MONTANA FIELD GUIDE™

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MONTANA FIELD GUIDE™

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.
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.
Ecological Communities Accounts for: (1) natural vegetation communities as described under the National Vegetation Classification scheme at the Group level; (2) aquatic communities occurring in different stream sizes and flow regimes in four geographic regions; and (3) areas recently disturbed by fire and insect outbreaks or that are heavily modified for human land uses.

Welcome to the MONTANA FIELD GUIDE™. This guide and this website are a collaborative effort between the Montana Natural Heritage Program and our partners, most notably NatureServe and Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. This guide provides 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. Features include the ability to view galleries of photos to assist with species identification and the ability to download a custom guide as PDF files.

Select a category to start browsing or use Search.

How to use the Animal / Plant / Fungi guide
How to use the Ecological System guide
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)