Wilcox photo

Early Woman Botanists in Boise
April 6, 2024
One intriguing historical aspect of the Boise Front is the predominance of women who were among the earliest significant botanical collectors, or who otherwise contributed to our knowledge of the original flora of the area. A brief synopsis of four of …
Plants That Love Winter
January 6, 2024
While most sensible plants hunker down during the cold winter season, awaiting the return of warmth and sunshine, there are some that flourish at this time of year. This is particularly likely in parts of the world where most of the yearly precipitation …
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, …