Idaho, a state in the northwest corner of the United States, is part of the Rocky Mountains region. It’s home to towering forests, tall mountains, rocky plains, and a variety of wildflowers.
Many of the wildflowers that bloom in Idaho are adapted to harsh winters, high elevations, and high winds. The warming orange of Indian paintbrush and the delicate lilac of the Payette beardtongue grace this state’s grasslands and forests.
Keep reading to learn more about Idaho’s wildflowers, where they live, and what ecological role they serve in their environments.
20 Wildflowers in Idaho
The white and yellow blooms of syringa are perennial in the state of Idaho. Syringa has sweet blossoms that smell like oranges, as well as bright green leaves. It was named the state flower of Idaho in 1931. The plant was actually first named by Merriweather Clark of the Lewis and Clark expeditions between 1804 and 1806.
Many other wildflowers grow in Idaho. Because of the state’s northern latitude, it experiences a shorter growing season than other parts of the United States. Most flowers bloom in spring and summer. Spring blooming flowers include the Camas Lily and Quamash.
Summer bloomers are the Payette Beardtongue and Rocky Mountain Bee Plant. Whether they grace forest edges or are found in open meadows, Idaho’s wildflowers will captivate and astonish you!
1. Camas Lily
- Scientific name: Camassia quamash
- Zone: 3 to 9
- Where to see: Camas Prairie
- Bloom in: Late May & Early June
The camas lily is a perennial bulb wildflower that has been used by people for thousands of years. Their bulbs can be roasted, much like the way we eat onions.
This lily’s lavender flowers are feathery. They extend vertically on a central stalk.
Camas lilies are some of the most accessible wildflowers in Idaho. There’s already an entire conserved area dedicated specifically to them! Visit the Camas Prairie Centennial Marsh Wildlife Management Area in south-central Idaho to get a good view.
2. Syringa
- Scientific name: Syringa vulgaris
- Zone: 3 to 7
- Where to see: Across Idaho, at forest edges.
- Bloom in: May & June
The Syringa, also known as the mock orange plant, is a shrub that produces white flowers with yellow centers. These members of the lilac family are common throughout most of the world, but are only found in the Pacific Northwest and northern Rocky Mountain regions of the United States. They can be grown in backyards as ornamental plants.
3. Elkhorn Clarkia
- Scientific name: Clarkia pulchella
- Zone: 3 to 7
- Where to see: Pacific Northwest
- Bloom in: June
The elkhorn clarkia wildflower is named after William Clark, one of the co-leaders of the Lewis & Clark expedition across the United States in 1804. The flower has slender green leaves and bright pink, antler-shaped flowers. Look for elkhorn clarkia all over Idaho and into the Pacific Northwest.
4. Christ’s Indian Paintbrush
- Scientific name: Castilleja christii
- Zone: 6
- Where to see: Mt. Harrison’s summit
- Bloom in: June & July
Christ’s Indian paintbrush is one of the rarest wildflowers on earth. It’s native to the high elevations of Idaho’s Albion mountain range. Specifically, it only grows on the peak of Mt. Harrison, a mountain in south-central Idaho.
The plant requires elevations of over 8,000 feet. This makes it limited to the mountaintops. Human infringement on Mt. Harrison consists of building roads.
These roads have an unfortunate effect on Christ’s Indian paintbrush. They disrupt the natural habitat and reduce the acreage of available habitat for the flower.
5. Arrowleaf Balsamroot
- Scientific name: Balsamorhiza sagittata
- Zone: 3 to 7
- Where to see: Boise National Forest
- Bloom in: May
Idaho is a state of many environmental conditions. One flower that thrives in the harsh, arid deserts here is Arrowleaf Balsamroot. It prefers the mountainous valleys and ridges of the Boise National Forest.
When it blooms in spring, the hills look like a carpet of yellow blossoms. They’re easy to remember because they look a lot like sunflowers.
6. Idaho Trillium
- Scientific name: Trillium petiolatum
- Zone: 3 to 9
- Where to see: At forest edges & around stream beds.
- Bloom in: Early April
If you’re familiar with the Idaho trillium, you may know it as the ‘wake-robin’ since it blooms earlier in the spring than most flowers. It’s the most hardy of any trillium species.
Idaho trillium’s bloom has just three petals, compared to the more common six or five in other flowers. Its leaves are usually more pronounced than the flower, which is dark purple or maroon. They grow best between 1,300 and 4,600 feet elevation.
7. Rocky Mountain Bee Plant
- Scientific name: Cleome serrulate
- Zone: 1 to 10
- Where to see: Across Idaho, in disturbed areas.
- Bloom in: May until August
The Rocky Mountain bee plant might live for just one year, but it plays a significant role in the lives of pollinators. Bees rely heavily on the Rocky Mountain bee plant to source enough pollen and nectar to make honey.
Humans benefit from this flower too. It can be used in herbal medicine and to make dye for cloth. In Idaho, you’ll find it along the edges of paths, roads, and recently cleared land.
8. Piper’s Anemone
- Scientific name: Anemone piperi
- Zone: 3 to 7
- Where to see: Northwestern United States
- Bloom in: May
The Piper’s anemone is a rare species of anemone that grows in shaded areas of the forest floor. It ranges throughout the Pacific Northwest and part of the Rocky Mountains. Flowers are white with five or seven petals.
When they bloom, they expand until they are flat and completely open. Some will bloom with just a single flower, while other plants bloom in clusters.
9. Black-eyed Susan
- Scientific name: Rudbeckia hirta
- Zone: 3 to 10
- Where to see: Across Idaho in disturbed places.
- Bloom in: June
The black-eyed susan is one of the most recognizable wildflowers in the state of Idaho. It’s native to most of the continental United States and has a thriving population here as well. Identify it based on its long bright yellow petals and dark center.
They are fantastic pollinators for bees. This is a great wildflower to plant in your backyard.
10. Payette Beardtongue
- Scientific name: Penstemon payettensis
- Zone: 3 to 9
- Where to see: Payette National Forest
- Bloom in: June & July
The Payette beardtongue is a snapdragon-like flower that blooms during midsummer in the rugged Payette National Forest in north-central Idaho. The plant reaches about two feet tall and has flowers arranged vertically on a central stalk.
It’s a perennial, so it returns yearly. This makes it popular among backyard gardeners and birdwatchers in the Pacific Northwest. Just remember to grow it from seed.
11. Creeping Barberry
- Scientific name: Mahonia repens
- Zone: 4 to 8
- Where to see: Across Idaho
- Bloom in: June
The Creeping barberry is a flowering bush that grows in Idaho and most of the western United States. Its flowers bloom in bright yellow clusters. In the fall, these blooms are replaced by edible blue berries, although their true nutritional content has yet to be determined.
If you’re interested in a creeping wildflower, consider this plant for your backyard native garden. It stays foliated even in the winter.
12. Tassel Rue
- Scientific name: Trautvetteria caroliniensis
- Zone: 5 to 8
- Where to see: Across Idaho, at forest edges.
- Bloom in: May & June
There are three distinct populations of tassel rue: Eastern, Western, and Asian. The Eastern population is the most popular, but the western population still expands over the Pacific Northwest.
All three varieties have the same appearance: white flowers. They prefer shade and do well along forest edges and in semi-shady forests.
13. Dwarf Monkeyflower
- Scientific name: Mimulus nanus
- Zone: 3 to 9
- Where to see: Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve
- Bloom in: June
The dwarf monkeyflower’s unusual name stems from its small size and the way the flowers look like masquerade masks. The most common place you’ll spot this bright pink flower is at the Craters of the Moon National Monument. However, there are wild populations that live outside of conserved lands.
These flowers grow best in mountainous places with sandy soil. Remember to keep an eye out – dwarf monkeyflower’s maximum height is just 4 inches tall!
14. Quamash
- Scientific name: Camassia quamash
- Zone: 4 to 11
- Where to see: Eastern & Central Idaho
- Bloom in: Late April, May into June
Quamash is a small light blue or periwinkle wildflower native to the Pacific Northwest. It blooms in central Idaho and anywhere there is a reliable water source and abundant sunlight.
They can adapt to high elevations and are often found around 5,000 feet in altitude. The blooms are located on a single central stalk.
15. Mountain Bog Gentian
- Scientific name: Gentiana calycosa
- Zone: 2 to 8
- Where to see: Across Idaho in moist soils.
- Bloom in: July & August
The Mountain bog gentian can be spotted throughout the northwestern United States, but in Idaho, it is limited to moist areas with regular water flow. A single indigo/purple flower is located at the terminal end of the stalk.
A single plant will have several stalks. The plant is perennial and usually about 18 inches tall.
16. Common Sunflower
- Scientific name: Helianthus annuus
- Zone: 3 to 7
- Where to see: Central and Southern Idaho
- Bloom in: June & July
You’ll be able to spot a sunflower even if you’ve never studied flowers before. Sunflowers are common wildflowers in Idaho, where they grow wild and in cultivated fields. They are great sources of foods for seed-eating birds.
Finches and crows congregate around sunflowers to plug the rich, oily seeds from the flowers.
17. Large-flowered Triplet-lily
- Scientific name: Triteleia grandiflora
- Zone: 3 to 9
- Where to see: Boise National Forest
- Bloom in: June
Another member of the lily family is a vibrant wildflower in Idaho. The large-flowered triplet-lily has bright purple blooms that open into a bell shape. The plant grows about 2 feet tall. Their leaves appear onion-like.
This plant isn’t native to Idaho; it actually grows throughout most of the western United States.
18. Smallflower Woodland-star
- Scientific name: Lithophragma parviflorum
- Zone: 3 to 8
- Where to see: Across Idaho at higher altitudes.
- Bloom in: June
The Smallflower woodland-stars are western natives. They grow in the western half of the United States. In Idaho, they are limited to high-elevation locations over 5,000 feet up in altitude.
Seeing one is akin to viewing a snowflake; their 5 white petals have three lobes.
19. American White Water Lily
- Scientific name: Nymphaea odorata
- Zone: 3 to 11
- Where to see: Across Idaho, in slow-moving freshwater.
- Bloom in: August
The continental United States are home to the American white water lily, but its common status doesn’t detract from how beautiful it is. Idaho has some opportunistic populations of this water lily, which isn’t a native species.
It grows in freshwater ponds, lakes, and rivers. Western water lilies have a sweet smell that northern and central US lilies lack.
20. Goosefoot Violet
- Scientific name: Viola purpurea
- Zone: 4 to 8
- Where to see: Payette National Forest, foothills.
- Bloom in: June
The goosefoot violet is a small perennial species of violet that prefers to grow in rocky, unhospitable soils. They have dark green leaves and bright yellow flowers.
Goosefoot violets are common in the Pacific Northwest and many western states, except Arizona. They thrive in the foothills of mountains.
Best Spots to Find Wildflowers in Idaho
Idaho has an abundance of state parks, national parks, national forests, and other conserved lands. Undeveloped land is a big advantage when scouting for wildflowers because these delicate plants often can’t survive in urban or suburban areas. They require pristine soil, air, and water conditions to survive and thrive.
If you live near Boise or the Twin Cities, we recommend visiting the Boise National Forest or the Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area.
If you’re up in the panhandle, try Lake Coeur d’Alene and the national forest. Central Idahoans can look for wildflowers in the Payette National Forest and the Camas Prairie.
Don’t forget that you can make a difference in the success of pollinators. Introduce native wildflowers to your own backyard and increase biodiversity and variety for bees, bats, and birds!
Anna is a wildlife biologist who graduated from Texas A&M in 2020. She enjoys studying and learning about wild birds and wildlife of all types.