DRY FOREST HABITAT

Dry forests are most often characterized by somewhat shallow, rocky soils and are usually dominated by ponderosa pine, Douglas-fir or grand fir trees. The understory consists of such grasses as Idaho fescue, blue-bunch wheatgrass, and pinegrass; perennial forbs, including lupines; and such shrubs as serviceberry, ninebark, oceanspray, and common chokecherry.

Kinnikinnick is a common low shrub. This habitat occurs on ridges and slopes at lower to middle elevations, usually on southerly to westerly aspects.

DRY ROCK HABITAT

Usually surrounded by forested habitats, dry rock habitats occur when plants establish themselves in soil deposited between rocks. Many plants found here are also found in dry forest and even moist forest habitats; however, some plants occur only when a dry rock habitat receives ample moisture in the spring before drying up in summer. Scarlet gilia, blanketflower, kitten tails, pearhip rose, ninebark, oceanspray, smooth sumac, wild yarrow and kinnikinnick are often found here.

INTERIOR RAIN FOREST / RARE PLANT HABITAT

Unique in north Idaho - and a result of warm, Pacific maritime weather patterns - interior rain forests support the wettest forest habitats in the state. An overstory of western redcedar and western hemlock towers over devils club, lady fern, maidenhair fern and oak fern. Many rare species occur in inland rain forests, including some you can see here in the Arboretum: beadruby, maidenhair spleenwort, northern beechfern, deerfern, purple meadowrue and white shooting star.

MEADOW HABITAT

Dry to moist meadow habitats in north Idaho support Idaho fescue, blue wildrye, Junegrass, sticky geranium, lupines, goldenrod and other grasses and perennial forbs. Such shrubs as common chokecherry may occasionally occur.

MOIST FOREST HABITAT

In moist forests, a mixed overstory of various conifers provides shade to an understory of forbs, such as wild ginger, queencup, twin flower, pioneer violet and bunch­berry dogwood.  Sword fern may also be found here.  Such habitats occur in ephemeral draws and swales and on mountain slopes at lower to middle elevations.

RIPARIAN HABITAT

These streamside habitats are found along perennial streams and large rivers, but may also occur on the mar­gins of such wetlands as ponds, fens and marshes. They may be forested with evergreens or with a mixture of evergreens and hardwoods (such as coyote willow, water birch, Sitka alder, thinleaf alder or the rare dwarf birch). Wet meadow habitats support tufted hairgrass and common camas (the latter having been an important traditional food for local Native Americans).

SUBALPINE HABITAT

These habitats occur at middle to higher elevations, on mountain slopes, ridges and in draws. They also can be found at lower elevations in cold air drainages (often found in the Priest River area). Subalpine fir and Engelmann spruce often dominate forested habitats, with huckleberry, menziesia and mountain ash or alpine bluegrass and alpine timothy in the understory. The rare Sitka mistmaiden occurs on wet cliffs and ledges.