The Wingnut Cryptantha (Cryptantha pterocarya (Torr.) Greene) is a diminutive spring blooming annual of the Forget-me-not Family (Boraginaceae) that is commonly found in uplands and sagebrush deserts in the west from Washington State to Texas, California, and Northern New Mexico. … Continue reading
The Showy Phlox (Phlox speciosa Pursh) is found in Western North America from British Columbia to Northern Mexico. It is absent from Utah, Colorado, and Wyoming. In Washington State, it is found east of the Cascades in sagebrush, short bunchgrass, … Continue reading
The Wooly-pod Milkvetch (Astragalus purshii Dougl. ex Hook.) is a variable species of the Legume Family (Fabaceae) that ranges throughout much of Western North America with several recognized varieties. Three of the varieties are native to Washington State. Here we … Continue reading
Like the Sagebrush Buttercup, the Inflated Grass Widow (Olsynium douglasii (A. Dietr.) E.P. Bicknell var. inflatum (Suksd.) Cholewa & Douglass M. Hend.) is a harbinger of spring for nature lovers in Spokane. They were in full bloom in the Dishman Hills … Continue reading
The Sagebrush Buttercup (Ranunculus glaberrimus Hook.) is a small buttercup that is found in the interior western North America. It ranges from Central British Columbia and Saskatchewan on the north and northern New Mexico and southwestern California on the south. … Continue reading
The Arrowleaf Balsamroot (Balsamorhiza sagittata (Pursh) Nutt.) is perhaps the showiest spring flower in the short bunchgrass and Ponderosa Pine communities around Spokane. A member of the Aster Family (Asteraceae), the Arrowleaf Balsamroot is the most common and widespread of … Continue reading
The Thinleaf Alder (Alnus incana (L.) Moench ssp. tenuifolia (Nutt.) Breitung) is a subspecies of alder that is found in Western North America from Alaska, Yukon, and the Northwest territories on the North to Arizona and New Mexico on … Continue reading
The tiny-flowered Slender Phlox (Microsteris gracilis (Hook.) Greene) is a spring blooming ephemeral commonly found in Western North America from Mexico to Canada, with outlying populations in Illinois. There are also some populations of Slender Phlox in South American deserts. … Continue reading
The Rainier Violet, Three-nerved Violet, or Sagebrush Violet (Viola trinervata (Howell) Howell ex A. Gray) is endemic to Oregon and Washington and thrives in moist sagebrush flats and rocky slopes. In Washington, it is found in the counties on the … Continue reading
The Bulbous Woodland Star (Lithophragma glabrum Nutt.) stands out like little sprites where it grows. It is found from British Columbia, Alberta, and Saskatchewan on the north to Northern California, Nevada, Colorado on the South, with outlying populations in South … Continue reading
Yellow bell (Fritillaria pudica (Pursh) Spreng) is a spring ephemeral flower found in the grasslands, sagebrush desert, to mixed Ponderosa Pine/conifier forest communities in the inland areas British Columbia and Alberta to Northern California, Nevada, Utah, and Wyoming. It is … Continue reading
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Hood’s Phlox (Phlox hoodii Richardson) is a highly variable, widespread species found in Western North America from Alaska to Northern Mexico on the west to Manitoba, Nebraska, and New Mexico on the East. It is a common constituent of the … Continue reading
The tiny-flowered Maiden Blue-eyed Mary (Collinsia parviflora Lindl.) is native to most of western North America and to Michigan, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Ontario, and Prince Edward Island. This member of the Plantaginaceae family is a spring ephermal that is … Continue reading
The Curve-seed Butterwort (Ceratocephala testiculata (Crantz) Roth) is a member of the Buttercup Family (Ranunculaceae) which is native to Eurasia, but has become invasive throughout much of North America (except for the South and New England). In sagebrush communities, it … Continue reading
A member of Brassicaceae (Mustard Family), the Cusick’s Rockcress (Boechera cusickii (S. Watson) Al-Shehbaz) is found in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Nevada. It was formerly called (Arabis cusickii S. Watson) before it was reclassified based on recent DNA studies. It … Continue reading
Today along Duvall Bridge Road I spotted a single plant that caught my attention. It was unlike anything I had seen before. At first I let my imagination run wild and guessed it might be the long-sought-for Swamp Pink (Helonias … Continue reading
Yesterday, I went out to the location along Millrace Road where I spotted the putative hybrid (Quercus lyrata X Quercus ????). The road serves as the boundary between the North Tract and the Central Tract. I took an quick inventory … Continue reading
My quest for the Northern Red Oak (Quercus rubra L.) acorn on the North Tract continues. One of my goals for the project is to collect acorns from every species of oak on the North Tract. However, while doing the … Continue reading
Today, I re-visited a site about 200 feet off of Sweet Gum Lane where I spotted a small colony of Saul’s Oak (Quercus ×saulii C.K. Schneid. [alba × montana]) last year. I wanted to see if they were dropping acorns … Continue reading
Today, while driving along the Skyline Drive in the Southern District, we pulled off on to the Trayfoot Mountain Overlook. A single Table Mountain Pine (Pinus pungens Lamb.) tree stood over the parking lot. It made a good photographic subject. … Continue reading