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…
Tag: Flora
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…
Insects instigate abnormal growth on plants
Odd growths on plant leaves or stems ranging from tiny bumps to red, spiny growths to pinecone-like growths on willows are a unique plant/insect relationship.…
Conifers increase the odds with prolific pollen
You may have noticed a yellow dust on your car or around the edges of puddles recently. The visible yellow dust is only a fraction…
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…
Nature’s seed dispersal inspiration for Velcro
From the cuffs of coats to children’s shoes, Velcro has made our lives easier but it has existed in nature longer than we can imagine.…
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…
Feast or famine for animals in the winter
Last weekend, the chickadees and nuthatches finally found the two bird feeders I filled several weeks ago. For birds, finding a full feeder is like…
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.…
A great place to call home
Twilight was quickly fading as we drove south on Highway 95 after crossing the border at Eastport. As we descended down the hill by Brush…
Incredible, edible cattails
A common sight in any shallow water around the Kootenai Valley is stands of cattails. They line irrigation ditches, lake-shores, swamps and the majority of…
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…
Insects instigate abnormal growth on plants
Odd growths on plant leaves or stems ranging from tiny bumps to red, spiny growths to pinecone-like growths on willows are a unique plant/insect relationship.…
Conifers increase the odds with prolific pollen
You may have noticed a yellow dust on your car or around the edges of puddles recently. The visible yellow dust is only a fraction…
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…
Nature’s seed dispersal inspiration for Velcro
From the cuffs of coats to children’s shoes, Velcro has made our lives easier but it has existed in nature longer than we can imagine.…
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…
Feast or famine for animals in the winter
Last weekend, the chickadees and nuthatches finally found the two bird feeders I filled several weeks ago. For birds, finding a full feeder is like…
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.…
A great place to call home
Twilight was quickly fading as we drove south on Highway 95 after crossing the border at Eastport. As we descended down the hill by Brush…
Incredible, edible cattails
A common sight in any shallow water around the Kootenai Valley is stands of cattails. They line irrigation ditches, lake-shores, swamps and the majority of…