Montana Field Guide

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Montana Field Guides

Animals - AnimaliaMulticellular organisms that develop from the fertilization of an egg by a sperm. Heterotrophic - obtain food by ingestion.
Plants - PlantaeMulticellular organisms that are autotrophic or make complex carbohydrates from basic constituents. Most use photosynthesis.
Lichens - FungiComposed of fungal and algal symbionts that work together to obtain food through photosynthesis (algal partner) and absorption by excreting enzymes for digestion (fungal partner).
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.

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 / Lichen guide
How to use the Ecological System guide
Link to us - Want to put the field guide on your site?

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Look for this PDF icon at the top of each page as you search and browse. You can download select species by searching or when you're on a Taxa page like Class, Order, and Family.

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

Dragonflies / Damselflies

Ferns and allies

Conifers

Flowering Plants (Dicots)

Flowering Plants (Monocots)