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: Trees
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…
Caching allows early nesting for Clark’s nutcracker
Laying eggs in March would be a risky venture for most birds because of the lack of food available to feed nestlings. But an alpine…
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…
Juniper species grow in tree and shrub form
Nestled on a rocky site north of the Arctic Circle in Alaska, a juniper bush seems out of place. Could it be the same species…
Alpine larch usher in autumn in the high country
As autumn begins, a golden color will highlight timberline as alpine larch turn from a light green to a golden yellow. Turning color and losing…
Long Canyon Parker Ridge hike filled with surprises
Four miles and 52 leg-burning switchbacks to reach the trail junction below the ridge. A few more switchbacks through the transitioning forest and I’d be…
Some deciduous trees forgo showy flowers, pollinate early
Buds are beginning to swell on some plants as the amount of daylight increases, such as the red twinberry. Some plants will wait longer to…
Have you had tree bark for breakfast lately?
Visible everyday, all year long is tree bark. From the white birch bark slowly peeling away from the trunk to the fibrous reddish strips…
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Conks begin recycling trees before they’re dead
High in a birch tree, a large conk grows on the trunk–a sure sign the birch is decaying from the inside out. Conks, also known…
Sign Posts of the Forest
Wandering through the woods, I found a tree with claw marks scratched in the bark at eye-level and black hair stuck to once oozing sap.…
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…
Caching allows early nesting for Clark’s nutcracker
Laying eggs in March would be a risky venture for most birds because of the lack of food available to feed nestlings. But an alpine…
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…
Juniper species grow in tree and shrub form
Nestled on a rocky site north of the Arctic Circle in Alaska, a juniper bush seems out of place. Could it be the same species…
Alpine larch usher in autumn in the high country
As autumn begins, a golden color will highlight timberline as alpine larch turn from a light green to a golden yellow. Turning color and losing…
Long Canyon Parker Ridge hike filled with surprises
Four miles and 52 leg-burning switchbacks to reach the trail junction below the ridge. A few more switchbacks through the transitioning forest and I’d be…
Some deciduous trees forgo showy flowers, pollinate early
Buds are beginning to swell on some plants as the amount of daylight increases, such as the red twinberry. Some plants will wait longer to…
Have you had tree bark for breakfast lately?
Visible everyday, all year long is tree bark. From the white birch bark slowly peeling away from the trunk to the fibrous reddish strips…
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Conks begin recycling trees before they’re dead
High in a birch tree, a large conk grows on the trunk–a sure sign the birch is decaying from the inside out. Conks, also known…
Sign Posts of the Forest
Wandering through the woods, I found a tree with claw marks scratched in the bark at eye-level and black hair stuck to once oozing sap.…