Check out my latest thing on #Phragmites in UGS's Survey Notes: geology.utah.gov/map-pub/surv...

K is for Astragalus kentrophyta - spiny milkvetch. I had a helluva time finding a native Utah species that starts with K and that I had pics of. I'm bending my own arbitrary rules because one of the old genus names for this milkvetch is Kentrophyta. And it's adorbs.

J is for Juniperus osteosperma - Utah Juniper. Junipers are one of the most common, awesomest trees here, striking dramatic, twisting poses all over the desert. They grow slowly: 0.05 inches in diameter a year. But they live for a very long time; they don’t even make seeds until trees are 30 yrs old

I is for Iris missouriensis - the Rocky Mountain Iris. This stunner grows in wet meadows across the West (pictured here in the La Sal mountains). It takes a few years to establish, but once it does the Iris can tolerate drought and flooding.

G is for Gentianella amarella - Autumn dwarf gentian. I was so excited to find this beauty on Heliotrope Mountain (11,132 ft) then so disappointed to find no fun facts about Gentianella on the interwebs. Actual facts are very cool.

Gentians grow at high elevation, living in the harshest elements.

F is for Fallugia paradoxa: Apache Plume, a gorgeous desert shrub in the Rose Family (Rosaceae). The enchanting feathery bits are styles that remain after the petals fall. When the ovaries mature into seeds, the styles catch on the wind and carry the seeds to a new location they can germinate in.

E is for Eriophorum scheuchzer: white cottongrass. This is in the same family as bulrushes and sedges, but has a look all it's own. Cottongrass grows most often in the northern latitudes of Alaska and Canada, but can be found in high elevation wetlands farther south, like the Uinta mountains.

C is for Circaea alpina: Small Enchanter’s Nightshade. This enchanting beauty grows in moist soils of the forest understory. One source calls it a “juicy perennial.” Despite its common name, it's not a member of the nightshade family (Solanaceae), it’s in the evening primrose family (Onagraceae)

B is for Bidens cernua - Nodding beggarstick. The genus name Bidens is not affiliated with any American political parties, it’s a combination of ‘bi’ (two) and ‘den’ (tooth), named because of it’s toothy fruits.

A is for Arnica cordifolia - Heartleaf arnica. This bright yellow flower thrives under conifer canopies, it’s such a delight to see. Arnica is a common type of tea, but this species has different ethnobotanical purposes. Poultices of the plant were used to treat swelling, bruises, and cuts.

Zoophilous: Animal-pollinated #BotanicalAnatomical
Pollination is so cool. Flowers & pollinators evolving together, one gets to reproduce w/o inbreeding (plants) & the other gets sweet treats (the pollinator). Utah examples:
Beetles pollinate flowers that can handle being crawled on (unknown aster)

As long as I live, I will never understand how “it should be easier for multi-billion-dollar corporations to dump poison in the water my children drink” became popular politics with half the country.

www.nbcnews.com/science/envi... 🌎🧪

Bonus points if you use this word in your next 'Out Of Office' reply.

It's #InvasiveSpeciesAwareness Week when I'm extra insufferable about pointing out non-native plants. Wetlands grow so many invasive species because they're located in low places where seeds, plant bits, & garbage accumulate & the conditions are perfect for growing gnarly plants

Less than one fifteenth of a percent of the national budget. Thousands of dedicated, already-underpaid but passionate and incredibly important workers with the rug ripped out from under them.

www.hcn.org/articles/peo...

Xenomorphic: Possessing obvious physical adaptations to a dry environment, such as the succulent, water storing stems of a cactus.
#BotanicalAnatomical

This is a post about animal excrement and the English language.

bull$#!% = nonsense/lies
chicken$#!% = petty or cowardly
horse$#!% = nonsense/lies
dog$#!%= low quality
ape$#!% = wild
bat$#!%= crazy

Ordered above from oldest to newest: bull$#!% (1914), bat$#!% (1971).

Weed: An aggressive plant which colonizes disturbed habitats and cultivated lands #BotanicalAnatomical
Some of the worst weeds are also the prettiest. For example: bull thistle, dyer's woad, teasel, and myrtle spurge