back to Panorama content

Palouse prairie

Is another prevalent type of grassland found in the western United States. The grassland is not part of the Great Plains. Like the mixed-grass and shortgrass praires, these also remain largely intact. These grasslands occur throughout the middle portion of the Rocky Mountains and also function as rangelands. They are dominated by perennial bunch grasses but can also have a prevalent forb component. In the picture to the right two prominent forbs are lupine (Lupinus sp., blue flowers in upper right) and arrowleaf balsamroot (Balsamorhiza sagittata, yellow flowered plant). Additional moisture allows Ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) and Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) to establish on north slopes and in draws.

The above panorama near the peak of Mount Sentinel near Missoula, Montana experienced a wildfire killing the trees in the foreground. The north aspects of the mountains retain slightly more moisture (i.e. snow melts slower) permiting trees to persist (see upper left of picture with a north-west aspect).

The above panorama was included in the prairie pothole section. However, the grasslands surrounding these prairie potholes are surrounded by Palouse prairie. These grasslands are relatively intact and periodically grazed by livestock. If managed properly then these grasslands can be preserved while functioning as rangelands and benefitting society. Below is a picture of the Montana state flower, bitterroot (Lewisia rediviva), which occurs in shallow rocky soils on hill and mountain tops.