Sulfur buckwheat (Eriogonum umbellatum) in full bloom NOTE- I’ve been unable to connect to Facebook for months, but that has finally been corrected. This is outdated, first put on my web site in May, but I thought the pretty flower photos were still worth sharing!) At this time of year many of the wildflowers planted […]
Native Plants for Native Bees
Anthophora bee on phlox A few weeks back I attended a talk by Don Rolfs, who spoke about the over 700 species (!) of native bees we have in this state. Don, who has done fine work and photography on our local butterflies, is now intensely focused on documenting and photographing the native bees in our […]
My Tronsen Ridge Suite
Last week I made a seed collecting foray to Tronsen Ridge above Blewett Pass, escaping the smoke-filled Wenatchee Valley. This area is easily one of the top spots for wildflowers in Central Washington, filled with a great diversity of species, including many uncommon and endemic ones. There are great views of the Stuart Range, Mt. Rainier […]
Seedlings are everywhere – must be spring!
We sow the seeds for the native plants we grow in the fall and winter of each year; it is with much joy (and relief!) that I greet the new plants arising from them each spring. I want you to share in this joy, so see how many of the seedlings pictured below you can […]
Late summer flowers for native pollinators
Parnassian butterfly on coyote mint (Monardella odoratissimma), late August at 4500′ Most of our native wildflowers of the lower elevations of Central Washington are at their glorious best in the spring and early summer; when the heat of July and August arrives these plants are done with blooming and more concerned with surviving the summer drought. […]