Washington has more than 1,300 plant species.. Sand strawberries and beach peas are found among the dunes while fennel and spurry grow in salt marshes. The desert region is dominated by greasewood and sagebrush.. Conifers include Sitka spruce, western hemlock, Douglas fir, and Alaska cedar. Big-leaf maple, red alder, black cottonwood, and western yew are among the characteristic deciduous trees found in Washington. Wild flowers include the deerhead orchid and wake-robin.
The western rhododendron is the state flower. In 2003, six plant species were listed as threatened. They include golden paintbrush, Kincaid's lupine, Spalding's catchfly, Nelson's checker-mallow, Ute ladies'-tresses, and water howelia.
Forest and mountain regions support Columbia black-tailed and mule deer, elk, and black bear. The Roosevelt elk, named after President Theodore Roosevelt, is native to the Olympic Mountains. Other native mammals include the Canadian lynx, red fox, and red western bobcat. Western fisher, raccoon, muskrat, porcupine, marten, and mink are smaller native mammals. Game birds include the ruffed grouse, bobwhite quail, and ring-necked pheasant.
In 2003, 30 animal species were listed as threatened or endangered in Washington, including the Columbian white-tailed deer, humpback whale, ,short-tailed albatross, brown pelican, nine species of salmon, woodland caribou, pygmy rabbit, and two species (green and leatherback) of sea turtle.