EPA Level III Ecoregion
Northwestern Glaciated Plains
526 native plants for the Northwestern Glaciated Plains ecoregion (Great Falls area).
The Northwestern Glaciated Plains cover northern Montana and northwestern North Dakota, including Great Falls, Havre, Minot, and Williston. Glaciers left rolling till and shallow potholes across mixed-grass prairie, and the climate is semi-arid with brutal winters and a short intense growing season. Natives like Rocky Mountain blazing star, Missouri gooseberry, and largebract Indian breadroot are prairie plants that come through that cold and make use of a narrow window of moisture.
Conditions: Glacial till and clay with shallow potholes, 12–18 inches of precipitation, extreme cold winters, short warm summers, persistent wind.
Cities and areas: Great Falls, Havre, Minot, Williston, Lewistown, Glasgow.
526 Native Plants for the Northwestern Glaciated Plains
HOA-friendly picks listed first. Pet-safety status varies by species; each plant page shows its sourced ASPCA status. Native range data from vouchered herbarium specimen records and regional native plant society lists.
Swamp Milkweed
Asclepias incarnata
Little Bluestem
Schizachyrium scoparium
Wild Bergamot
Monarda fistulosa
Black-eyed Susan
Rudbeckia hirta
Common Yarrow
Achillea millefolium
Switchgrass
Panicum virgatum
Common Sneezeweed
Helenium autumnale
False Sunflower
Heliopsis helianthoides
Nodding Onion
Allium cernuum
Sideoats Grama
Bouteloua curtipendula
Smooth Aster
Symphyotrichum laeve
Whorled Milkweed
Asclepias verticillata
American Fox Sedge
Carex vulpinoidea
Indiangrass
Sorghastrum nutans
Purple Prairie Clover
Dalea purpurea
Aromatic Sumac
Rhus aromatica
Red-osier Dogwood
Cornus sericea
Blue Grama
Bouteloua gracilis
Tall Blazing Star
Liatris aspera
Scarlet Strawberry
Fragaria virginiana
Prairie Junegrass
Koeleria macrantha
Eastern Red Cedar
Juniperus virginiana
Leadplant
Amorpha canescens
Fall Aster
Symphyotrichum oblongifolium
Mexican Hat
Ratibida columnifera
Bur Oak
Quercus macrocarpa
Bear-grape
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi
Golden Currant
Ribes aureum
Prairie Wildrye
Elymus canadensis
Wild Woodland Strawberries
Fragaria vesca
Virginia Wildrye
Elymus virginicus
Narrow-leaf Coneflower
Echinacea angustifolia
White Prairie Clover
Dalea candida
Tufted Hairgrass
Deschampsia cespitosa
American Germander
Teucrium canadense
Solomon's-plume
Maianthemum racemosum
Prairie ironweed
Vernonia fasciculata
Heart-leaf Golden Alexanders
Zizia aptera
Short-beak Sedge
Carex brevior
Stiff Goldenrod
Solidago rigida
Gayfeather
Liatris punctata
Sulfur-buckwheat
Eriogonum umbellatum
Heath Aster
Symphyotrichum ericoides
Winged Loosestrife
Lythrum alatum
Great Blanket-flower
Gaillardia aristata
Rocky Mountain Blazing Star
Liatris ligulistylis
Candle Anemone
Anemone cylindrica
Northern Hackberry
Celtis occidentalis
Showing 48 of 526. Enter your ZIP for the natives matched to your yard.
Fall care in the Northwestern Glaciated Plains
What to do right now for plants commonly grown here. Each links to the full regional care guide for that species, with sources.
- Smooth aster
Fall is when it earns its keep. Lavender blue flowers open late and feed pollinators before winter on the northern plains. Leave most of the plant standing.
- Little bluestem
Fall is the best season for little bluestem in the landscape. The foliage turns a rich rust-orange and the seed heads catch low light, and this color and structure is worth leaving up rather than cutting.
- Switchgrass
Fall is switchgrass at its best. The foliage turns gold and the seed heads catch low light. It also feeds birds, so many gardeners leave it standing.
- Wild bergamot
In fall the plant ripens seed and heads into dormancy. On the Hi-Line you can leave seed heads for birds or tidy the bed, either works.
Build a plan for the Northwestern Glaciated Plains
The Pollinator Patch App turns plants like these into a front-yard plan tuned for the soil, climate, and HOA expectations of the Great Falls area.