Challenges of Being a Wildflower in Early Spring

Challenges of Being a Wildflower in Early Spring

By Paul Alaback, Professor Emeritus of Ecology, University of Montana How can early spring wildflowers produce seeds when it is so cold and pollinators are scarce? I have been following the parade of flowers that emerge each spring for many years. It is usually quite...
Great Galls!

Great Galls!

This time of year exploring around our grasslands and forests you can see many interesting things relating to native plants even before the official growing season starts. For example the other day I saw these galls on a bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa) that are called...
Peatland Seeps in Northwest Colorado

Peatland Seeps in Northwest Colorado

This article is re-printed here from The Bog Blogger, with the kind permission of Grant McKown, author, and Sarah Dodgin, blog owner. Great photos all by Mr. Mckown.  My crew and I were expecting a nice graminoid meadow – one that had been flooded early on in the...
Yes, You Can Prairie Up!

Yes, You Can Prairie Up!

You’ve been yearning to design a garden, yard, or meadow space but can’t seem to get a grip on which plants to include or how to design the site. Or maybe you’re in the middle of planning one of those spaces but myriad choices have you frozen with indecision. Help has...
Seasons of a Plant Lover

Seasons of a Plant Lover

Pasqueflowers, Pulsatilla nuttalliana, are among the first natives to bloom in spring, providing rest and food for the earliest native bees. More about early bloomers. Well! Here we are again! When the winds of spring came and blew the doors open, we were outside in a...