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…
Tag: Plants
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…
Life under an icy ceiling
Winter brings hardships for many animals–lack of food, deep snow and cold temperatures. For fish sealed from the winter landscape by a ceiling of ice,…
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…
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…
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…
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.…
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…
Pondering the puzzle bark of ponderosa pine
One of the first conifers I learned to identify after moving to Boundary County was the majestic ponderosa pine, mainly because of the bark. I…
How can a weed smell so sweet?
Do you remember the first time you smelled the pleasant aroma of alpine fir, labrador tea or cottonwood sap? I won’t forgot the first time…
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…
Life under an icy ceiling
Winter brings hardships for many animals–lack of food, deep snow and cold temperatures. For fish sealed from the winter landscape by a ceiling of ice,…
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…
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…
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…
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.…
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…
Pondering the puzzle bark of ponderosa pine
One of the first conifers I learned to identify after moving to Boundary County was the majestic ponderosa pine, mainly because of the bark. I…
How can a weed smell so sweet?
Do you remember the first time you smelled the pleasant aroma of alpine fir, labrador tea or cottonwood sap? I won’t forgot the first time…