I don’t get botanical “Wow!” moments often, but last week I had one of them. On Thursday I hiked to Van Epps Pass, past the Esmeralda Peaks at the head of the North Fork of the Teanaway River. This part of the Wenatchee Mountains has many areas of serpentine-derived soils, often covered with the rusty […]
Red-flowering Currant
It happens every year. As soon as the red-flowering currant (Ribes sanguineum) blooms in the nursery there is a rufous hummingbird on it. I saw my first male hummer of the spring on Saturday, checking out the spot where the feeder at home hangs each year, making me realize that this little guy was here last […]
Endemic Plants: Special Ones from the Wenatchee Mountains
Thompson’s clover (Trifolium thompsonii) Endemic plants are those found only in a limited geographic area. The Wenatchee Mountains of Chelan and Kittitas Counties have the greatest concentration of endemics found in Washington as well as being one of the top areas for endemics in the US. The map below was compiled by Joe Arnett, Rare […]
Native Cacti of Central Washington
Cactus plants (of the family Cactaceae) are native to the Western Hemisphere, with Mexico having the greatest diversity of species. In the US they are mostly found in the Southwest and nearby arid regions but several species make their way up to this area. An opuntia from the Rocky Mountains, growing in Peshastin Two species […]
Desert Buckwheats: Star Qualities but Often Overlooked
Cushion buckwheat (E. ovalifolium) Desert or wild buckwheats (Eriogonum sp.), members of the Buckwheat family (Polygonaceae), are native to North America with the greatest numbers in the arid regions of the West, particularly in the Great Basin and California. There are about 250 species in total, with at least 17 in Washington and 11 in […]