The never-ending aspen
One of my favorite sounds is the rustling of aspen leaves in the wind. While most leaves are attached to branches with round stems, quaking…
Tag: Flora
Horsetails rooted in history
Long before scouring pads were invented for cleaning dishes, Europeans and American settlers utilized what was available in nature–scouring rushes and horsetails. The widespread use…
Grass is under our feet and in our cupboards
What do barley, corn and fescue all have in common? They are all grasses. From the green grass in yards to fields of oats to…
Magnitude of beargrass blooms unpredictable
While on the Parker Ridge trail below Parker Peak last summer, I rounded a corner and was surprised by the hundreds of beargrass blooms filling…
White wildflowers blooming everywhere
Early spring wildflowers, such as trilliums, are blooming at higher elevations as the snow recedes and the ground warms. At lower elevations summer wildflowers are…
April showers bring May wildflowers
The saying “April showers bring May flowers” certainly rings true this year. After several days of rain followed by 70 degree weather, spring flowers are…
Being green in winter isn’t easy
Compared to the Midwest, the forests of North Idaho are filled with more conifers than deciduous trees. Conifers keep our forests green through winter as…
Stromatolites a window into Earth’s history
Fossils offer a glimpse of what organisms have lived on Earth, such as woolly mammoths and Tyrannosaurus Rex- yet most don’t exist today. Some fossils…
Sweet cottonwood fragrance will announce spring
One day in early spring, the sweet fragrance of cottonwood buds will fill the air. The large pointed buds of black cottonwoods are filled with…
Carpets of moss similar to miniature forests
From five feet above cushions of moss look alike but down on my hands and knees I can see the intricacies of the inch tall…
Animals prepare for winter by caching nature’s bounty
As gardeners were harvesting the bounty of their summer’s garden before the first frost, animals were harvesting nature’s bounty. Stockpiling food for winter is important…
Canada geese can be migratory or residents
As the temperatures cool and the leaves fall, the familiar “a honk, a honk, a honk” can be heard overhead as Canada geese fly in…
Horsetails rooted in history
Long before scouring pads were invented for cleaning dishes, Europeans and American settlers utilized what was available in nature–scouring rushes and horsetails. The widespread use…
Grass is under our feet and in our cupboards
What do barley, corn and fescue all have in common? They are all grasses. From the green grass in yards to fields of oats to…
Magnitude of beargrass blooms unpredictable
While on the Parker Ridge trail below Parker Peak last summer, I rounded a corner and was surprised by the hundreds of beargrass blooms filling…
White wildflowers blooming everywhere
Early spring wildflowers, such as trilliums, are blooming at higher elevations as the snow recedes and the ground warms. At lower elevations summer wildflowers are…
April showers bring May wildflowers
The saying “April showers bring May flowers” certainly rings true this year. After several days of rain followed by 70 degree weather, spring flowers are…
Being green in winter isn’t easy
Compared to the Midwest, the forests of North Idaho are filled with more conifers than deciduous trees. Conifers keep our forests green through winter as…
Stromatolites a window into Earth’s history
Fossils offer a glimpse of what organisms have lived on Earth, such as woolly mammoths and Tyrannosaurus Rex- yet most don’t exist today. Some fossils…
Sweet cottonwood fragrance will announce spring
One day in early spring, the sweet fragrance of cottonwood buds will fill the air. The large pointed buds of black cottonwoods are filled with…
Carpets of moss similar to miniature forests
From five feet above cushions of moss look alike but down on my hands and knees I can see the intricacies of the inch tall…
Animals prepare for winter by caching nature’s bounty
As gardeners were harvesting the bounty of their summer’s garden before the first frost, animals were harvesting nature’s bounty. Stockpiling food for winter is important…
Canada geese can be migratory or residents
As the temperatures cool and the leaves fall, the familiar “a honk, a honk, a honk” can be heard overhead as Canada geese fly in…