the Lemhi Range. Whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis), high in the Tetons and other mountain ranges, is dwindling due in part to beetle attacks and a fungal disease—its seeds are grizzly food, so it’s a big deal. Ute ladies’-tresses (Spiranthes diluvialis), a delicate orchid near river meanders and oxbows, is federally threatened and loves wet spots that are easily trampled. We protect rare plants by mapping their homes, limiting ground disturbance, and fighting invasives like musk thistle and spotted knapweed that can crowd them out.”
Huckleberries and Morels: Forest Treats
Who doesn’t love a wild snack? Huckleberries, sweet and purple, ripen in late summer (July-August) under pines and aspens—think Island Park or the Teton Range. Morels, nutty mushrooms, pop up in spring (May-June) after burns, especially in lodgepole stands. Picking’s a forest tradition, but let’s keep it fair—bears and birds love them too! Overharvesting hurts, so we encourage taking just what you’ll eat fresh, leaving plenty behind.
Picking Rules on the Forest
Love foraging? Visit our Foraging on the Caribou-Targhee page to learn more!
Protecting the Plants
You’re key to keeping this flora safe! Stick to trails to avoid crushing rare orchids or whitebark seedlings. Brush off boots to stop invasive seeds, and skip picking near rare plant signs—rangers mark them for a reason. For huckleberries and morels, take a handful, not a haul, so wildlife and future visitors get their share. These plants are the forest’s heartbeat—let’s keep it beating strong.
See Them Up Close
Hike Alaska Basin for wildflowers and huckleberries, camp under pines at Palisades, or hunt morels near past burn scars. Snap pics, follow the rules, and leave plenty—the Caribou-Targhee National Forest’s plants are a gift worth sharing!