Animals and Plants
Animals and plants adapt to the environment in which they live. Learn more about the different habitats we have on the Sawtooth National Forest along with the different animals and plants that make their home there. Whether you enjoy looking for wildflowers, bird watching or looking for mammals, knowing where to look for which ones, is a great place to start.
Wildlife and Vegetations Communities
Alpine communities are found at high elevations – typically above 9,500 feet – and transitioning in upper subalpine forests and tree line with increasing elevation alpine communities end at the snow line where snow and ice persist through summer. Alpine plants are adapted to climatic extremes and harsh conditions such as strong wind, cold temperatures, ultraviolet radiation, and short growing seasons.
Animals
Mountain Goats and Bighorn Sheep are the biggest animals found in alpine environments. Smaller species, like Pika and Marmots, also live amongst the rocks. Wolverines, which a listed as a threatened species in November 2023, also live in the Alpine communities.
Birds, including Horned Larks, Rosy Finches, and even Hummingbirds, migrate along the high mountains in wet areas.
Plants
There are many grasses and sedges, flowers, cushion forming plants, dwarf shrubs, mosses and lichens that have developed strategies for living in alpine communities. Some of the common species are: alpine bluegrass, spike trisetum, Parry rush, blackroot sedge, pygmy bitterroot, locoweed, little flower penstemon , cushion phlox, alpine wild buckwheat, snow willow, alpine laurel, mountain heather, alpine spikemoss, boreal pixie-cup, and rockfrog lichens.
Whitebark pine, an Endangered Species Act listed species, grows on harsh sites in the upper subalpine forests and at tree line. Whitebark pine grow alongside subalpine fir, Douglas-fir, Engelmann spruce, or lodgepole. Some of these trees can occasionally exist above the tree line as scattered individuals, but their growth is usually stunted by extreme wind and snow conditions.
High elevation forested communities are influenced by wind, snow deposition, severe cold, avalanches, and fire. Over time fires or lack of fire, insects, and diseases have changed the communities through succession.
Animals
Elk and Mule Deer, Yellow Pine Chipmunks, Red Squirrels, Porcupines, Snowshoe Hares, Black Bear, Mountain Lion, Weasel, Red Fox, Pine Marten, Lynx, Wolf, and Wolverine can be found in forested communities.
Birds commonly found in forested communities include: Gray Jay, Clark’s Nutcrackers, Steller’s Jays, Hairy and Downy Woodpeckers, Flickers, Sapsuckers, Nuthatches, Creepers, Sparrows, Kinglets, and Thrushes.
Plants
Conifer forests on lower slopes and foothill moraines are dominated by lodgepole pine and Douglas-fir, with Engelmann spruce occurring on wet sites near springs or riparian areas. Ponderosa pine occur on the west side of the Sawtooth National Recreation Area. It grows with Douglas fir and lodgepole pine. Above 7,000 feet and up to tree line, subalpine fir and, even higher, whitebark pine occur. Elk sedge, pinegrass, lupines, valerian, arnica and grouse whortleberry are common understory plants in conifer forests.
Deciduous trees, like aspen, create biologically rich communities for birds and wildlife. Aspen typically re-sprout from the roots in response to disturbances, especially after fire. Aspens are one of the largest organism on earth because a whole stand of aspen can be just a clone of one tree. Each aspen stand can include one or more aspen clones. The aspen trees of a particular clone will change color in the autumn at the same time because they are genetically related. Autumn is the time to see where the different clones are located. Aspens do well near springs or seeps and black cottonwood grow along the Big Wood and Salmon Rivers.
Shrubland communities include sagebrush and montane shrub communities. Shrubland and grassland communities occur in connection with forested communities and their locations are influenced by topography, snow pack, and soil moisture.
Animals
Mammals typically found in shrublands and grasslands include: pronghorns, ground squirrels, coyotes, and badgers.
Birds found in these habitats include: long-billed curlew, red-tailed hawks, Swainson’s hawk, northern harrier, golden eagles, vesper sparrows, Brewer’s sparrow, lark sparrow, and savannah sparrow, sage thrashers, Brewer’s blackbirds, and western meadowlarks.
Plants
Sagebrush communities are an important recreation area, are the primary forage base for the western rangeland livestock industry, and provide water in a semi-arid region with one of the fastest growing human populations in North America. Sagebrush communities are considered to be among the most endangered in western North America with approximately one-third of the pre-settlement area of sagebrush already converted to other land uses or highly degraded. On the Sawtooth National Forest, sagebrush communities are dominated by mountain big sagebrush. Low sagebrush and black sagebrush also occur in harsher conditions. Common plants growing with sagebrush are bluebunch wheatgrass, Sandberg bluegrass, wild onion, milk vetches, buckwheats, arrowleaf balsamroot, and fleabanes.
Montane shrub communities are interspersed as stringers and patches within the sagebrush, and forested communities. The patchiness of these communities is related to soils with high water-holding capacity and/or northerly exposures. Characteristic species include bitterbrush, chokecherry, snowberry, serviceberry, wild rose, and green rabbitbrush.
Grassland communities are connected with shrublands and forested communities. Their occurrence is related to soils and aspects. Typical grassland grasses are bluebunch wheatgrass, sandberg bluegrass, Idaho fescue, slender wheatgrass, intermediate oatgrass, and needlegrass. Common wildflowers include arrowleaf balsamroot, yarrow, lupine, biscuit root, hawksbeard, fleabane, milkvetch, sego lily, paintbrush, and phlox.
Many of these areas have been grazed in the past.
Riparian areas provide shade, shelter, and food for fish and wildlife, protect streambanks from erosion, help reduce flooding, increase water retention and provide clean water. These areas can be affected by grazing, mining, irrigation, diversion, development and recreational uses.
Animals
Moose, river otter, beavers and mink are species that occur in these habitats.
Birds that can be found in these communities include: cinnamon teal, common mergansers, osprey, bald eagles, kingfishers, sandhill cranes, spotted sandpiper, willow flycatchers, American dippers, song sparrow, fox sparrow, Lincoln’ s sparrow, red-winged blackbirds; yellow warbler, common yellowthroats. Some migrate through, while others stay longer to nest. Some, like the American dipper, stay year-round and catch macro-invertebrates in the winter.
Reptiles and amphibians found in riparian and wetland communities include: garter snakes, western toads, long-toed salamanders, and Columbia spotted frogs.
Native fish in this area include: sockeye, Chinook, steelhead salmon, bull tTrout, Kokanee, west slope cutthroat trout, Wood River sculpin, and whitefish.
Plants
Riparian areas are lands that occur along water bodies like rivers, streams and lakes. Riparian communities can consist of of trees, shrubs, grasses and/or flowers. Common trees are subalpine fir, Engelmann spruce, and Douglas-fir, cottonwood, and aspen. Characteristic shrubs include Rocky Mountain maple, serviceberry, chokecherry, thinleaf alder, currants, willows, and shrubby cinquefoil. Grasses include sedges, tufted hairgrass, reedgrass, timothy, and bluegrass. Common flowers include louseworts, American bistort, saxifrage, stinging nettle, and fireweed.
Wetlands are areas that form where water collects near the ground surface or where water moves slowly or not at all. Some plants that live in wetlands are camas, gentian, edges, water-loving grasses, willows, alder, bog birch, and red osier dogwood. These areas are important for amphibian reproduction.
Species of Concern
The Sawtooth National Forest has many great lakes, streams and headwaters to offer for salmon. There are sockeye, Chinook, and Kokanee salmon. Steelhead trout are also in the salmonid family. These species are all anadromous, meaning they spawn in freshwater streams, go to the ocean to grow, and return to fresh water as adults.
Sockeye salmon are called redfish because of their brilliant red color. In fact, Redfish Lake got its name for how it used to be teaming with the brightly colored fish. Sockeye develop a hook nose when mating and spawning. After spawning they die and the new generation swims 900 miles out to the ocean, where they live for a few years before returning home.
The Chinook salmon, also known as King Salmon because they are the largest of all Pacific salmon, is named for the Chinook Native American tribe. Steelhead also spawn in the large rivers and creeks, but they do not necessarily die after spawning and can go out to the ocean a second time if they have enough energy reserved.
Over the last 100 years, there have been many barriers to the migration of anadromous fish. Over-fishing, dams, and habitat loss all along their migration route have resulted in declining populations. In 1991-1992, the sockeye salmon was listed as endangered. That year only one fish, nicknamed Lonesome Larry, returned from his migration.
With help from the fish hatcheries and other partners, the Sawtooth National Forest is working to help restore their habitat. To see some of these salmon in action, check out the Sawtooth Fish Hatchery or the Hayspur Fish Hatchery.
Wolverine are another one of the Sawtooth National Forest's sensitive, rare and fascinating animals. The species was listed as threatened in November 2023.
Not a dog or a bear, the wolverine is the largest of the terrestrial weasel family, which also includes short and long-tailed weasels, American pine martin, badger, fisher, and river otter. While thought to be solitary, research over the past few decades has shown that wolverines are quite social. Care of offspring by both parents is extensive. Their home ranges can be over 500 square miles and they can travel long distances. During a study in the Greater Yellowstone area, one GPS-collared animal was documented travelling 500 miles in two months. A male wolverine’s home range generally overlaps the home ranges of 2-3 females. He mates with those females and helps teach the kits how to be wolverines.
Wolverines are made for winter and cold climates. Their long claws serve as crampons, and their large feet and plantigrade stance provide for good floatation on soft snow. They can gallop or lope on top of the snow traveling at quite a fast speed. Their compact body provides good heat retention, and their frost resistant guard hair was once used to line the hoods of jackets in the arctic. Wolverines have scent glands, as do all mustelids, which cause their fur to smell. Because of this, they have been nicknamed skunk bears. Each wolverine has a different marking on their chest, which works like a fingerprint to tell their identity. Their teeth are razor sharp, with molars facing 90 degrees towards the inside of the mouth and a powerful jaw with which they can eat frozen meat, teeth and bones. They are great scavengers in winter and will stand up to any other predator who might want to fight it out over a carcass. Their scientific name, Gulo gulo, comes from the term “glutton” and they do eat as much food as they can when it is available but will cache extra food if they are unable to eat it all. They can smell a dead carcass buried even up to 20 feet below the snow making them the ultimate scavenger. They can even bring down a full-grown moose.
Wolverines are elusive and a rare sight to see. While there is still a lot unknown about their life history, the last few decades of research has indicated that due to their dependence on snow, especially for reproductive dens, the changing winter climates could affect them. Recent research has investigated how winter recreation impacts them.