As snow banks disappear and long days of sunshine begin warming the soil, the valley bottoms and the lower slopes come alive with a variety of wild flowers and morel mushrooms. Usually the first flowers are the buttercups of field and open woods, followed closely by glacier lilies, bloodroot and shooting stars. After these first early blossoms, a continuous progression of colorful flowers offers itself to the photographer and traveler in forest valleys. For more information on wildflowers see Wildflowers of the Kootenai National Forest .
Spring is usually the best time for viewing and photographing wildlife in Lincoln County.
Bighorn mountain sheep are often visible on the south slopes of Berray Mountain in the Bull River Valley, the Kootenai Falls area and a along Koocanusa Reservoir near Sheep Creek. Deer and elk can be seen in the spring in these same areas, as well as other areas. This is a critical time for the animals, for they need an abundance of food, and the quest for it often carries them near man where they are vulnerable to man-caused stress such as off road vehicles and dogs. The area has a great diversity of animals that range from moose to mice. Some of the species residing in Northwest Montana include elk, mule and whitetail deer, mountain goats, bighorn sheep, moose, black bear, mountain lion, grizzly bear, coyote, weasel, mink, wolverine, beaver, otter, porcupine, skunk, snowshoe hare, mountain cottontail, pika, bobcat, and lynx.