Above treeline, plants adapt to wind, snow, and lack of soil by growing close to the ground.
Alpine plants take advantage of a brief growing season by flowering soon after the snow melts.
Between the crags of the Tetons, Ice Age glaciers have carved deep canyons. Today the canyons contain dense conifer forests and open meadows of wildflowers. As elevation increases, wildflowers abound while trees become stunted and eventually shrublike. In addition to abundant sagebrush, numerous wildflowers and grasses grow. During August, sunflowers replace balsam root.