Montana Field Guide

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Montana Field Guides

Animals - Animalia Multicellular organisms that develop from the fertilization of an egg by a sperm. Heterotrophic - obtain food by ingestion.
Plants - Plantae Multicellular organisms that are autotrophic or make complex carbohydrates from basic constituents. Most use photosynthesis.
Fungi Lichens, Mushrooms, Molds, Yeasts, Chytrids Multi- or single-celled organisms that have chitin in their cell walls, reproduce by spores, do not photosynthesize, and acquire food primarily by secreting digestive enzymes into their environment. Some fungi, called Lichens, develop symbiotic relationships with green algae and/or cyanobacteria.
Ecological Systems Ecological systems represent recurring groups of biological communities that are found in similar physical environments and are influenced by similar dynamic ecological processes, such as fire or flooding. Human Land Use classes are also shown here because they're included in the Montana Land Cover layer.
Invasive and Pest Species Species not native to a specific location, which has a tendency to spread to a degree believed to cause damage to the environment, human economy, or human health.

Welcome to our Montana Field Guides. These guides and this website are a collaborative effort between the Montana Natural Heritage Program and Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. These guides provide information on the identification, distribution, status, and ecology of Montana's animals, plants, lichens, and biological communities. You can find individual species or habitats by hierarchical drill downs or simple searches. New features include the ability to view galleries of photos to assist with species identification and the ability to download custom field guides as PDF files.

Select a Field Guide to start browsing or use the Search.

How to use the Animal / Plant / Fungi guide
How to use the Ecological System guide
Link to us - Want to put the field guide on your site?
Advanced Search page

Take us with you!

Look for this PDF icon as you search and browse. Click it to build a custom PDF with species shown on that page or for all the species within that taxonomic level. To create your own list of species, use the PDF Creator tool at the bottom of the Advanced Search page.

Here's some links if you want to download a whole group.

Dragonflies / Damselflies

Ferns and allies

Conifers

Flowering Plants (Dicots)

Flowering Plants (Monocots)