Species Page – Treasures of the Boise Front

Those Baffling Biscuitroots
May 25, 2023
Even for those of us inured to the inevitability of name changes, and fully versed on the perfectly good reasons behind them, the nearly complete turnover in the nomenclature of our local biscuitroots (genus Lomatium) can be mind-boggling. For those of …
Isabel Mulford and her Milkvetch
May 7, 2023
Mulford’s Milkvetch (Astragalus mulfordiae), one of Idaho’s rarest plants that is currently in peak bloom in the Boise Front, comes with a wonderful back-story involving a woman who was both one of the earliest plant collectors in the young …
Zombie Phlox, and Pseudoflowers
April 30, 2023
With “zombie fungus” currently in the public eye, thanks to the popularity of “The Last of Us”, let me introduce you to a botanical counterpart that’s easily observed in the Boise Front in spring. As is so often the case, …
The Existential Threat of Thatch
April 16, 2023
Given that this website is based on blogging software, I thought I’d try an actual blog post, inspired by this poor struggling sagebrush buttercup (Ranunculus glaberrimus) that I photographed on this morning’s walk. It was one of the few …
Get the Jump On Spring
March 18, 2022
As days start to lengthen, triggering once again the urge to seek out the floristic treasures that the Boise Front has to offer, this walk offers an excellent chance to "get the jump on spring". …

Digitaria ischaemum